Southern Paws VA Animal Rescue's journey started in 2016 strictly taking in owner surrenders. In 2017 we became a legalized 501(c)3 non-profit organization with the hopes to take in all kinds of species ranging from reptiles to small farm animals and just about everything in between. SPVAR is run by volunteers generally in the Winchester VA area, however in the past couple of years we have been able to expand our help to surrounding states.
Step 1- Fill out an application! Our volunteers will review your application and will contact your landlord and/or veterinarian. Please keep an eye out for emails from our team or phone calls. Step 2 - Home Check. Once approved, we will set up a home check tour- a simple walk through of your home and yard. This is to ensure we cover any potential hazards that your new adopted pet could get into. If for some reason we feel that your home is unsafe, we will explain our concerns, and if it cannot be fixed we may terminate the application process. If you live in an area where our volunteers cannot come to, we will do an alternative for the home check. This is a virtual home check tour- each video is 30 seconds long, and you may send as many videos as you'd like to cover your home inside and outside. The videos are sent to our email address: [email protected]. Step 3 - Meet and Greet. This is the fun part where your family gets to meet our adoptable animals! We will try our best to allow you to pick the animal you want to meet first- however, if the animal is pending we will move onto the next animal that we think would be a good fit for your family. You may do multiple meet and greets if you want to ensure this is the pet you want to bring home. Some adopters choose to wait a few days after the meet and greet so they can have all of their supplies ready for their new pet at home! Others may have supplies already set up at home and can adopt the same day. It will be case by case, and the volunteer can give you further information. What does it mean when you "foster to adopt"? This is a trial period of (7 days) the rescue will allow you to bring the pet home and see how they do for a few days with your family. If for any reason the pet is not working out, we will take them back. We recommend you wait a few days before making a decision. Some animals need a longer decompression period than others.