Your Voice Matters - SB 359

This Thursday, February 2nd, the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources will hear SB 359 a bill designed to permit more wide-scale trap, neuter, return (TNR) efforts by SPCAs, Humane Societies and Pounds to reduce feral cat populations in communities throughout our Commonwealth.

Now is the time for this important piece of legislation. TNR is already being conducted with success in many communities throughout Virginia – Fairfax, Charlottesville-Albemarle, Lynchburg, Arlington, Richmond and many other communities. Although these programs may be designed differently in each community – one thing is certain -- all of these programs rely on the kindness of individuals or organizations willing to assume “ownership” for the cat.

SB 359 seeks to allow SPCAs, Humane Societies and Pounds to engage in more wide-scale TNR efforts without requiring that all participants in such program be deemed owners under the law solely by virtue of their willingness to assist in getting feral cats fixed. Passage of this bill would allow organizations that already have existing TNR efforts to expand these efforts and to do so without the threat of being charged with abandonment of the cat. It would also permit those organizations that have been reluctant to engage in TNR due to the uncertainty of existing law to begin TNR efforts in their communities. This will enable more volunteers, community residents and businesses to become active participants in TNR, resulting in a greater number of cats that are fixed and less kittens being born in our Virginia communities.

Once again we are asking for your help because “Your Voice Matters.” Please write to the members of the Committee hearing this important piece of legislation.

Dear Members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources:

Please Support SB 359. This is an important piece of legislation that will enable local governments and organizations to reduce the feral cat and kitten populations in their communities through organized trap, neuter and return efforts. Passage of this bill will result in increased TNR efforts and enable more volunteers, community residents and businesses to become active participants in TNR, resulting in a greater number of cats being fixed and less kittens being born in our Virginia communities.

Thank you for your consideration and support of this important bill.

Sincerely,

(Your Name)

district24@senate.virginia.gov
district10@senate.virginia.gov
district38@senate.virginia.gov

district15@senate.virginia.gov
district14@senate.virginia.gov

district26@senate.virginia.gov
district09@senate.virginia.gov

district34@senate.virginia.gov

district06@senate.virginia.gov

district28@senate.virginia.gov

district37@senate.virginia.gov
district20@senate.virginia.gov

district13@senate.virginia.gov
district01@senate.virginia.gov

district30@senate.virginia.gov

Your voice matters -- Oppose SB 610

SB610 includes the following language:

"Agricultural animal" or "livestock" means any domestic animal raised, herded, or farmed as an agricultural product or associated with agriculture, including equids, cows, calves, yearlings, bulls, oxen, sheep, goats, lambs, kids, hogs, pigs, poultry, gamefowl, fowl, hunting dogs, working dogs, and show dogs.

The Department occupies the entire field of regulation of the care, control, and handling of agricultural animals. No political subdivision, locality, or humane society shall regulate the care and handling of agricultural animals.

So, you ask, what does this mean?

First -- Hunting, working and show dogs would no longer have the protection afforded companion animals under the law. They basically would be treated like herd animals or animals that we eat (and let's face it, we all know the standard of care for those animals is not high).

Second -- This bill seeks to take away all authority from our local Animal Control Officers to investigate complaints regarding the care of these dogs and ALL agriculture animals in general. Right now -- it is our Animal Control Officers that are the ones helping these animals, often saving them from starvation and ensuring that they get adequate veterinary attention. They are the only ones on the front line doing this. What this bill seeks to do is to rip authority away from those officers -- leaving essentially no oversight at all. The "Department" is the "Department of Agriculture" which does not have the resources to enforce these regulations; thereby resulting in NO PROTECTION at all for these animals.

Remember the case just a couple of years ago in Orange County, Virginia -- After receiving complaints, local deputies and animal control officers investigated the care of some horses. What they found: 20 dead horses on the property and others "in dire need of assistance." Read news story here. In King and Queen County, VA, it was again local police and animal control officers that saved the lives of the horses at one property by confiscating 33 of them from a couple charged with 20 counts of animal cruelty -- Read this story.

