Perhaps the worst SPCA I have ever been to. The lobby was overcrowded and it seemed like the facility was understaffed. Don't waste your time here; go to the Virginia Beach SPCA. The folks there are a lot more reasonable. I drove from Chesapeake to this Norfolk SPCA in which I was dead set on getting a golden retriever. I had all my paperwork ready and was thinking I could walk out with the friend of my dreams. This place completely destroyed that. They told me he was hyperactive and likes to mark and hump. Since I didn't have prior pet experience, they flat out denied me saying they wanted to mitigate returns. What??? Why tf would I come here and adopt and just return a future family member??? Is it not possible to work with a dog? Furthermore, what didn't make any sense was thay when we got denied, we looked at another dog.... this terrier mix was WAY worse. This dog bit people and drew blood. Not sociable at all. Can't be with kids or other dogs and cats. So you're telling me We can't handle a dog that marks and humps but we can handle a dog that bites and kills people??? You guys spewed a heaping pile of crap at us expecting us to believe you nonsensical logic We were about to WALK OUT OF THERE with a dog that bites people!!! Of course that dog would've been brought back. So you're telling me that's "tolerable" behavior. And marking and humping isn't "intolerable"??? Goldens are recommended for first time oet owners and. Having grown up around pets doesn't count?? Your fascist policies will keep all of your animals in that prison to rot because no one can possibly adopt any of your pets. They didn't even offer us the option of having our dream dog fostered to work on his issues. And then have us adopt him. They COULD NOT EVEN WORK WITH US. WE SENT EMAILS AND CAME BACK A SECOND TIME PRACTICALLY BEGGING THEM. THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING!!!! They kept refusing to work with us. Avoid this place. They'll tell you no for THEE STUPIDEST reasons. NORFOLK SPCA YOU ARE THE WORST. read more

My husband and I have gotten 2 of our 3 dogs from the Norfolk SPCA and volunteered/donated there a few times as well. The place is nothing to look at, but they work hard to keep it as clean as possible. They walk all dogs daily, which is something many shelters don't even attempt. They are particular about what kind of food they give animals to reduce the chance of allergic reactions. They give dogs a name, and learn their personalities, even what kinds of toys they like, so they can answer questions, and then do their best to find the perfect fur-ever home. Those reviews you see about people not getting the pet "of their dreams" because they were denied? I assure you, there was a reason they were denied. Some red flag that the Norfolk SPCA saw. They don't run a take a puppy, leave a puppy situation; they want to find the right family. Despite being so particular, they place hundreds upon hundreds of pets a year in Hampton Roads, and even take in from other local shelters that are having problems with getting animals adopted. They even advertise for other SPCA's, like Virginia Beach. All you have to do is go to http://www.nokillhr.org/ to see how hard they work. Yeah, their customer service isn't the best, but this isn't a Sephora. Yeah, you may have to wait a little while, have you waited as long to meet the animals as they have waited for you? No, you haven't. They have been waiting for days, weeks, months, even years, going shelter to shelter to find a home. So take a deep breath and a chill pill and stop giving these hardworking people bad reviews because someone screwed up your Mocha Latte this morning. These workers probably make a lot less money than you and save a whole lot more lives. They don't care about your review because they are too busy trying to put pets in the right homes and treat those that are sick at unbelievably low prices. They aren't in it for the money, or your stars. I think they are angels, and I appreciate the wonderful work they do. Next time I go to get a pet, they will be my first stop. read more

Norfolk SPCA - Vincent on the left. Tiffany (from NSPCA) front. Max (from NSPCA) on the right. - Animal Shelters Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

It is obvious that quality customer service is not a perk with them. No one greets you as you enter the facility. I do not have a pet. All I do is donate dog food to the shelter and ask for a donation receipt. The reps seems as if they are always busy as in the system they have for getting tasks completed could go thru a Lean Six Sigma program. ...or maybe they could ask the city for an increased budget to hire more front end workers. I wanted to give them candy in appreciation for what they do but not today. I will find somewhere else to donate the dog food and candy because they are clearly not appreciative. If I ever get a pet, I will not use their services. read more

Always new people. Front desk is hell. Most unorganized business in the world. No wonder their turn is massive. So disorganized that they gave my dog another rabbies shot by mistake! How hard can it be to look up in the computer. read more

