Richmond SPCA Blog

Lifelong training and fun starts with a class at the Richmond SPCA

There is great joy in sharing your life with your canine “best friend,” and with good care and good health, your lives together can be in excess of a decade or more. That’s a big part of your life. How do you make that really count for quality and fun? It’s all about the time you spend together!

Life with your dog can be a great deal more than just “sit” and “stay.” There is a world of great activities and sports the two of you can share. Many of these are offered, right here, at the Richmond SPCA!

Training classes and bonding go hand in paw! Getting off on a good start during those first weeks and months of learning is critical for a puppy and the road you will travel together. That’s why we offer two puppy classes based on age. Good Start Puppy is for little guys under 16 weeks old and Surviving Adolescence is for puppies between 4-6 months of age.

For dogs over 6 months old, Canine Manners will provide you and your dog with many of the training knowledge and “tools” you’ll need to know to effectively teach throughout your years together. And, yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks! We welcome you and your “mature” dog to Canine Manners!

So, what’s the next adventure for you and your dog? Check out the many options that include Agility, Flyball, Rally Obedience, Click for Competition, Making Fido Famous: Tricks or Advanced Trickery, or our newest class, Treibball! See descriptions below.

What does your dog like to do? Run, jump, fetch, herd, focus? If you don’t know, try some classes and see what makes those eyes light up! Most dogs are much more intelligent than we imagine. You’ll be surprised to find abilities you didn’t know he had, and you’ll discover the trainer in YOU! One of the greatest benefits of dog sports and training is deepening that life-long bond with your dog. Look for class start dates on our training calendar at www.richmondspca.org/classes, and most of all have fun!

Our newest sport – Triebball
Triebball was developed in Germany for dogs who love to have a job! This is a game for dogs who thrill at the chance to focus their herding instincts. Dogs are taught to "herd" big balls (think of a Yoga or Pilates ball) from one area to another. Individual and team competition lead to a great sport for both dogs and trainers.

Agility
Dog agility is a sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. The Richmond SPCA offers a wide variety of Agility classes that are designed for all levels. It's great fun for both dog and handler and is a wonderful way to bond with your canine companion!

Flyball
This is the ideal game for dogs who love to jump and retrieve balls! Flyball is a fast-paced team sport in which teams of dogs race, in a relay, against each other from a start/finish line, over a line of 4 hurdles to a box that releases a tennis ball to be caught when the dog presses the spring loaded pad, then back to their handlers while carrying the ball.

Rally Obedience
What’s rally obedience? See how much fun you could be having in this popular and fast-growing dog sport. Rally Obedience (also known as Rally or Rally-O) is not your usual obedience training. Instead of waiting for the judge's orders, the competitors proceed around a course of designated stations with the dog in heel position. The course consists of 10 to 20 signs that instruct the team what to do. Unlike traditional obedience, handlers are allowed to encourage their dogs while they complete the course. Dogs should already have knowledge of basic commands.

Click for Competition
This series offers a number of rotating courses focused on trainer handling and obedience work:

• Choose to Heel: skills covered include rhythm heeling, fronts, finishes, on and off leash, lateral moves, pivots, moving down, hand signals and more
• Positions, Jumping and Stays: skills covered include sit, down, drop at distance, stand, hand signals, jumping, targeting, sit stay, down stay, out of sight stay, recall and more
• Directions, Retrieving and Scentwork: skills covered include targeting, retrieve on the flat, hold, scent retrieve, directional retrieve, directional targeting and more

Making Fido Famous: Tricks and Advanced Trickery
Our introductory tricks class, followed by Advanced Trickery, is a great place to start on your road to “Making Fido Famous.” We will review the basics of clicker training (recommended as a method, but not required) and discuss how to teach your pet all manner of tricks (wave, speak, sneeze, rollover, spin, back up, etc). Dogs who already know some tricks will get to show off and then get help in taking their tricks to the next level. Dogs should be friendly with other dogs as well as with humans (or easily managed when around both). Who knows? There may be opportunities to show off in public and be on TV! Some of our students have been seen in local commercials.

Gail Bird Necklace is the education & training administrator at the Richmond SPCA. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be

Alumni Feature: Dane fills a void for his new family

On May 10 we had to make the horrible choice to have our dog of 15 years put to sleep. His passing left a huge void in our house. We were not ready to get another dog yet, so on May 14 we came to the Richmond SPCA to adopt a cat.

We haven’t had an indoor cat for 10 years. There’s a cat who we “inherited” when we bought our home, but she won’t come inside. We feed her and try to care for her, but she is basically a barn cat who won’t even let us touch her, and she definitely won’t come inside the house.

