Richmond SPCA Blog

Fourth of July Pet Safety Tips

The Fourth of July is an occasion for the whole family to celebrate; however, it is a time of year that can terrify our pets. The sight and sound of fireworks may be entertaining to us, but it can cause extreme anxiety for our beloved pets. To help keep your companion safe during this summer's Independence Day celebrations, please read over our preventative pet safety tips in the infographic below.

Should you find a neighbor's pet, or if your own pet becomes lost, visit our website for recommendations to ensure a safe and happy reunion: richmondspca.org/lostandfound.

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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.

Bring Your Pets Inside!

Like the rest of the country, Virginia has seen single-digit temperatures recently, a level of cold for which many of us, and our pets, were not prepared. Local TV and radio stations have requested interviews, and we are grateful for the opportunity to remind viewers and listeners of the dangers pets face this winter, and of the importance of keeping them inside. 

Richmond SPCA veterinarian Dr. Courtney Bowers discusses how to protect your pet in frigid temperatures on WRIC Channel 8 News.

In some instances reporters ask, "What about people whose pets don't live inside?" Our response will always be "please, please, PLEASE, bring them indoors!" Not only for fear of frostbite and other perils from the drastic cold temperatures, but also for their overall well-being. For people whose pets aren't currently living inside as members of their family, our best recommendation is to contact us for help. Most often, pets have been relegated to the outdoors because of a lack of training or behaviors that don't make them the best indoor companions. 

Our Behavior Helpline is a free resource that is available to help you address these issues and bring your companion inside. Regardless of where you acquired your dog or cat, our trainers will answer your calls and emails and help you with your behavior concerns. Please email your questions to [email protected] or call and leave a message at 804-643-7722. 

At the other end of the weather response spectrum are the dogs who are experiencing a touch of cabin fever. It's too cold to be comfortably outside, and we're keeping walks short for their sake as well as our own, but the dogs are growing restless after another week of cold days. We have a solution to offer those dogs and guardians as well! 

Training classes at the Richmond SPCA are taught indoors, in one of our two spacious training areas – the Track & Training Center is on the second floor of our humane center, and Smoky's Training Center is behind our Susan M. Markel Veterinary Hospital. Both spaces are heated, and we have classes that are open for enrollment now. 

A student participates in an agility class at the Richmond SPCA Track and Training Center.

A new class offering is all about playing with your dog. This class is starting January 16, and will be held with instructor Marie Tripton on Tuesdays at 10:45 a.m. Students and their dogs will learn games they can play together that incorporate skill building. Learn more about this and many other classes by visiting richmondspca.org/classes. 

Feline Fugue : Local songwriter composes tribute song dedicated to his beloved cats and the Richmond SPCA

“There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” - Albert Schweitzer

Local composer and recording artist, William Johnson, has experienced the truth of Schweitzer’s words. His adopted felines Titan Kitty, Sereno Whiskerdo, Artemis, Zeus and Nishka Blue have all had a tremendous impact on his life and music. He has composed several songs with his feline comrades in mind, but the sudden deaths of his beloved Titan and Sereno lead William to discover that a pet’s death can strike a deep chord.

Sereno Whiskerdo and Titan Kitty

With the devastating loss of his feline companions last year, William felt compelled to compose and record an orchestral piece, “Deliverance (Crossing the Rainbow Bridge)” that captured the significance  of Sereno and Titan’s life. As they both were adopted from a shelter, he is kindly donating all proceeds from the song’s sale on the platform CD Baby and other platforms to the Richmond SPCA.

As any pet owner knows, the loss of a beloved pet is heartbreaking. It’s not only the loss of a companion, but the loss of a family member. We asked William to take us on his creative journey in composing “Deliverance (Crossing the Rainbow Bridge)” and the story of his beloved felines.

What role have your cats played in your life?

No matter what a day brings, I have found that my little furry friends always improve it. They have an impeccable sense and ability to communicate. For example, in 2015 I was diagnosed with liver disease. It took at least six months to get control of the symptoms, but during that entire period my cats huddled around me and never left my side.

I can remember that I would always wake up to a choir of purring during those days. It’s that unconditional love that can heal and empower and inspire art. Once my health returned, I had this overwhelming drive to compose and publish my music before finding myself on the other side of the bridge.

What inspired you to compose a song about your cats Sereno Whiskerdo and Titan Kitty?

