Lee County Animal Pound
944 Bus Shop Road,
Jonesville,
VA, 24263

Phone: 276-346-7710 (if no answer please follow voicemail instructions carefully to leave your message with your name and phone number)
We do not respond to messages via Facebook

Opening Hours:
Monday-Friday: 8am-10am
Closed Saturday, Sunday and Holidays

The pet in the photo (top right) is looking for a home. Click on the picture for more information about it.

Lost and Found Pets are featured on our Facebook Page

Who we are
Lee County Animal Pound is a small rural facility in the southwest of Virginia. While Lee County Animal Pound is not yet a no-kill facility, this is a goal we strive to achieve each and every day. From Highway 58, turn south onto State Route 70 and immediately turn left on Bus Shop Road. Follow the signs to the Pound. For more information see the Lee County Animal Control website.

We do not respond to Facebook posts. We appreciate everyone who shares our posts and helps with trying to find homes for the lost furbabies in our facility. We only have two officers for entire county and are responsible for the cleaning and care of the shelter as well. We do not have a secretary or shelter staff. We are in the office (unless there is an emergency) from Monday-Friday: 8am-10am

We have an extremely high volume of calls to answer. Our calls have to be categorized on a priority basis:

• Emergency and cruelty cases for both domestic and agriculture animals and dangerous animal calls.
• Strays
• Owner surrender

If you want to surrender your dog to Lee County Animal Control, we strongly encourage you to bring it to the facility during our opening hours Monday-Friday: 8am-10am

HOW YOU CAN HELP SAVE THE DOGS
Some of you may be aware that PAWS of SWVA has been pulling and networking dogs from the Lee County Shelter over the past year. The Animal Control Officers have been great to work with and have done so much to accommodate and help with these efforts. Thanks to the Wise County Animal Rescue Coalition working with us to transport those tagged by larger rescues, many lives have been saved. Rescue partners have been tremendous. However, this is not sustainable and we need YOUR help if we are to continue helping save these dogs. We have to be able to transport directly from Lee County to Staunton, Va. If enough people sign up to help, we can possibly get a transport vehicle donated and a schedule established so one person is not carrying all the load. We do not just need transporters, we need overnight sites or fosters, help with vet visits, fundraising. None of this will happen without YOU making it happen. If you are interested in being a part of the solution, e-mail pawsofswva@yahoo.com call or text Jo Anne at 276-202-1198. Volunteers from adjoining counties also welcome.

FOUND A DOG?
We receive 30-40 calls per week about missing and stolen dogs and we see a lot of posts on Facebook from people finding dogs and trying to give them away or saying they rescued them. VA code 3.2-6551 requires that if you remove an animal from the roadway or contain its movement upon your property or in your vehicle, you MUST notify Animal Control on 276-346-7710 and leave your name, phone number and address, within 48 hours of it being ’found’. If office is closed we will contact as soon as possible on the next business day. You are not permitted to pass on ’found’ animals to anyone other than an authorised member of Lee County Animal Control. You can be charged for failure to report or larceny if you pass the animal onto a third party. Not all animals that are running loose are strays, although they are required to have tags and collars, most people still do not put them on their animals. Our goal is to reunite these animals with their original owners or hold to account those responsible for dumping them. See more information below about what to if you find a dog.

Lost your dog?
Stray dogs without identification are kept for 5 days before being put up for adoption. Dogs with identification are kept for 10 days before being put up for adoption. Contact the shelter to check whether your pet is there. Some of the stray dogs are featured on the Facebook Page but not all are put here so contact the shelter if you have lost your dog.

Adopting a dog?
Adoptions are free to the public, however, you must sign an Adoption Agreement, and a Spay/Neuter Agreement stating that you will have the animal spayed or neutered within a certain period depending on the age of the animal.

Please remember before animals are ready for adoption a holding period is required per state law. Stray dogs with a collar are held 10 days after the day of custody. Stray dogs WITHOUT a collar are held 5 days after the day of custody. Owner surrender dogs DO NOT have a holding period.

• State law requires that adopted dogs be sterilized within 30 days of adoption.
• State law requires that all dogs and cats be vaccinated for rabies.
• Out of state adoptions must be spayed or neutered before leaving the state.
• There are no fees associated with adoption.

Make sure that you are able to take your dog home on the day you adopt it. We will not keep a dog for you after its 'available' day.

What to do if you find a dog
If you find a stray dog, you have no specific duty to take the dog to the pound but you do have a legal requirement to report it to County Animal Control. Each county and city in Virginia has to have an animal control officer, and you are certainly within your rights to contact animal control to report the stray. See our opening times above.

If you decide to take in the stray, Virginia Code Section 3.2-6551 outlines what you have to do. This code section applies if you provide "care or safekeeping" to the animal, or if you retain the animal "in such a manner as to control its activities". Within 48 hours, you must:

• Make a reasonable attempt to find the owner. If you can, ascertain who the owner is by way of a tag, license, collar, tattoo or other form of identification or markings;
AND

• Notify the local pound where the animal was found, and provide the pound with your name and phone number, the location where you found the animal, and a description of the animal along with any information from a tag, license, collar, tattoo or other form of identification or markings.

You can find helpful tips and guidance about stray animals from the Humane Society of the United States. The most important consideration is safety - yours and the animal's. Remember that the animal will likely be fearful, and may be sick or injured. Be particularly careful if you find the animal in an area with traffic. Be aware that if you take in the stray, you take on the duty to provide the animal with adequate care. This includes the duty to provide veterinary care, so be prepared to pay the vet bills if the stray is injured or sick.

The second most important consideration is to think lost, not stray, and do all you can to get the animal back to its owner. It is for this very reason that a violation of Section 3.2-6551 carries a civil penalty of up to $50 per animal. Try putting a long lead on a dog and telling him to go home to see if the animal knows its way home, hang large 'Found Dog' posters in the area where you found the dog, and take the animal to animal control or a vet to see if the animal has a microchip that will identify the owner. For more information see the Best Friends webpage.

Find the right dog for you
When looking for that new family member please remember to really think about the things you and your family want and need in a pet that fits the family lifestyle. Get to know your breeds! Some breeds require more space, exercise and circumstances than others. Even if you are going to adopt a mixed breed, look into what it's primary breed needs in a home, environment and exercise. Your new family member needs to be wanted by everyone in the family and included in your daily lives to be truly happy. Click here for more information on how to find the right dog.

No Squeeky Toys Please
Toys that make a noise when you squeeze them can encourage some dogs to be aggressive towards young children because they squeek too. The device that makes the noise is usually small and can be harmful if swallowed. Some toys of this type contain a small battery which is poisonous if the dog eats it. The best toys are tuggers, tennis balls and hard chew toys that cannot be ripped apart.

Changes to Dog Tethering Law From July 1, 2020, there are changes to dog tethering laws across the state of Virginia. The legislation expanded the definition of 'adequate shelter' for family dogs. It is illegal to leave tethered dogs outside when temperatures are below 32°F or above 85°F or when the weather service issues warnings for hurricanes, tornadoes and other severe weather. The legislation also increases the minimum length of a tether from 10 feet to 15 feet. Additionally, dogs must be provided adequate shelter during hot weather that is properly shaded and does not readily conduct heat. During cold weather, the shelter must have a windbreak at its entrance and provide bedding material (such as straw, cedar shavings, or similar) that is sufficient to protect the animal from cold and promote the retention of body heat. Adequate Shelter Virgina Code 3.2-6500 Click here for more information

Visiting Lee County Animal Pound
Please phone us on 276-346-7710 to check that the dog you want to visit is still available.
Location Map of Jonesville, VA