We wanted a cat who would be just as content to be inside as out so we came to you and found Dane. As soon as we saw his little gold, almond-shaped eyes, which kinda look a little crossed at times, we just fell in love with him. I personally wanted to hurry up and adopt him because I just knew someone else would scoop him up quickly if we didn’t! That face is just SO SWEET! Then when we found out he had been there wating for an adopter for some time; we just couldn’t believe it. I felt so lucky to have found him. Then while the adoption papers were being completed several Richmond SPCA employees and volunteers come up and told us how much they were going to miss Dane. We knew then we had found a really good cat, and we have not been disappointed!

That tiny 8 pound cat has filled a void in our house and hearts that I didn’t think could be filled! He is such a good cat! He didn’t make a sound in the carrier all the way home. Most cats cry and howl when you put them in the car. Not Dane. Not a peep. I brought him inside, opened the door to the carrier, and he hid for about 15 minutes. Then he was out exploring! We have a big old farm house and shut most of it off to start with because we didn’t want to overwhelm him.

Within a couple of hours, I opened the rest of it up and said “Come on Dane, let’s take the whole tour!” He literally followed me around just like a dog. From room to room we went. He would check it out. Sniff around. Then on to the next room. Since then he has the run of the whole house… and RUN he does! He is having a ball. He is JUST A LOVE! Dane is feisty and sweet all at the same time!

Some of the adoption counselors asked me to send pictures, and I’ve taken a bunch but I CANNOT get one of him with his little gold eyes open! That’s a drag because that IS one of the cutest things about him, of course other than his personality.

I have searched and searched for some kind of toy he likes. I bought a bunch that he basically ignores. But I found something he likes! I have pecan trees and every year I gather them up for the chickens. Tonight I pulled one out and rolled it across the floor and BINGO! He chased and chased that pecan around for a couple hours. That is what the little round thing in a couple of the pictures is… his pecan.

Dane is a sweet, affectionate, funny and feisty little guy, so we totally understand why so many of the staff said they would miss him. Just let them all know that we love him very much and are extremely grateful that there are people like you who save precious little souls like him.

Thanks to Teri for giving Dane a wonderful home! This week we are featuring recent updates on alumni adopted from our center. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be

Henrico Zoning Board ruling is a victory for feral cat caregivers

Feral cats and their caregivers won a victory in Henrico County this week.

A very kind and responsible lady has been caring for a small feral cat colony for years near her home and faithfully trapping, neutering, vaccinating and feeding them. After County officials instructed her to seek a conditional use permit in order to continue caring for the colony or otherwise risk prosecution (for an alleged zoning violation), the Board of Zoning Appeals issued a ruling yesterday rejecting that assertion. In its meeting, Board members said such a permit is only required if a resident “keeps” more than three adult pets. Since feral cats have no owner and survive independently outdoors, they are not susceptible of being “kept.” Consequently, the Board determined that Henrico County was wrong when it asked the woman to pursue the conditional use permit months ago.

Let us only imagine what life for feral cats would look like if jurisdictions started requiring devoted volunteer caretakers like her who dutifully trap, neuter, vaccinate and feed feral cats to obtain conditional use permits that would allow them to continue their lifesaving work. Adding unnecessary red tape to an already demanding effort and selfless task (which provides huge benefits to localities) would be both expensive and harmful.

Feral cats exist because of human irresponsibility and are the offspring of abandoned and loosely-owned pet cats that were never spayed or neutered. They have always existed and will continue to exist throughout our community as long as human behavior does not change. The only responsible, humane and effective method for managing feral cat colonies is Trap-Neuter-Return, which is why our Smoky’s Spay/Neuter Clinic delivers sterilization surgeries and rabies vaccinations to feral cats in Greater Richmond free of charge. Through TNR, we ensure that cats can no longer reproduce, thereby preventing the growth of the colony. We also ensure that the cats present no material health risks to the community because they are vaccinated against the rabies virus. And most importantly, we saves their lives.

The Richmond SPCA is deeply grateful to the Henrico County Board of Zoning Appeals, and especially to Russell A. "Al" Wright who articulated the thoughtful analysis that arrived at this positive result for feral cats.

Tamsen Kingry is the chief operating officer of the Richmond SPCA. To read her biography or that of our other bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.

Update: 
Sept. 20, 2011: Effort against feral cats in Henrico goes before Henrico Board of Zoning Appeals this Thursday  

Alumni Feature: Adopting Brady is "one of the best things my family has ever done"

Adopting our dog Brady from the Richmond SPCA was one of the best things my family has ever done. He is a border collie and Australian shepherd mix. He has a black muzzle that makes me think he is related to the pirate Black Beard and a great big fluffy tail that curls up like a flag. 

