SPCA to open low-cost pet clinic in June

NORFOLK — Come June, local pet owners will have a low-cost option to get their animals spayed or neutered, the Norfolk Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals announced Monday.

The SPCA plans to open the area’s first dedicated, high-volume, low-cost spay/ neuter clinic, the release said, doubling the current spay/ neuter capacity.

Kimberly Sherlaw, executive director of the Norfolk SPCA, said the organization can currently perform 5,000 to 6,000 spay/neuter surgeries a year.

The new clinic will have the capacity to perform over 13,000 spay/neuter surgeries a year.

Veterinary services will be open to Norfolk residents and the greater Hampton Roads community with no income restriction, the release said.

The 3,000-square-feet clinic is being built in the Roosevelt Gardens Shopping Center on East Little Creek Road.

The opening will allow the SPCA to “dramatically decrease euthanasia as a means of population control, lower the number of animals entering shelters, and support positive community engagement functions like adoption, fostering, and transport programs,” the release said.

The clinic will also offer the Norfolk SPCA’s low-cost vaccines and wellness exam services, which are offered currently at their hospital at the shelter on Ballentine Boulevard, Sherlaw said.

“These much-needed services provide preventative care to more than 15,000 patients each year,” the release said.

“Relocating these services within the new clinic will nearly double the available service hours, and relieve the bottleneck of clients waiting to be scheduled for other procedures.”

The Norfolk SPCA started collecting in October. As of April 1, the group has raised $319,400 of the clinic’s $400,000 goal.

Donors include TowneBank Foundation, which has committed a $200,000 grant to the project over the next three years, and the Alfred L. Nicholson Fund of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation.

“These generous funds will be used to complete buildout construction of the new space and supplement operational expenses as the Community Spay/ Neuter Clinic reaches full functional capacity later this year,” the release said.

The clinic also will also help future veterinary professionals through a partnership with Tidewater Community College’s Veterinary Sciences program. The SPCA will provide hands-on and observational experiences for students.

The SPCA said the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a dramatic increase in the number of people seeking affordable veterinary care and spay and neuter services.

Sherlaw, the SPCA’s director, also said they are looking to hire two veterinarians, a licensed veterinary technician, two veterinary assistants, a client services manager and a veterinary director to work at the clinic.

To apply, visit norfolk spca.com/employment. For more information about the clinic, visit norfolkspca. org/community-spay-neuter-clinic.