Do you have questions about our animal shelter? You’re in the right place! Our FAQ is here to address the most commonly asked questions. Whether you’re an animal lover, a prospective adopter, a potential volunteer, or simply curious about our mission, you’ll find answers to the most common questions here.
Currently undergoing renovations, our shelter is open by appointment only for visits and adoptions from Monday to Saturday, from 10 am to 4 pm, arranged in advance at 02/527.10.50. We are closed on Sundays and public holidays.
SRPA Veeweyde indeed manages four shelters located throughout Belgium. There’s the Brussels shelter, which houses our headquarters and administrative services. Then there’s the Marais shelter, primarily for equines, located in Coutisse, near Andenne. Next, we have the Tournai shelter, which houses cats, dogs, rodents, and small farm animals (goats, etc.), and the Turnhout shelter, which also cares for dogs, cats, rodents, and small farm animals in the Flemish Region. We have a dedicated page for each of these shelters on our website.
Thank you for considering adopting a dog, cat, or small animal from our shelter! Our animals are eagerly waiting to meet their new families.
To start the adoption process, we invite you to visit our website and follow us on Facebook and our Instagram account @refuge_veeweyde to discover their profiles. We process adoption requests every day and strive to update the website daily. You can reach us at 02.527.10.50 for more information about their personalities or to schedule a visit to meet them at the shelter.
During your visit, we’ll take the time to discuss your expectations based on your profile. If there’s an animal that suits you, we’ll facilitate a meeting. If all goes well, you can adopt the animal by signing an adoption contract.
For some animals, yes, but not all. Several appointments are often necessary before adoption.
To adopt a dog, we require a minimum of 2 to 3 appointments to spend time with the dog and get to know them. Dogs that are surrendered and in good health can be adopted after these meetings. For found dogs, a waiting period may be necessary in accordance with the law, which gives owners 15 days to reclaim their animal. Dogs seized by the police are currently not available for adoption.
As for adopting a cat, those surrendered and in good health are immediately adoptable, while found cats may be placed under observation for several weeks, with a 15-day recovery period for owners. Cats seized by the police are not available for adoption at the moment.
For adopting a rabbit or any other small animal, it’s possible on the same day. Remember to bring your transport cage and ensure you have all the necessary equipment to welcome your new animal home.
If you encounter difficulties with an adopted animal, contact us. We can provide advice to improve the adoption process or direct you to a specialist. If the situation reaches a point where you wish to surrender the animal, it must be returned to the shelter.
Keep in mind that an animal is a sensitive being that often requires adaptation, compromises, and patience. We provide you with all the available information, but you must understand that it’s impossible for our teams to determine with certainty how an animal will behave in its new home. Think carefully before adopting!
Certainly, visiting the shelter can give you an idea and help in your decision-making process. Currently, due to our renovation project, we are open by appointment only, arranged in advance at 02/527.10.50 or via info@veeweyde.be. Our teams are available to answer your questions.
No: the person wishing to adopt an animal must personally visit the shelter.
In principle, yes, but we reserve the right to refuse an adoption. Several reasons are possible: the animal doesn’t fit the person’s profile, the prospective adopter disagrees with the adoption contract, they have previously abandoned an animal, etc.
In principle, we don’t accept reservations, but it may be possible under certain conditions and only after seeing the animal at the shelter at least once.
Note: It’s not possible to reserve an animal by phone or email.
No. We require that adopters live in Belgium.
If you want to adopt a dog and already have one or several others, we invite you to bring yours along to test their compatibility. The meeting will be conducted safely with one or two animal caregivers in one of our dog parks. Regarding your cat’s future compatibility with a new animal, we advise keeping in mind that your pets will need a more or less extended period of adaptation. If the animal has had previous experiences, it may be more challenging to make them understand that the new companion is not there to take over their territory. Past experiences of our animals remain rooted in their memory. Still, it’s entirely possible for them to get along well. The animal’s character and its ability to make room for a new companion will make the difference.
Requests for the adoption of kittens and puppies come to us daily. It’s rare that we have them at the shelter, and when we do, they are quickly adopted. Applicants for kitten adoption are invited to submit their application via an online form on our website, and to keep their file active, we invite candidates to renew their application every three months.
To adopt a dog, we ask for a financial contribution towards veterinary and administrative costs, which may vary according to various criteria, such as the dog’s age and vaccination status.
To adopt a domestic hamster, mouse or rat, the cost is €28.
To adopt a rabbit or guinea pig, we ask for a contribution to costs of 32 euros.
To adopt a sheep or goat, the cost is €75.
This financial contribution is essential for us to continue operating! It covers part of the care, food, accommodation, and allows us to take in other animals.
Veeweyde is a non-profit association that rescues and cares for animals until they find an adopter. A shelter is not a breeding facility, nor a pet shop, and does not trade animals. Nevertheless, our financial needs are significant, and donations don’t always cover our operating expenses, veterinary costs, and food expenses.