Unconditional love. Music is a raw expression of emotion for songwriters, performers and listeners, alike. As a human, I find it amazing how easy it is to communicate with my cats. As a composer and recording artist I have an alternative voice that enables me to share emotions that mere words just can’t capture or express. The listener may not hear the same story I’m telling, but they feel the same emotion.

The week of Christmas 2016, a couple of weeks after publishing my first album, I lost the best four-legged friend I have ever known, Titan Kitty. To this day I wonder if this pain will ever subside. My routine vanished with his last breath. Everything changed and will never be the same, and my cats certainly shared my pain on top of their own.

Four weeks after losing Titan, Sereno was diagnosed with advanced kidney disease. Within two days, we had to deliver him to the Rainbow Bridge. It broke my heart even more than I thought possible. He was so attentive after Titan passed and never showed signs of illness. It was so quick and unexpected.

It was at least six weeks past Christmas before I even turned my keyboards on. I just sat there for a couple more weeks unable to tap into any one particular emotion raging within me. I missed Titan sitting on the back of my chair as I composed. I missed Sereno’s sweet disposition and loving head bumps and soft chatter. After Sereno’s death, I would sit with a constant flux of alternating kitties taking turns sitting on the back of my chair vying to be the new head of the studio.

Before I knew it, the emotions within me resulted in the songs “Dreamcatcher,” “Blessed Home,” “Missing You” and “Deliverance (Crossing the Rainbow Bridge).” This was the beginning of a long healing process.

I received several copies of the poem “The Rainbow Bridge,” but again those are words with a “one message fits all” expression. It was then that I decided to place “Deliverance (Crossing the Rainbow Bridge)” on the next album in Titan Kitty and Sereno Whiskerdo’s memory. Subsequently I decided to release it as a single as well and offer it to the Richmond SPCA. All proceeds from the single release will go to the Richmond SPCA and the many beautiful souls they care for until they find their forever homes.

Why did you choose the Richmond SPCA as the recipient of “Deliverance (Crossing the Rainbow Bridge)”?

I can’t imagine my life without Titan and Sereno. I can only hope that my contribution will provide the opportunity for unconditional love between other humans and their companions.

The Richmond SPCA has a tremendous impact on our community and therefore, myself. From the spay and neuter programs, sheltering of abandoned animals, the affordable health care for low-income household pets and animal welfare causes, to the placement of pets in forever homes, it’s hard to define the impact they have had on me. I am very proud of the Richmond SPCA and all of the volunteers and staff that work so hard to provide each future companion with love, care and safe placement. I am also proud of our communities’ officials, citizens, businesses and the media for their continued support of such an outstanding success the Richmond SPCA continues to achieve.

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To purchase “Deliverance (Crossing the Rainbow Bridge)” please visit https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/euphonicproject6. All of proceeds of the song will support the Richmond SPCA’s lifesaving programs.

About William Johnson

This William Johnson's first year as a composer and Indie Artist. He has released several albums including “Dreamcatcher,” which has been discussed in this interview. He currently resides in Richmond, Virginia and releases music on his website, The Euphonic Project. To learn more about William Johnson’s music, and other platforms this song is available on, please visit his website at www.euphonicproject.com.

Saving lives takes a community effort to help homeless animals

One of my favorite things that happens when people walk into our Robins-Starr Humane Center or our Susan M. Markel Veterinary Hospital for the first time is how our space, our staff and our volunteers immediately open their minds about what the Richmond SPCA is.

Manager of Community Development Gray Miller and her beloved Richmond SPCA alumna Olive model gear from Fetching Apparel.

We are a resource. A resource in action in our community. A resource that invites our community to join us in our lifesaving work.

Our résumé is no doubt impressive. Since our fiscal year began on October 1, 2016, we have adopted more than 3,215 pets in need to loving families. Our veterinary hospital is now seeing more than 10,000 four-legged patients belonging to guardians of modest means and Richmond SPCA adopters. More than 400 children will have attended our Critter Camps by the end of the summer, where they have learned about current issues in animal welfare, helped care for the homeless pets in our shelter, applied learning theory to dog training to teach dogs new skills using positive reinforcement and made dog beds and cat scratchers.

Yet absolutely none of this lifesaving would be even remotely possible without our community’s support.