I adopted my dog from the SPCA earlier this year. I found the canine staff to be very helpful and courteous. Since the dog I wanted had slight behavioral issues they encouraged me to foster him for a while before adopting, this was great as I was able to see how my dog would adjust to his new home and family without the pressure of adopting him right off the bat. They had a special adoption promotion happening when I decied to foster and that they would honor the promotion after I fostered. Facilities are clean, well kept and all of the animals seem to be well taken care of. To me it is very obvious that the Norfolk SPCA staff (especially the canine staff) really want to make sure pets are the right fit for their adopters and will work with you anyway they can to ensure the dogs go to loving homes. read more

I take my Yorkie here for shots and check ups. Staff is always friendly, knowledgable, and I never have to wait long, even though they seem busy. They always answer all of my questions and provide me with medications that are good and not overpriced. On my recent visit I had to bring my pup in for a consultation for surgery (he has cryptorchidism and a gum infection). They talked me through everything that needed to be done before the surgery and even gave me an itemized list of how much it would end up costing when he was done and even included post op. medications and price per tooth pulled if he needs any extractions, which I know he will. I feel very comfortable with them doing the surgery, as the staff was very knowledgable and comforting. read more

I been having issues with this place, since for the last two weeks I been calling, emailing and never get a call back or reply, very unprofessional! read more

I have been to this place multiple times and the staff barely if at all gives you any attention. When I was finally able to get what I thought was a chance to meet the dog I wanted to adopt, they tried to convince me to adopt another dog. Instead of me trying to determine if the dog was right for me and my family or not, they made the decision for me. Also, the kennel is absolutely filthy. I have been to a couple of shelters before that were cleaner than this one was. I feel bad for the pupper I wanted to adopt. Maybe they could have found a good home for him if they didn't waste my time or assume he was not right for me. read more

You really can't beat the prices for medications, services, and adoptions, the waits can truly be ridiculous but I'm guessing that's due to the relatively low costs, the staff overall is as helpful as they can be given the chaotic nature of the waiting room, there's one bad apple at the front desk that comes off passive aggressive and dismissive and to make matter worse she gives out incorrect information...everyone else though is fine, avoid the brunette with the pixie cut and you'll be fine. read more

Shots are cheaper than most places, which is the only reason for the extra star. We got completely forgotten. Been sitting here for two hours and no one has helped us yet. Everyone that came after us is already gone. The problem began with our paperwork never being picked up and after an hour we found someone to take it and it's been another hour since. Absolutely ridiculous. I understand a long wait when a place is busy, but forgetting us and servicing people coming on behind is unacceptable. read more

Me and my best friend will be moving in to an apartment together at the end of this summer for school. We both are huge cat lovers and want a cat for our new apartment. At the beginning of this summer, me and her rescued 2 cats from a trailer who were being neglected. One was a year old and one was a 2 week old newborn kitten. I took in the 1 year old while my friend took in the kitten. Well, the kitten was so young and we are inexperienced so we were having trouble nursing the kitten. We decided it would be best to get help. We took the kitten to the Norfolk SPCA. They ensured us that the kitten would be nursed until she was 2 pounds, spayed, and then she would be returned to us. We kept in contact calling once a week or every 2 weeks for about 2 months, and visited the SPCA 3 times in that span of time to check up on the kitten and make sure all was going as planned. Each time, the SPCA ensured us that the kitten was just fine and that she was our kitten. Well, the kitten was taking longer than we expected to be ready for us to pick up. My friend was leaving for vacation at the beginning of May and will not be returning until the 24th. We realized this might be a complication so we drove up to the SPCA to explain the situation. We informed the employees of the situation and told them that if she is ready to be picked up while my friend is on vacation, either I or her parents will come to pick her up. They said that was totally fine and that they could even hold her until the 24th if that was necessary. We said thank you and went on our way. On Wednesday May 13th we get a call from the SPCA saying that the kitten needs to be picked up by Friday because she is being spayed Thursday, will be going up for adoption Friday, and will be gone by Saturday. Well this was alarming, but my friend remained calm and contacted her parents to let them know so they could go pick her up. The SPCA then decides this is a good time to inform us they needed to have proof of lease saying they were allowed to have pets. They are allowed to have pets, but since they were unaware of the necessity of this paperwork until 2 days before the kitten is supposed to be gone, were unable to get an updated lease saying the could have the additional cat (they already have 2 dogs and 2 cats, and that was all that was on the lease). This made it necessary for myself to step in. The next day, Thursday (when she was being spayed), I drove up the SPCA myself with a copy of my lease saying I am allowed to have pets, papers saying that my other cat had her shots and was spayed, and my own adoption application. I spoke to the employees in the cat room and they said they would call their manager. They put me on the phone with the manager, who informed me that because I re-homed the aforementioned 1 year old rescue cat, I now have "negative previous ownership history", am an "irresponsible owner", and that they do not feel comfortable going against their policy and allowing me to adopt the cat. I screamed myself hoarse at this woman for an hour and nothing I said would sway her. I left the SPCA absolutely devastated to tears at the loss of this kitten who we rescued. Because we had signed a contract when we took the kitten in, she was legally theirs, and there was nothing I could do. My friends mother was devastated as well. The next day (today) she did some digging. She contacted a friends of hers who is in the Humane Society, a person who happened to know the vet at the Norfolk SPCA who spayed our kitten the day before. Come to find out, the foster mothers who was taking care of the kitten wanted her and was going to be picking her up on Saturday (tomorrow). I have never been more disgusted or appalled at the behavior of an organization such as this in all my life. They took away a kitten from a loving home, from the 2 people who rescued her from death, because their foster mother wanted this kitten. This is the most heinous, selfish, and heartless thing to ever occur to me. Never in a million years should you ever take a rescued animal to this SPCA and expect to get them back, because they will pull any string they can to take them away from you and give it to one of their employees. Also, I would like to remind everyone to always, ALWAYS read contracts very thoroughly before you sign them. Spread the word. I never want something like this to happen to anyone ever again; I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. read more