What can you do?

Send an email today to the members of the Senate Agriculture Committee and tell them that you OPPOSE SB 610. Below is an example of a response:

Dear Members of the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources:

Please Oppose SB 610.

Hunting Dogs, Show Dogs and Working Dogs are NOT agricultural animals. It is not uncommon for some hunting dogs to be treated poorly by irresponsible owners. Legalizing irresponsible dog ownership is not the answer. Local governments (and local tax dollars) are already burdened with the care of these hunting dogs, as Virginia animal shelters are packed with hounds and hunting dogs. Additionally, these hunting dogs often come into the shelters emaciated, injured, neglected and inevitably are not reclaimed placing the cost of care for these dogs on the localities. Lowering the standard of care for these dogs is tantamount to legalizing animal neglect for hunting, show and working dogs which will only make this existing problem worse, place an unreasonable cost on local governments to care for these dogs, and further the high euthanasia rate for these dogs in our local shelters. We expect that as our State legislators, you should be trying to solve these problems not make these problems worse.

Taking authority from local governments to address issues of animal neglect and cruelty in their own backyard is just another step backwards. It is the local police and animal control officers that are in the best position to investigate and bring charges of cruelty and neglect. The Department does not have local resources to investigate local claims of failure to care for Agricultural animals. You should oppose this subtle attempt to essentially eliminate oversight for the care of Agricultural animals.

As a citizen of Virginia the care of animals in our Commonwealth is important to me, and I ask you to strongly Oppose SB610.

Sincerely,

(Your Name)

district24@senate.virginia.gov
district10@senate.virginia.gov
district38@senate.virginia.gov

district15@senate.virginia.gov
district14@senate.virginia.gov

district26@senate.virginia.gov
district09@senate.virginia.gov

district34@senate.virginia.gov

district06@senate.virginia.gov

district28@senate.virginia.gov

district37@senate.virginia.gov
district20@senate.virginia.gov

district13@senate.virginia.gov
district01@senate.virginia.gov

district30@senate.virginia.gov

Over 30% of the Dogs at the SPCA are hound dogs.

Some are shut down and scared of people.

Others are in bad condition (examples below) when they enter the SPCA.

Take action today to help these sweet dogs.

During the month of December we will be sharing twelve stories about animals that needed the SPCA's help this year. These stories exemplify our commitment to maintaining Charlottesville-Albemarle as a No Kill community. All of these stories have a happy ending because of the commitment of our SPCA and the generosity of our community.

The Video below is a summary of the Twelve Saves of Christmas. Hope you enjoy it!!!

During the month of December we will be sharing twelve stories about animals that needed the SPCA's help this year. These stories exemplify our commitment to maintaining Charlottesville-Albemarle as a No Kill community. All of these stories have a happy ending because of the commitment of our SPCA and the generosity of our community.

... And the Twelfth Save of Christmas is Mable.

It was a Tuesday evening, when a woman walked in with a small dog wrapped in a blanket. She was helping a friend move into a new residence in Greene County, when they found a dog lying in deplorable conditions inside a shed. She immediately drove the dog (who staff would later name Mable) to the SPCA. Mable was brought directly to the clinic, where Dr. Beichel and clinic staff immediately came to examine her. With Mable's sweet face looking up, they pulled the blanket back to assess her condition. And then every staff member in the room began to cry.

They could not believe their eyes. Mable lie there, her fur matted about 5 inches thick saturated in urine and feces, a rancid smell filled the room. They looked at each other in disbelief. They all thought the same thing -- there was no way they could let her die like this.