Our association primarily relies on donations and membership fees from our members and donors, legacies, and inheritances.
No, public intervention in our funding represents only 5% of our operating costs, but we sometimes receive subsidies for our various shelters. These subsidies concern specific projects, for example, the purchase of predefined and approved equipment, or the implementation of projects related to animal welfare awareness, which allows us to attend training or acquire equipment over a given period with the allocated budget. These amounts do not exceed €20,000 and are granted under strict conditions.
We need you more than ever! Your donations, no matter how small, allow us to meet the daily needs of our animals. You can also become a member of our association or sponsor an animal! You can also make a donation of any amount to account BE48 1911 2251 7127.
More information here.
A huge thank you for your generosity!
Bequests allow us to finance the activities of our shelter and allocate funds to essential projects, such as the renovation of our sites or the acquisition of equipment. By including Veeweyde in your estate planning, you help ensure the future of our association in the long term.
Your support is essential to ensure our ability to provide a secure place for every animal that comes through our doors and increase their chances of being adopted.
Whether you choose to leave a specific amount, a percentage of your estate, or your life insurance, every donation makes a difference!
If you’d like to learn more about how you can include Veeweyde in your will, don’t hesitate to contact us, confidentially, at 02/527.10.50 or by email at celine.philips@veeweyde.be
How can you correctly name our association in your will?
SRPA Veeweyde ASBL, company number BE 0408 490 457, Avenue d’Itterbeek 600, 1070 Anderlecht (Brussels)
To adopt an animal at Veeweyde, you must be of legal age, reside in Belgium, and come to adopt the animal yourself. An adoption contract will be established between the association and the adopter.
No, you must be of legal age, and we do not recommend all dogs/cats to elderly individuals who cannot guarantee long-term commitment due to their age or health.
If you are of a certain age, we advise against opting for a puppy/kitten or a young dog/cat. They often require a lot of time and energy for their training. Instead, we recommend choosing older and calmer breed animals that require less exercise.
The adoption process begins with a detailed questionnaire to assess compatibility with the desired animal. This questionnaire allows the adoption team to understand the future daily life of the dog. In some cases, a pre-inspection of the home may be requested to check the living conditions offered to the animal. After that, potential adopters will be invited to meet the dog during 2 to 3 visits to the shelter to get acquainted in the fenced parks provided for this purpose.
All dogs are vaccinated, sterilized, and identified by microchip.
You can visit them by appointment made in advance with our adoption service at 02/527.10.50, from Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. After introducing yourself at the reception, you are invited to meet the cats in the cattery. Take your time to get to know them, approach them, and familiarize yourself with them.
All cats are vaccinated, sterilized, and equipped with a microchip for identification.
To adopt a cat, we ask for a financial contribution, which includes neutering/sterilisation, microchipping and basic vaccinations. Prices may vary according to various criteria, such as the age of the animal, its vaccination status and the associated veterinary costs.
You can visit them by appointment made in advance with our adoption service at 02/527.10.50, from Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm.
To adopt a rabbit or guinea pig, we ask for a contribution to costs of 32 euros.
To adopt a domestic hamster, mouse or rat, the cost is €28.
Our adoptable rodents are neither vaccinated nor sterilized. We do not place males and females together.
Yes, this is a contribution towards future shelter costs. We charge between €15 and €40 for a cat, €40 to €90 for a dog, depending on its age and size, and €10 for a rodent.
Large dogs are most often abandoned and have the most difficulty being adopted. They sometimes stay at the shelter for a long time. On the other hand, small dogs are quickly adopted and sometimes have very short stays.
We will continue to house them until they are adopted.
No, except as a last resort when an animal is in intense suffering. Veeweyde is a “no kill” shelter. This means that we commit to finding a home for all the animals we accept, without resorting to euthanasia unless absolutely necessary, regardless of the length of the adoption process. However, our shelter has “limited admission” due to the fact that we have to refuse surrender requests due to lack of space.
This is a preventive measure to avoid incidents. Our animals also receive food according to a very specific schedule. Some also follow a diet for their health care. That’s why we ask you to please respect our instructions.
A real contact with a dog can be organized during an appointment for adoption.
Veeweyde-Brussels has 25 employees and workers as well as 15 to 20 volunteers. Maintenance of the kennels, meal distribution, playtime, interactions, outdoor outings, socialization, and care of the shelter animals are part of their daily tasks. To ensure the site and animals’ safety, the shelter is monitored day and night, 24/7.
An improperly closed door, a runaway, a moment of distraction… It’s possible to lose your dog, cat, or any other pet. Send us a detailed description of your pet along with a photo and your contact information, and spread the word on social media and on the Animal Search app.
Try to be as thorough as possible in your description.
Is your pet:
– Properly identified with a microchip?
– Spayed/neutered?
– Male or female?
– How old is it?
– Where was it last seen?
We also need your mobile number so we can notify you if there’s any match with an animal returned to us.
Best of luck in your search!
