Last December a Charlottesville man needed to find a home for six unwanted kittens.
Looking over the small creatures, he noticed something curious about one of them: it was born without eyes. He immediately brought the litter to the Charlottesville-Albemarle Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The SPCA followed the typical routine for animals that people bring in, which includes receiving vaccinations from one of the volunteer veterinarians that visits the shelter three times a week.
"All animals get checked over," Shelter Manager Beth McPhee said. "They get checked for identification, receive distemper shots, checked for heartworm, treated for fleas and we figure out which ones need to see a vet."
McPhee soon discovered this blind cat in fact had a loving temperament and was quite intelligent, despite its disability.
The kitten responded to human voices, loved to play and interacted well with other animals, leading SPCA staff members to christen him "Wonder."
Located off Rio Road, the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA is a small facility that plays an enormous role in the community.
The former chicken coup was converted into a shelter over 85 years ago, and now prides itself on being more than just a hen house.
Essentially, the SPCA serves as a halfway house for pets or strays. It acts as an alternative habitat for thousands of pets each year and the staff works to find loving homes for every dog, cat and small mammal that enters into its care.
Though the shelter aims to find adoptive owners for each pet, a few animals get to stay indefinitely, such as Jonathan the seagull. The shelter generally does not take in birds, but made an exception 14 years ago when the son of a former SPCA staff member witnessed a seagull get hit by a car in North Carolina.
The boy then took the injured bird he had found to a nearby veterinarian, who had to amputate the bird's wing, and Jonathan has lived at the Charlottes-ville SPCA facility ever since.
"I think seagulls usually live about five to seven years out in the wild," McPhee said with a smile, "but here it seems that he might live forever."
Jonathan, however, remains in the minority - most animals are adopted successfully. In the 15 years McPhee has worked at the shelter,adoption rates consistently increased.
Last year's numbers show quite a victory for the society; of the 2,230 dogs and puppies brought in, 80 percent were adopted, and the shelter placed 60 percent of the 2,549 cats and kittens in good homes.
The SPCA's growing success stems from a team effort involving six part-time and 17 full-time employees, as well as over 150 active volunteers. McPhee recalls how many more animals the shelter put to sleep for lack of placement when she first started working.
Those among the shrinking number of euthanized animals either fail their initial temperament tests miserably, showing severely aggressive behavior, or remain at the shelter for months without any interested adopters.
"Now we have expanded work with a lot more rescue groups. We have an alliance with Animal Haven to transport some of the animals up to the PETsMART in Manassas," McPhee said. "We've come a long way, mainly because we maintain such a good staff. They are more compassionate and dedicated than ever."
Indeed, such traits initially drew McPhee to the SPCA, where she wanted to commit herself to a more meaningful job.
"I got tired of pushing papers," McPhee said as an striped orange cat strutted around the office desk looking for attention, "so I started here at the bottom of the totem pole."
But while her responsibilities have grown, the space she works in has not.
Because of space constraints, work can prove difficult at times.
"Here there's no room for anyone to do anything. My office is also the lunch room and the locker room. We're always on top of each other," McPhee said.
Additionally, the increasing number of animals brought in exacerbates the shelter's crowded feel.
The rustic reception area not only greets visitors but also serves as a home for several animals, including Jonathan the seagull, hamsters, mice and rabbits, not to mention the constant flux of cats and dogs brought into the shelter or heading outside for walks with volunteers.
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The shelter usually houses about 100 dogs and puppies, while the cat population varies from 40 in the winter to 80 during the summer months.
"You wouldn't believe why some people bring their pets in," McPhee said. "One woman adopted a cat and then brought her back because it didn't match her carpet. Another guy thought his pet was too well-behaved. He wanted more of a challenge, but the dog was already trained and house-broken," she added.
Such reasons force the SPCA not only to function as a shelter but also an educator.
Humane Educator Patti Degnan contacts many local groups to emphasize the importance of fixing a pet, as well as speaking against cruelty to animals.
"She's everywhere," McPhee proudly said, holding up Degnan's full schedule for the coming weeks. "Brownie troops, youth groups, girl scouts, schools, you name it."
Schools also request that Degnan come and speak to students about the SPCA's role in the community.
The public usually is very receptive to such education outreach. In fact, Agnor-Hurt Elementary School started a new tradition.
On May 1, the student body walks the short distance from class to the shelter and each student brings something to donate, ranging from blanket to animal treat to chew toy.
"It's a sight to behold," McPhee said.
The shelter soon will receive additional support as well. The Virginia Department of Transportation decided to run the new Route 29 bypass practically through the shelter's front entryway.
What first appeared as a burden for SPCA, soon proved the catalyst the shelter needed to draw up plans and architectural designs for a new facility near the current building.
According to McPhee, several changes will accompany the new facility. For starters, the facility will expand to include 80 dog runs instead of the current 49, as well as a much improved reception area.
Perhaps the biggest change will be the new surgical suite, which will allow veterinarians to fix animals under the SPCA's own roof without using volunteers to transport pets from the shelter to a veterinarian's office.
"That way nothing leaves unless it's spayed or neutered," McPhee said.
Having all animals fixed marks one a main goals for SPCA, and their full house of animals is a testament to the already prevalent problem of animal over-population.
Though the SPCA's budget continues to grow, it still finds funds short at times. The shelter, whose primary source of funding is private donations, is responsible for subsidizing the costs of spaying and neutering animals for families in need and for helping abused and abandoned pets recuperate.
Often animals have to be treated for mange or heartworm before they can be adopted.
Adopting a dog at the shelter costs only $75, which includes the altering surgery, rabies shot, distemper shot, kennel cough vaccine and a free office visit with a local veterinarian.
Nevertheless, the SPCA still manages to find homes for abandoned pets every day.
The story of the blind kitten Wonder provides a good example of such daily success stories. The staff worried a disabled kitten would not initially attract potential adopters, but they were relentless in their efforts.
They posted the kitten's picture not only on their own Web site, which features a virtual shelter of adoptable pets, but also on petfinder.com.
It was only a matter of time before a woman living in Mexico found the picture and biography. She already had three disabled cats - one deaf, one three-legged and one very old - and decided to make Wonder a member of the family.
The woman flew into Richmond, Va., and stayed with family while the papers were processed.
Now, thanks to the SPCA, Wonder lives in a loving household far from his troubled past as an unwanted kitty in Albemarle County.
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