When I come home, I am always greeted with a big wet slobbery tongue and a wiggly body that dances all around me. He is one of the most joyful dogs I have ever owned. When I relax on the couch he will snuggle up against me and fall asleep. Sometimes he has funny dreams where I think he is chasing a bunny or a squirrel. One time he actually fell off the couch trying to chase something in his sleep. 

He has made a positive impact on me and my family and brought us so much love and funny moments. I recommend anyone who wants to be loved unconditionally and have a good laugh every once in a while adopt a pet from the Richmond SPCA. They are the best animals in the whole world.

Thanks to Alex, age 13, and his family for giving Brady a wonderful home and for submitting this update. This week we are featuring recent updates on alumni adopted from our center. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be

Alumni Feature: Kiko the cuddle bug doubles as bug tracker!

I adopted Akiko from the Richmond SPCA over a year ago and she is an absolute joy to have!  (I shortened her name to "Kiko" after bringing her home.)  After spending the first year of her life in the shelter, she adjusted very well to having plenty of space to run around in and more toys than she knows what to do with! 

She was very hyper at first but now she has calmed down to a playful but lazy kitty. She loves sleeping next to the window, stealing my hair ties and chasing our other cat around the house. Kiko is very sweet, gentle and affectionate as well. She will curl up in your lap at any chance she gets! She has also found a new job as our household bug tracker. Somehow she can detect the slightest movement of any creepy-crawly and alert us to take care of it!  I'm so happy to have her as a part of my life!  She's the best! 

Lauren made Kiko part of her family in September of 2009. This week we are featuring recent updates on alumni adopted from our center. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name. 

Alumni Feature: Lucy meets her perfect match

I am writing to give you an update on Layla, now known as Lucy. She is getting along fine. She is still very timid and noises frighten her, but she has come a long way. Instead of running from me when I come to the front door, she comes to the door to greet me, jumping up, wagging her tail and smiling. She enjoys napping on her bed that you gave us as well as on a folded up comforter on the floor of my bedroom. My computer room used to scare her for some reason; she would not go in there. But she now comes in and lies on a rug; she is now there as I write this.

Lucy loves her backyard. She has a lot of room to run, and she does enjoy running around. She has learned to scratch on the storm door when she wants to come in.

I still miss my beloved Rex very much, but Lucy has brought me much comfort. I feel good in giving her a good home; she seems to have had a hard life previously. She will always get love and attention here, and as time goes by, she seems to get more comfortable in her surroundings.

After I get back from a cruise I am taking in October, I would like to come for a visit to possibly adopt another dog. I am now retired, just working two days a week, so I have more time for Lucy and another dog...and a big yard for them to play in!

Thanks for your help in bringing Lucy and me together. And, too, for all of the wonderful work that you do for animals.

Bruce K. is a recent adopter from the Richmond SPCA. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name. 

Alumni Feature: Finn finds her forever home

We are dedicating this week's blog posts to our beloved alumni. Each day, we'll be sharing a new alumni story provided to us by an adopter. We hope you enjoy reading about our dogs and cats and their wonderful lives with loving new families as much as we do... 

A little over a year ago, I decided it was time to adopt a dog. I searched all over for a small dog that would be good with my cat, Marley. I was living in Richmond alone, my family several hours away, and thought the companionship would be good for me.

About a week later, I came to visit and was walking through the kennels when I saw Finn. She was a little funny looking – she was obviously part Rottweiler but had long, thick fur, short legs and she was pretty overweight.  I have never believed in love at first sight. But this was different. I loved this dog immediately. I put a hold on her and took her home the next day.  The first few days were a big adjustment – both for my cat and me.

It has been exactly one year since I adopted Finn and I say with confidence that her adoption is the best thing I’ve ever done. She’s been through a lot with me in the past year – I cried on her through a terrible break up and she’s been there through the great times too. Even she and Marley are good friends now. I find them cuddled up in my bed together during bad thunderstorms, and when Finn is gone for the day, Marley walks around the house looking for her.

The bond a human shares with a dog cannot be described. They are great companions, through thick and thin, through good and bad. She never judges me for how dirty my apartment is or how grumpy I am when I come home from work. Each day it’s the same – I come home to a dog that thinks I’m the greatest human in the world and that feels good.  

At 85 pounds, Finn is definitely not the small dog I thought I was looking for, but she ended up being the perfect fit.  I can’t imagine not having her in my life and every single day I am thankful that I have her.  I am constantly reminded of a bumper sticker I once saw: “Who rescued whom?” I think many owners of adopted dogs share that same sentiment – I rescued my dog exactly one year ago, but in her own way, she kind of rescued me, too.

Caroline Radom is an adopter and former Community Relations intern at the Richmond SPCA. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name. 