When you find an animal, don’t hesitate: notify the local police first, check if it’s microchipped, and contact the nearest shelters to you. You can reach us at 02/527.10.50. Our services are available to take in lost and abandoned animals based on the space we have available at the shelter, knowing that we are often at full capacity.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for them!
Do you have bags of food, treats, toys, blankets, or a bed to give to our animals? You can come drop off your donations at the shelter, Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm, at Avenue d’Itterbeek 600, 1070 Brussels. Keep an eye on our blog and our social media: we frequently make targeted donation calls based on our most urgent needs. You can also have your generous online purchases delivered directly to the shelter.
Membership at Veeweyde is symbolic: you show your support for animal welfare and our association by joining us. Together, we can have more influence to carry out our battles.
You can become a member by choosing to support us by paying one of these amounts annually to one of our three accounts below with the communication: Membership + your name.
– 20 euros per year to become a supporting member
– 30 euros per year to become a sympathizing member
– 50 euros per year to become a protective member
– 1,000 euros in a single payment to become a lifetime member
SRPA Veeweyde ASBL BE48 1911 2251 7127
Veeweyde Tournai ASBL BE42 2750 2030 3054
Veeweyde Turnhout VZW BE25 4199 0240 6182
Note: membership does not entitle you to tax deduction.
This is what it means to be a supporting member, sympathizing or protective: everyone contributes directly to the care and shelter of the animals.
– Supporting members (€20) receive the quarterly magazine in which the refuge’s latest news is published.
– Sympathizing members (€30) become a little more involved in supporting the shelter and also receive the quarterly magazine.
– Protective members (€50) want to get involved by offering generous, long-term support. They also receive the quarterly magazine.
All members are part of the support community, whatever their level of contribution, but higher levels allow more active participation and strengthen the refuge’s resources.
Please check our dedicated page for job offers on our website to discover the opportunities currently available at the shelter. There may be no offers available at the moment. If that’s the case, feel free to send us your spontaneous application by sending your CV and cover letter to job@veeweyde.be. We will respond to you as soon as possible.
Here are the requirements for becoming a volunteer with our association:
Here are the requirements for becoming a volunteer with our association:
Currently, we are unable to supervise “community days” initiated by schools or other structures. Organizing such days requires significant supervision from our existing teams as well as a strict safety protocol that requires prior training and specific insurance. Setting all this up for just one day with our resources is unfortunately not feasible at the moment. Furthermore, we do not accept volunteer or student assistance from minors.
We offer groups a one-hour awareness visit to discover the shelter’s abandoned animals, but visits are currently suspended until 2025 due to our ongoing construction project, which requires strict security on-site. We will resume our activities for 2025.
Currently, due to our renovation project, we are not always able to supervise one-day volunteer projects. Organizing and supervising cleaning, maintenance, and feeding of the animals by a group of people outside the shelter requires significant supervision from our teams, and setting this up for just one day with our resources is not guaranteed at the moment.
We offer groups a one-hour awareness visit to discover the shelter’s abandoned animals, but visits are currently suspended until September 2024 due to our ongoing construction project, which requires strict security on-site. We will resume our activities for 2025.
Note: Our renovation works are underway and greatly impact school visits. They are temporarily suspended.
We organize guided tours at the shelter to explain to children the importance of respecting nature and animals. We strongly advise teachers to include animal welfare in their school curriculum and inform their students about the importance of respecting animals and the environment before their visit.
These guided tours are organized only on Mondays and Tuesdays, by appointment in advance at 02/527.10.50 or by email at communication@veeweyde.be.
Information:
– Visits last a maximum of one hour, in silence with strict instructions.
– A maximum of two schools are admitted each week for the welfare of the animals.
– Schools can organize collections or make a symbolic donation of €1 per child.
Visit procedure:
– Maximum of 20 students aged 5 and over, duration of one hour.
– Presentation of activities and safety instructions.
– Calm approach to cats, followed by meeting other animals (rabbits, rodents, goats, and sheep).
– Interactions between a dog and a caregiver.
– End of the visit with questions and advice.
More information here.
Thank you for wanting to give love and comfort to our abandoned animals, but we do not allow visits to the shelter solely for petting our animals.
This is a preventive measure to avoid incidents.
That’s why we ask you to please respect our instructions.
A real contact with an animal can be organized during an appointment for adoption.
If you truly wish to get involved with our residents, we encourage you to submit your application as a volunteer. This will give you the opportunity to spend meaningful time with them.
Moreover, we regularly organize open house days where you can meet our residents without any adoption obligation.
Thank you for your vigilance!
Please prioritize informing the Animal Welfare SPF and/or the police in your area of the incidents you witness. Indeed, we do not have the authority to issue fines, nor do we have the right to seize an animal without the authorization of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Animal Welfare SPF, or the FASFC, the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain.
We collaborate with these authorities and regularly take in seized animals to care for them.
To contact the Animal Welfare service in your region:
For the Brussels Region.
Phone: 02/775.75.75
For the Walloon Region.
Toll-free number: 1718
For the Flemish Region.