From Supervisor Mike May:
It’s here! P.A.W. Express, Prince William County’s new Mobile Pet Adoption Van, has arrived.
The 26-foot van, purchased by the Prince William SPCA with a $154,565 PETCO Foundation grant, is being housed at the Prince William County Animal Shelter and will make its public debut at the Animal Shelter’s Holiday Open House on Saturday, December 10, at 2 p.m. The van has the capacity to hold approximately 26 animals, and has roll doors that allow the animals to be viewed from the outside. Walk-through capability will allow potential adopters to meet the pets in the van.
The custom-built van will be used to increase adoptions of pets at the Prince William County Animal Shelter. The van will also assist in relief efforts of companion animals in crisis and serve as a transport vehicle to a spay/neuter facility.
“We are thrilled that the Prince William SPCA has been chosen for this grant, and that we are able to bring this mobile adoption van to the county,” says Prince William SPCA President Melissa Korzuch. “The mobile van will open up so many opportunities for the shelter pets to gain exposure and ultimately find a home. It is a perfect example of how municipal shelters and nonprofits can work together to improve the lives of companion animals.”
The Prince William SPCA and the Shelter are developing a schedule of appearances for the van at various community events, festivals and at PETCO stores in the Northern Virginia area beginning in January 2012. If you would like the P.A.W. Express to make an appearance at your event, e-mail [email protected]
The grant was submitted as a joint partnership between the Prince William SPCA and the Prince William County Animal Shelter. Prince William SPCA volunteers wrote the successful grant application that secured the funding for the van. The PETCO Foundation was looking for proposals that were creative, increased connections with their local community and local PETCOs, employed innovation, and most importantly enhanced the lives of animals in alignment with the goals of the PETCO Foundation. The grant covers the cost of the van plus five years of maintenance and administrative costs. Additional expenses after the first five years will be provided through fundraising efforts.
The Prince William SPCA was established to benefit the animals of the greater Prince William County, Virginia, area. Donations are tax-deductible and may be mailed to: PWSPCA, PO Box 6631, Woodbridge, VA 22195. www.pwspca.org
Thanks for this update, Mike! All the animal lovers appreciate this info.
This is really nice. My opinion of Petco just went up 100%. Lets hope lots of homeless dogs and cats find forever homes with loving families.
It looks like dogs and cats aren’t a big thing with the moonhowlings group.
Sigh.
I think this is a good thing.
Where are the nearest no-kill shelters?
I think it’s a good idea too. With five cats and a dog I won’t be taking advantage of it anytime soon, but I could support it with a donation.
I think that’s great. Another awesome service provided by the PWSPCA is the Neuter Commuter which we used for our latest cat addition. For a mere $25 anyone in PWC can have their cat spayed or neutered. Dog prices vary by their size but are still a bargin nonetheless. We dropped our cat off at the shelter on a Fri morning and picked him up on Sat morning. Registration is done online and the commuter runs once a month.