For the love of the animals
On April 28th, 1970, three local residents with a commitment to providing shelter for animals in need of protection decided to take action. Martha M. Wray, D.C. Wray, Jr., and Josephine J. Marcus signed into effect the Articles of Incorporation which began their quest to create what is now the Augusta Regional SPCA. In April of 1973, their dream was realized when the shelter opened in a leased building on Van Fossen Lane in the city of Staunton, VA. This facility had 16 runs with a mere 800 square feet left to provide a public reception room, office space, medical treatment room, rest room and storage space. As the years passed and the intake number of animals dramatically grew, so did the need for an adequately sized shelter. Due to the crowded conditions and lack of quarantine space, a severe outbreak of distemper in April of 1985 brought the desperate need for a larger, better equipped facility to the community’s attention. A fund drive for a new shelter began in late 1985 and ran through 1986. The total raised was over $142,800 through the generosity of 528 individuals and families and 71 businesses and civic groups throughout the three municipalities of Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County. The move to our current location of 17 acres on Archery Lane took place in December 1986, and the dedication took place in April 1987. The original building had 34 individual kennel runs for dogs, a large area to house cats and puppies, laundry/grooming/medical facilities, a public reception area and separate offices. A small paddock to provide shelter to livestock was added in 1999. In 2000, the animal isolation area, Animal Control holding cages and the crematory were added. An outdoor dog recreation area was completed in 2003. Other recent improvements have been the installation of new cat condos, new cages in the main dog adoption room, central air conditioning in the dog adoption area and paved parking. We have completed construction of our new spay/neuter clinic, which is also on the property and opened on June 1st, 2011.