The staff has always been wonderful . Not just to the pets but to the customers. It is truly refreshing to have someone listen to what you are saying and to give a down to earth response. I've been bringing my cats and dog there for quit some time. there has never been a difficult moment for my babies or for me. thank you for being awesome!! read more

Avoid this place. I have never been to a SPCA that wasn't willing to work with prospective adopters on animals that had behavioral issues. I believe we were judged at face value and were denied any chance to have the dog of our choice. We travelled a long way for this only to be denied. They offered a second option, which was worse in terms of behavior. This made completely no Sense. The employees and management here are subpar and should not be working here whatsoever. They should all be disbarred from working in general. Their only reason they could give us was that they had a high rate of returned dogs. I understand making sure that doesn't happen but they failed to properly ask all questions. It's unfortunate they had to judge the whole process on one question. Which is just an extremely bad adoption process. It's not efficient. I'm just so taken back how they just would not offer to foster the dog before adopting like they have before or anything. How can anyone come to a place that isn't willing to work with you? I mean the dog we were trying to get had normal behavioral issues of a young dog. They acted as if that dog had this super special not common behavioral issue that only a previous owner of a larger dog would know. It's just crazy to me. Avoid this plague as if your life depended on it. Go to the va beach spca. They know what they are doing unlike here. So unorganized. read more

Very disappointing experience. I stopped by to adopt a quaker parrot(and called ahead to confirm he was available). I asked to apply and the employee went to get an application. When she came back she told me someone had actually applied and will be getting the parrot-despite telling me minutes earlier that it's not first come first serve since they are looking for the best applicant. I asked to submit my application anyway in case that fell through. I called over the next few days and left a voicemail. No call back. I returned days later to check the status.....they said they did not have my application. I was so frustrated but I explained I was interested in the parrot and I applied days ago. Eventually they found my app but then I was told it might not be a good fit since I haven't owned a quaker parrot specifically. I have 16+ years bird experience and there is nothing particular to quakers that makes them more difficult to own than other parrots. I've handled quakers with no problem. Overall, I'm disappointed in how this was handled. I was given conflicting information and I feel communication & organization was lacking. UPDATE: i since adopted a 23 yo quaker from a separate source. We are doing wonderful. read more

What an awful facility. The employees are awful and the management is poorly run. Go to another rescue center as this place will not meet your needs. The clinic has an awful long wait time. Oh and you're not going to get the animal that you want because of their stupid policies. read more

I just went today and there was an Asian lady that helped us. She said that they didn't do rabbit nail clipping And the nice lady beside her told her to go ask the doctor just in case. So she went to go ask the doctor and when she came back she told us that the doctor made an exception for us because they usually don't do rabbit nail clippings. But when we got our rabbit the lady told us they did rabbit nail clippings and that it was free. But when we went today we had to pay $16 and was told we got lucky because it's usually a two hour wait and the doctor doesn't do rabbit nail clippings. I thought that was so rude how did we get lucky because we could've just took our business elsewhere we didn't have to come to this SPCA. And she didn't tell us the price before had either. It literally took 2 minutes and they brought my rabbit back out. $16 is outrageous and that lady was very rude. I got my rabbit from this spca and I don't understand why they sell rabbits but don't do there nail clippings and don't have forms for them either. I do t know why she chose to say what she said all she had to say was it's going to be $16 and that's it. read more

