Frequently Asked Questions

2100 S. Military Hwy, Chesapeake 23320

From 64 take the Battlefield exit towards Military Hwy,

Take the 2^nd Military Hwy exit and then the second left.

 

Yes, we offer dogs, cats, exotics, pocket pets, poultry and livestock.

When an application for adoption is done, you will need to provide current rabies vaccination and City license information (if applicable) for the animals that you own.

 

Dog adoptions are $105 and cats are $75 (unless there is a promotion).

Exotics, pocket pets, poultry & livestock vary in cost but are minimal.

Services for cats and dogs (only) include spay or neuter, microchip, initial vaccinations, rabies vaccination, FeLV/FIV/HW testing (cats) and heartworm testing (dogs).

 

Visit the shelter or view animals available for adoption on this website.

 

Adopted animals must be spayed or neutered, microchipped and rabies vaccinated before they can go home, unless they are too young. They may be scheduled for these services, when you adopt, and a date set for you to pick them up at that time.

 

CAS accepts surrenders at our facility on an appointment basis. Please call the office, during operational hours, at 757-382-8080 option 1 to schedule. You must have proof of Chesapeake residency to surrender. There is no cost to surrender your pet.

CAS is an open admission shelter and cannot guarantee that a surrendered animal will be adopted. We must take into consideration all observations of an animal’s health and temperament to decide on adoptability. Please check our resource page for other avenues of rehoming your pet.

*Due to the fact that we do not have housing for livestock, we do not accept livestock surrenders.

 

CAS does not offer any medical or veterinary services to the public. Please see our resource link for low-cost veterinary services offered in our area.

Citizens interested in surrendering a pet for euthanasia should call the office, during operational hours, at 757-382-8080 option 1 to schedule an appointment. Owners are not allowed to be present for this service. There is a minimal fee, per pound, for disposal unless private cremation arrangements are made by the owner.

 

CAS does offer a service to pick up an animal at your home, but depending on staffing and emergency calls, surrender is a low priority. There is also a $25 pickup fee, per animal or litter, and any disposal fees for euthanasia are added if that service is requested.

It is preferred that these surrenders are requested during the weekday when staffing is optimum.

 

Visit the shelter and make sure to bring a photo of your pet. Let the front office know that you are missing your pet so they can direct you to areas of the shelter to look for your pet. If your pet is not here then ask to file a lost report. Please see our resources page for other avenues of locating your pet and our website also has photos posted of strays.

 

You can either bring the animal to the shelter during operational hours, call dispatch at 757-382-6161 for an Animal Control Officer to pick it up, or call the office and file a found report at 757-382-8080 option 1. If a found report is done, then make every effort to have that animal scanned (for a microchip) at a local vet or at the shelter. Please see our resources page for other avenues of locating an owner.

 

Please call 757-382-8089 and leave a message with your name and contact information. There is a wait sometimes for a trap rental depending on the need, but someone will contact you about your request. If the trap cannot be securely chained for use then a $35 deposit is required for a trap.

 

The front office sells City licenses and exotic permits. If your rabies vaccination information is not current with the Treasurer’s Office then you will need to have a current certificate to purchase a City license.

New exotic permits must first be approved by the City’s Development and Permits Department before CAS can issue one.

CAS takes volunteers and fosters! You must be 16 to volunteer in the shelter. Learn more about our volunteer opportunities and sign up!

 

All complaints or concerns that would require an Animal Control Officer (ACO) response must be called in to the police dispatch non-emergency number: 757-382-6161

 

ACO’s must prioritize their calls accordingly. These are the types of calls from the highest priority to the lowest: aggressive animal, injured/sick animal, livestock loose, stray, animal cruelty (can also be higher priority depending), surrender, nuisance wildlife. The police dispatcher may be able to get an estimated time of arrival (ETA) from the ACO on duty, if requested.

 

Every city is different in their overnight availability for animal control services. In Chesapeake ACO’s start responding to calls at 8 a.m. and until 7 p.m. However, there is always an ACO on-call from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. for emergencies. Often police will verify emergencies overnight when available.

Overall, staffing is optimal during the weekday time.

 

ACO’s only respond for wildlife when the animal is aggressive, injured/sick or orphaned.

It is best to leave wildlife alone if they appear healthy and are acting normal. Evaluating your yard to reduce food and/or shelter resources can lessen the amount of wildlife traffic in your yard. See the resources page for more wildlife resources.

 

ACO’s do not respond for these types of wildlife calls and traps are not offered for nuisance wildlife. Traps are only used for domestic animals and/or injured wildlife. You would need to find a company that offers removal services for wildlife in these situations.

 

ACO’s do respond for any wildlife inside of a home or dwelling. Any type of confinement of the animal, into an area, until they arrive will increase the likelihood of removal. ACO’s do not respond for a snake in your yard, but every situation where safety is a concern is considered.

 

ACO’s will call you on this to make sure you did not pick up a fledgling! Most bird species must get on the ground to learn how to fly. They are very vulnerable during this lesson and easily scooped up by concerned hands. Please see the resource page for more information on fledglings.

 

ACO’s do not respond for barking complaints. Citizens can file a complaint online through the Police Department, call the CAS office, or the City’s Customer Contact Center at 757-382-CITY (2489). All of these complaints are routed to CAS and two letters, per calendar year, are sent per location to let the owner know that there have been complaints filed about barking dogs. Please see the resource page for the online reporting link.

 

No, but all complaints for defecation are handled just like barking. CAS also sends letters for animals at large, but only two letters, per year, are sent and you must know the owners address.

 

If you are not in physical control of your animal, while it is off of your property, then it is at large. This applies to domestic, companion, livestock, fowl, exotics and wild animals in captivity. The one neighbor may not mind your dog visiting, but other neighbors can still complain.

 

Just because something has not happened yet, does not mean that it won’t. It could be another dog that causes a problem and then your child could be in danger. It is never a good idea to allow children to walk any dog that they might not be able to control in ANY situation.

 

Chesapeake does have a Harboring code which makes it unlawful to harbor an animal for more than 14 days without reporting it as a stray. Feeding animals after that point makes you responsible for them. If a neighbor is complaining about the cats running at large and an ACO witnesses that offense, then yes, you can be issued summons for that.

 

All owners are required to have a rabies vaccination for dogs and cats and a City license. City licenses cost $4 for cats/dogs that are altered and $10 if they are not altered. Rabies vaccinations must be administered by a licensed veterinarian.

Exotics are required to have a permit. More City Code information for exotic animals can be found within the Chesapeake Municipal Code of Ordinances (Municode). Information for exotics is on the resource page under the Municode link.