A dog whose story inspires us all

Curtis Maloney is a visiting veterinary student completing an externship at the Richmond SPCA. Our entire staff has loved getting to know Curtis, and his wonderful four-legged companion Courage, whose wonderful story inspires us all and which Curtis details below...

I am a visiting veterinary student working with Dr. Ivey and the Smoky's Spay/Neuter Clinic team, and my sidekick and canine companion Courage has accompanied me to the Richmond SPCA throughout my stay.  Courage is one amazing dog.  He was born with both front limbs deformed; however, he doesn't seem to be aware of his limitations.  The cause of these deformities is unclear, but may be due to his mother ingesting some type of insecticide during the critical stages of his development.  I was told that none of his littermates lived; only Courage survived. 

Courage is a Pot Hound.  Many are familiar with a Plot Hound, but don't confuse these two breeds.  Pot Hounds are found throughout the Caribbean, which explains how I came to know Courage.  I am currently at The University of Tennessee completing my formal veterinary training, but I spent the initial portion of Vet school at Saint Georges University in the Caribbean. 

I first saw Courage when he was about 4 months old.  The first thing I noticed about him was his amazing attitude and his love of people, and I thought of what an incredible example he could be for all of us.  He is happy all the time and adapts to find a way to do just about anything he needs or wants to do.  He uses his "best" front leg as sort of a kickstand as if he were a bicycle.  He often stands up on his hind legs, especially when he meets a new friend, and loves to give hugs and kisses.  When he wants to lie down from a standing position, he puts his nose down and uses it as if it were a walking cane and then gently glides to the ground.  

Courage is one of the most amazing little dogs I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, which is why I am sharing his story with you. Everyone I've worked with at the Richmond SPCA has commented on his remarkable spirit and lovable personality.

I would like to express my gratitude to the Richmond SPCA for my awesome experience here at your incredible facility.  To those of you not familiar with the magnitude of the Richmond SPCA's operation, I encourage you take a closer look and become aware of just how BIG it is.  The staff here is unbelievable and I look forward to my next externship at the Richmond SPCA this spring (and so does Courage)! 

To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name. 

Don't delay...spay or neuter today

Since 2004, our Smoky’s Spay/Neuter Clinic has been providing free and low-cost, top quality spaying and neutering services to pets throughout Greater Richmond. Our professional veterinary team has sterilized as many as 14,000 dogs and cats in a calendar year, and since opening, the clinic has performed nearly 85,000 surgeries, making it one of the largest high-volume clinics in the nation.

This is a big number, but even bigger is the impact the provision of this many procedures has on decreasing the homeless animal population communitywide. It is widely known that high-volume spaying and neutering is a key component to reducing the number of orphaned animals being born annually, and consequently, the number entering shelters.

The Richmond SPCA’s clinic operates every Tuesday through Friday. We provide free spay or neuter surgeries to feral cats in the City of Richmond and in the counties of Hanover, Henrico, Chesterfield and Goochland and to pit bulls in the City of Richmond and in Hanover County, and we make the surgeries available at a low cost to all other dogs and cats in our service area.

Cat surgery fees range from only $30 to $40, and dog surgery fees from only $45 to $75. We make low-cost vaccinations and flea and tick prevention available for purchase at the time of surgery, along with a host of other affordable ancillary services. Pets can be spayed and neutered safely as early as 8 weeks and at 2 lbs.

To schedule an appointment for your pet, visit us online. In taking this important step, you will not only be protecting the health of your dog or cat, you’ll be part of the solution to overcoming pet overpopulation throughout our community. Thank you for helping us spread this lifesaving message.

Tamsen Kingry is the chief operating officer of the Richmond SPCA. To read her biography or that of our other bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name. 

Staff participates in field day fun

Throw a hula hooping contest, relay races, a good ol’ fashioned game of tug-o-war, and some trivia together with our amazing staff, and you have the ingredients for a great party. I can’t remember a time when I had more fun or laughed more uncontrollably than at our staff field day Sunday night at our Chief of Education and Training Sarah Babcock’s nearby farm.

One of the highlights of the event for me (and for most everyone in attendance) was when Timothy Joyner, our manager of volunteers and programs, and Carly Sgueo, our manager of adoptions, went head to head for the hula hooping championship. Below you can catch a peek at their dual and witness the winner’s victory strut. I literally could watch this once a day and never grow tired of seeing it. If this doesn’t make you laugh out loud, nothing will.

The evening of fun planned by our aptly named Committee of Fun was an opportunity for our Richmond SPCA team to come together outside the shelter to relax and enjoy each other’s company. It’s an annual occasion to briefly steal our attention away from the daily pressures of our important work…and maybe hurl ourselves down a Slip ‘n Slide or toss a water balloon or two!

Tamsen Kingry is the chief operating officer of the Richmond SPCA. To read her biography or that of our other bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.