So despite the unbearable smell, staff slowly and carefully removed her matted fur. They soon discovered Mable had urine scald over her entire body, her skin reddened and painful. She had several open wounds, one particularly large wound over her right hip. Maggots were present in the wound areas. She was only 14lbs., one-third of her estimated normal weight, with severe muscle wasting, no fat on her entire body. Dr. Beichel said that Mable was one of the most severely neglected and emaciated animals she had ever seen. It was truly a miracle that Mable was alive.

Mable was not stable enough to place under anesthesia, so she was given pain meds, fluids and antibiotics. Her prognosis was guarded, at best, as the long-term effects of starvation on her internal organs was still unknown. Nonetheless, Mable's will to live brought her this far, and at least now she had a fighting chance.

It would take weeks before Mable would eventually stand up, but as she ate and drank more each day, everyone rejoiced. Each day she would try to pull herself up. Finally she regained her strength to walk again -- Oh Happy Day!! After many weeks in the SPCA clinic, everyone had grown quite attached to Mable, but no one as much as Dr. Beichel. Dr. Beichel has a huge heart, especially for the older or special needs animals, her home filled with a clan of geriatrics. So when she decided to foster Mable one day, we all knew -- Mable had found her forever home.

Mable's first steps outside again.

Meeting a new friend.

Back for a visit at the SPCA.

A Happy Family Portrait.

With this last Save of Christmas, I am humbled by and thankful for our dedicated staff and our supportive community. Because without all of you, we could not celebrate the Twelve Saves of Christmas.

I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas!!!

Susanne Kogut, Executive Director

... And the Eleventh Save of Christmas is Snuggle.

When Jennessa first heard the awful sound coming from her dryer she expected a huge repair bill, not the tiny critically injured kitten she found lodged in the dryer vent. Horrified at her discovery, she brought the kitten to the SPCA for help.

Snuggle was just a pound when she arrived at the SPCA with open wounds on her head and ears, and a severely injured leg. No one was sure if she would live. SPCA Director of Veterinary Services, Dr. Beichel immediately sedated the kitten, closed her open wounds and started her on pain medication and antibiotics. Over the course of the next two weeks, clinic staff monitored the kitten’s condition, encouraged her to eat and waited to see if her leg could be saved. Soon Snuggle was putting on weight and the wounds onher head and ears had begun to heal, but despite these improvements her leg proved too badly damaged to be saved. Dr. Beichel amputated Snuggle’s leg and she went to recover with Pete Crawford, a long-time SPCA foster. Pete reported that it didn’t take Snuggle any time at all for her to learn to get around onher remaining legs, “she loved running head first into my older cats, and she was faster than them, too!"

Shortly after Snuggle returned to the SPCA, the Robinson Family adopted her and another kitten named Elena (who is blind in one eye). The Robinsons report that “Elena and Snuggle are the perfect playmates. Snuggle is doing great--she climbs up legs and can jump onto your shoulder. They are both very playful and love to snuggle…we love them both very much...we couldn’t be happier.”

... And the Tenth Save of Christmas is Anna Livia.

Our Tenth Save of Christmas is a tribute to Moms. Momma dogs, momma cats, they are amazing. Anna Livia was brought to the SPCA after a citizen reported a dog had given birth in his shed. Upon arriving, the animal control officer found Anna Livia, with six pups, their eyes still closed, only about a week old. Two other dogs were also with her. The man had seen the dogs hanging around and set up his shed with some nice bedding so the dogs

had a warm place at night. Anna Livia, her pups, and the other two dogs were brought to the SPCA. After clinic staff assessed them and took care of some basic care, they immediately focused their efforts on finding them a foster home. The Bridges family stepped forward, even building a welping box, and brought Anna Livia and her pups home.


Anna Livia was such a sweet, gentle soul but first and foremost, she was a good mom. She cared for her pups and provided them daily nourishment and attention. She cleaned them and taught them proper puppy manners. So in all the cuteness of the puppies and kittens, this is a reminder to us all -- we should never forget the moms that raised these little ones.

Momma cats and momma dogs --

remember them, applaud them, adopt them.

