Richmond SPCA Blog

This Saturday, adopters look forward to returning with their pets to be part of the Dog Jog and 5K Run

My Cairn Terrier, Skye, has been eagerly anticipating the 10th Annual Dog Jog and 5K Run presented by Car Pool for almost a year! We adopted her from the Richmond SPCA in January 2008, and she had not been back for a visit until last year's event. I admit, I was apprehensive that she'd take a step backwards in her adjustment to life with us - that she'd think we were returning her to the Richmond SPCA.

All of those fears washed away once we arrived at the Robins-Starr Humane Center, and we bolted out of the starting block for the 1-mile Dog Jog. She has never been so full of excitement and joy as she was that day running furiously down the street with the other dogs and their people.

When we finished the race, we cooled down with a tasty Frosty Paws treat (or two). Not only was I no longer apprehensive, but I knew that the Dog Jog was an event that I had to be more involved with to help more dogs and their people experience the same kind of excitement and joy that Skye and I had. The Dog Jog and 5K Run Committee has been tirelessly working to make the 10th anniversary of this very special and lifesaving event better than ever. If you've attended the Dog Jog and 5K Run in the past, I hope you will register and join us again this year. If you haven’t participated before, then I’m here to tell you that you don’t want to miss all the fun that is in store for you and your four-legged best friend.

There are activities for the entire family to enjoy, including the Holiday Barn Pet Resorts Vendor Fair, which features the PETCO Foundation pet fun zone, activities for kids, music, food from the Boka Truck, the Veternary Emergency & Specialty Center pet wellness tent and microchip clinic, giveaways from local businesses and so much more. If you haven't yet registered, you can sign up in person for the 5K Run, the Dog Jog or both events by visiting the Richmond SPCA on Thursday from noon to 6 p.m., on Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. or on Saturday as early as 8:15 a.m. You can raise donations ahead of time that will benefit our homeless pets, and you can compete against other participants for cool prizes like a vacation getaway and more.

Grab your friends – with two and four legs – and head over to the Richmond SPCA’s Robins-Starr Humane Center on March 24. Your participation is lifesaving to homeless animals in our community, and I thank you for your support!

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Christie Bieber is a Co-Chair of the Tenth Annual Richmond SPCA Dog Jog and 5K Run with Donna Beames. 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: Reba-Jane goes country, loving every minute in her new home

Editor’s note: Our adoption counselors call and send post cards to our adoptive families to follow up on how each pet is doing in his or her new home. We always love when we get detailed replies and wanted to share this one about Reba.

I received your postcard about my adoption of Reba and wanted to touch base with you concerning how things are going.

You had asked if we stayed with our "Wild West" theme in naming her. Well, we have Wyatt Earp (a Shih-Tzu) and Annie Oakley (a Himalayan), and as for Reba, we officially named her Calamity Jane, but we're actually calling her Reba-Jane (could she sound any more country?! haha).  Poor little thing, I know she was found in the city, but we're country-fying her quickly!  She seems quite taken with sitting in the window seat watching the chickens, roosters and guinneas in the yard, so I think it's going well. :)

I've attached some pictures. The first one is of her under my bed where she likes to go when she's unsure who's around. The second picture is of her playing with the laser light (you can barely see the red dot on the bed) with Annie (this is how my husband got them to be friends). The third picture is of her on the cat play land my husband built.

Reba-Jane is an absolute doll baby! She's still unsure about the other pets in the house because she doesn't trust them – can't blame her considering that Annie treated her pretty badly the first couple of days she was home. They still swap an occasional hiss and smack, but they also lie around the house together and work their chorus of meows when it's feeding time.

She loves a lot of attention and will let you pet her forever. She loves for someone to rub her between the eyes and stretches her neck and closes her eyes when you hit the "right spot.”  Every night she gets in bed with my husband and me and she does some kind of suckling and kneading thing – first on David's arm and then on mine. David looked this behavior up online and read that it means she's accepting us as "parents." If that's the case, wonderful!

Thank you so much for a wonderful adoption experience.  Everything from the facility (which is WAY cool) to the staff (who could not have been kinder) was absolutely perfect!!!  I appreciate the honesty, knowledge and expertise offered every step of the way.

I look forward to adopting with the Richmond SPCA again and have recommended you guys to everyone I know.

Tina Pollard and her family adopted Reba (aka Calamity Jane) on Dec. 16, 2011. 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: Swiss has a new home and a new name

Editor's note: Swiss was a long-term resident of the Richmond SPCA who finally found her home last week. She was included in this week's Adoption Center News, but we wanted to give you a more detailed update from her new family. 

Elphie (short for Elphaba) is settling in very well! Her new name comes from the musical Wicked (she's named after the misunderstood "wicked" witch).

She has her own room as long as she needs it to get used to coexisting with other creatures. Other cats in the family break in frequently to visit her, which she doesn't mind too much (they keep their distance; they're just curious). She's met one dog, who she gave a good hiss; the dog backed off, and all was well after that.

She's eating really well and using her little box. She loves napping in her various beds or with whichever person comes to see her for a nap. She is super playful and loves making a toy out of anything and everything! She comes when she's called and loves to interact with us, be it while getting petted, playing with a toy, or talking – she chirps and meows to us all the time! As you can see, she can't get enough of watching the world go by outside of her big windows.

We're SO happy to have her and to see her so happy! We're excited for her to get completely comfy and venture out of her comfort zone. We'll update you with her progress!

Thanks to the Beckners for giving Elphie the forever home she has been waiting for so long! 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: pit bull Bea is a child's best companion

I adopted "Grady," who is now "Asa," 4 years ago and "Zena," who is now "Bea," last March. Asa has been a sweet heart since day one and Bea is an absolute DOLL. We are so in love with our little pit bull!

I came to the Richmond SPCA last March looking for a little dog. I walked down the aisle – looking at all of the wonderful dogs – and immediately my eyes landed on Bea (then Zena).
The little pit bull with the black spots had just had a litter of puppies. I had never intended on getting a pit bull; however, I will forever be a fan since adopting Bea. She is smart, sweet, loving, and I think more person than dog.

She and Asa are best friends, and she loves her cat siblings as well. The only issue is that she insists on sleeping under the blankets, burrowing under armpits of various sizes and snores like a freight train. You also have to be patient with her unwillingness to get up in the morning!

  

She and Asa are wonderful, and I thank you for saving them.

Thanks to Anne Brennan and her family for giving Bea and Asa a wonderful home and for submittting this update. 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. 

Was there something about the pet who captured your heart that was completely unexpected? Share your story in the comments. 

Alumni Feature: For Gus and Esmerelda, it's puppy love

Earlier this month, the Richmond SPCA School for Dogs was launched. It's an innovative training option that allows families to drop their dogs off at our training annex, where they spend two days each week with our trainers working on an individualized instruction plan. 

Two of our first students are also Richmond SPCA alumni, adopted from our Robins-Starr Humane Center. Gus was adopted by Pat Manning in 2008, the year he also starred in our Meet Your Match ad campaign. Esmerelda found her second chance earlier this year when she was rescued from a dog fighting ring before joining the family of Bart and Dawn Hinkle. The scruffy terrier and the timid pit bull have taken quite a liking to one another. See for yourselves! 

Eric Steigleder is the community relations coordinator 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.