I would not reccomend this place to anyone for their "low cost" clinic. I took my puppy there once for vaccines. Everything went well until I got home from work later that night. My puppy couldn't move, eat, or even bark with yelping in pain. They gave the injection in the muscle and caused swelling. Ended up taking him to the emergency vet. Cost me 115 dollars. Decided recently to take him back to get neutered since they did very well with our family when we had to put our other family dog down. He now has kennel cough from this shelter and had to spend another 95 dollars for a visit and meds at his vet. So unless your prepared to spend at least a hundred more after a visit then this is the place for you. Also....my other two dogs have also contacted kennel cough from the puppy and all 3 are updated on their shots read more

If you are trying to save money to have your dog fixed here, spend the extra money and take your animal to a vet. We took our lab here to get fixed and she now has kennel cough and spread it to my Malti Poo who's never been sick in his life. I'm beyond upset and the fact that she brought home this and let me remind you never goes anywhere else where dogs are at so she got it from there for sure! They need to take better care of the place, what a shame! Now we are left with sick dogs and vet costs to get them better. read more

I am so thankful for the Norfolk SPCA! My pup has many medical needs and the Norfolk SPCA has done such a wonderful job treating him. I am always greeted with friendly faces and I feel very welcomed (even when my pup acts out because he's anxious). It is very helpful to have a place that is affordable to those who have animals with significant medical needs. The doctors take their time to make sure you are informed of what is going on with your animal. You can tell that all of the staff members there cares about animals! read more

Took our female cat last Thursday for her spay and 2 days later smelled a foul order. Called Sat. around 1pm and Monday morning and left messages about it. No return call received. Showed up the next morning when they opened as my cats incision came wide open. They don't use stitches at that facility for some stupid reason. Surgeon is nuts i guess. Was told the surgeon isn't in and wouldn't be in for at least an hour and there were a lot of other "customers". (This was an emergency at this point and there was no one that could help) They only reiterated that they don't suture, only use glue. They didn't know if they had messages, but i let them know i could prove i called and left them. They didn't care. They didn't or wouldn't tell me if they are run by the city or if they are seperate entity. I got the name of the surgeon and the managers phone number and left and went to a vet a family friend recommended. They were/are so Awesome. They couldn't believe the care that wasn't given to our cat. They asked, "were pain meds given to take home?" answer, no. " "was there an emergency person to contact?" answer, no. "did they call you to check on the cat?" answer, no. They had to basically redo our cats surgery the "Right" way. Cost me $808, but that's okay. Our poor baby is doing so much better already. She's on antibiotics and things are looking up. Please if you care about your pets, don't take them there to get fixed. Take them to a real vets office. That clinic may be good for vaccines, but definitely understaffed, they never return calls. (left a message for the manager there and she hasn't called back either), Or take them to the VB SPCA. They are only worried about quickly servicing the numbers that come in and getting them out and there's NO contact afterwards. It is a train wreck there and we will NEVER be going back! AND FROM THE LOOK of the other reviews listed, I believe some inspections of that place are indeed in order! If they treat people they way they do, imagine how they treat the animals? Who needs to be called to initiate inspections by city or whoever?? read more

Ok so the prices are definetly worth the wait and most of the people their are polite and courteous. I did have to wait for an hour and a half before my dog got his vaccinations but it was well worth it because it is quite a bit cheaper than most other places. I took away two stars based on two things 1. Someone who came in after me got seen before me which is frustrating especially since I was with my animal and 2. the front desk staff. I tried to joke with them as we went through the paper work but to no avail. I felt a bit belittled by the way they acted and it made my visit not as enjoyable as I had hoped. Ladies I understand it's a job and it might not be glamorous but try to smile at the customers and at least try to act like you are not miserable. Customers appreciated being smiled at...if you can't do that try not to be as dismissive. I hope you both are a little happier tomorrow. read more

Two years ago I rescued a beagle that had been in a "cage" for 6 months. Honestly, I wanted a dog but this was the reason I got Billy. I couldn't pass by those sad eyes. Anyway, the first thing that turned me off was the wellness check. They did nothing but touch him and tell me I need to start brushing his teeth. They never expressed his anal sacs. That is always in a 6 month or year checkup. It is a very important thing that needs to be done. My other dog died because she had cancer in one. Thank God, I learned how to do it myself. Another thing was that the Vet (heavy set woman) seemed like she didn't care a thing about what she was doing. The reason I gave them three stars is because of the low cost vaccines. I totally agree that other vets charge 100's of dollars for shots and some of them won't do one without doing them all. Not every animal needs all those shots. I'm going this Saturday for some shots and I pray I'm the first one there LOL read more