Anna Livia is now a permanent member of the Diamond Family!

Thank you to the entire Bridges Family, an incredibly dedicated foster family, for helping Anna Livia raise a great group of pups.

... And the Ninth Save of Christmas is Dudley.

Lost, scared and hurt on the side of 250 in Keswick certainly was not the way for a kitten to spend the day after Thanksgiving. And yet, that’s the exact predicament little two-pound Dudley was in when he was found by a Good Samaritan. Dudley was in obvious distress so the Good Samaritan rushed him to VETSS. The veterinarians at VETSS suspected Dudley’sleft leg had been fractured. He received pain management and was kept stable overnight until he could be transferred to the SPCA.

X-rays done at the SPCA confirmed that Dudley’s leg was indeed fractured. X-rays also showed that Dudley’s tail had been fractured as well. Neither of these fractures could be surgically repaired so Director of Veterinarian Services, Dr. Beichel, made the decision to amputate Dudley’s leg and part of his tail.

After spending a few days being monitored in the SPCA’s vet clinic Dudley was placed in a loving foster home to recover from his surgery. While in foster care Dudley will learn how to maneuver on three legs and soon this little tiger will be ready to pounce into a new home.

... And the Eighth Save of Christmas is Pickle.

Pickle's story is told in the video below. Please click on the picture to see why Pickle is our Eighth Save of Christmas.

... And the Seventh Save of Christmas is Romeo.

Romeo, like many cats at the SPCA, was a stray who was never claimed by his owner. To make matters worse, he had the misfortune of an FIV-Positive diagnosis. Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) is a lentivirus or “slow virus” that can affect a cat’s immune system over a period of years. FIV is similar to HIV, but is not transmissible to species other than felines.

Cats with FIV have it tough. An FIV-Positive diagnosis often translates to a death sentence for shelter cats, but it's not the virus that kills them. If fact, most FIV-Positive cats can live long, healthy lives. However, because FIV is often misunderstood, adoption rates for FIV-Positive cats across the country are dismal.

Romeo is the ambassador cat for a program we hope can help begin to change this sad fact. This past spring the SPCA launched a program in partnership with the AIDS/HIV Services Group of Charlottesville (ASG) called Pawsitive Partnership. This partnership aims to match cats living with FIV to people living with or affected by HIV or AIDS.

As the Pawsitive Partnership ambassadors, Romeo and FIV-Positive pal Matty, went to live in the ASG office. It turns out that this program has not only been wonderful for Romeo and Matty, who love greeting ASG clients, lounging on office couches, and attending board meetings, but having them in the office has had some other, maybe not so unexpected benefits.

Any cat owner can attest to the relaxing benefits of petting a cat--it can lower blood pressure, slow heart rate, and provide comfort in stressful times. After a few weeks, ASG staff discovered that Romeo isn’t just any ordinary orange tabby cat--he has a special gift. Romeo seems to understand his role as a comforter in the ASG office. ASG Operations Manager Penny Goldman calls Romeo their "office superstar.” “If anyone is having a particularly bad or stressful day, Romeo always seems to know when and where he's needed and will spend a few extra moments lifting spirits,” Penny explains, “it’s hard not to have a smile on your face when he's around.”

Clients often ask for Romeo when they come in for counseling or groups. Penny recalls a client who arrived in a very anxious, depressed state,“When our caseworker found out the client was an animal lover, she was asked if she would like to meet Romeo. Romeo was brought into the room and almost immediately the client's demeanor changed. They ended up having one of her best sessions and she left in a more peaceful state. Now she always asks have Romeo join her in session whenever she visits.”

It is our hope that programs like the Pawsitive Partnership will help educate the public about FIV and give more FIV-Positive cats like Romeo the chance to find a forever home. Romeo and other FIV-Positive cats are available for adoption and foster to ASG clients and community members. For more information on FIV and the Pawsitive Partnership, please email llane@caspca.org.