In my role at the Richmond SPCA, I am the luckiest “middle man” in the world. Each day, I help people and companies support the pets in our care. The ideas our friends have are exciting and creative, and crucial to making our work possible. For example:

• This summer, Savannah and Zoey hosted a lemonade stand to benefit our homeless dogs and cats.
• On August 10, you may have enjoyed some chips and guacamole at Chipotle restaurants all over Richmond, and 50 percent of proceeds from your meal came to us.
• And until August 31, our friends at Fetching Apparel, a family-owned Virginia business, are donating 40 percent of all sales to the Richmond SPCA. (Use our coupon code, SPCA, to get free shipping!) 

You may have heard our recent amazing success story of Diamond, an adorable dog with a challenging physical disability whom we rescued from Kuwait. Once we had prepared Diamond for adoption, giving her extensive medical treatment and training, a young man named Zack made her a permanent part of his family. Our love and care for Diamond collided with Zack’s generous heart to adopt this sweet girl, and Diamond’s story became one of celebration rather than despair.

Compassionate cousins Savannah and Zoey set up a lemonade stand in their neighborhood and donated all proceeds to help pets at the Richmond SPCA.

While these events and fundraisers are fun ways to celebrate RVA’s love of pets and the generosity of our community, above all they are essential to helping us continue to save thousands of homeless animals each year like Diamond. We depend on the community to collide with us, just like Zack did when he adopted Diamond, to continue to save as many animals in need as we possibly can.

Thank you from all of us here at the Richmond SPCA and on behalf of all the animals who have been guaranteed a bright and happy future! 

You can learn more about our upcoming events and opportunities on the calendar on our website or on our Facebook page. Please contact me at 804-521-1320 or [email protected] if you would like to join us by hosting a fundraiser supporting the Richmond SPCA.

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Gray Miller is the manager of community development for 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.

Recognition as Best Charity confirms value to our community

The Richmond SPCA was chosen by the readers of Virginia Living magazine as the Best Charity in the Central Region in the results of their 2016 Best of Virginia issue. It is a remarkable statement about this wonderful organization and makes us very proud and grateful.

Virginia Living Magazine readers voted the Richmond SPCA Best Charity and the Richmond SPCA's signature fundraising event, the Fur Ball, as Best Annual Charity Benefit.

There are many great charitable organizations in central Virginia and they do a wide variety of crucial things that provide essential services and improve the quality of life for many. It is, of course, truly impossible to say which is the best since a lot of that analysis is highly subjective and depends on a person’s own perspective on what matters and what is good. After 19 years of running a non-profit, I know that people’s devotion to any charitable endeavor is based to a high degree on their own personal life experiences. We all see what matters and what is “best” through our own personal lens of experience and often hardships. If you have watched a beloved family member suffer with cancer, you probably support institutions that work to find a cure. If you or a loved one has suffered with depression or addiction, you probably support organizations that help people with those same challenges. And, if you have experienced the crucial joy, love and companionship that animals bring to our lives, you probably support animal welfare.

This wonderful recognition does bring one important point into sharp focus for me. It is clear that people all over Virginia care deeply about saving the lives of animals and regard the work of the Richmond SPCA as being very important. Many people not only believe that the Richmond SPCA does high quality work but they also believe that our work for animals truly matters and should be a priority in terms of receiving support.

I wish that more institutional donors would recognize this. Many large corporations will not give us any of their otherwise generous charitable support and, when we ask for their help, we are often told that animal welfare is not on their list of giving areas (with no explanation for why not). Similarly, while there are some family foundations that are extremely supportive of and generous to us, many foundations will not provide any significant support to animal welfare organizations. Animal welfare receives only about 1% of the charitable dollars given in this country and the vast majority of that support comes from people, not from institutional donors.

Every person and every organization certainly may choose his, her or its own giving priorities, but, if corporations are considering what most of their customers and shareholders likely deem to be important, they are missing the mark by excluding animal welfare organizations from their giving priorities. Similarly, many large foundations seek to strengthen their communities and improve lives with their giving. That being the case, they should realize that people truly care about the protection and well-being of animals and that animals play a very important and much needed role in people’s lives.

The Virginia Living readers’ selection of the Richmond SPCA as the best charity in our region means more to us than I could ever adequately express. We are honored that they think so highly of the quality of our work and deeply rewarded that they think we are such a valuable part of our state’s charitable network of support. But, perhaps, the most wonderful thing about this lovely recognition is the confirmation it provides that the people of our state believe that saving and protecting animals is crucially important. So do we.

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Robin Robertson Starr is the chief executive officer of 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.

Don't be fooled by animal hoaxes

Every day we're reminded of the wonderful things that social media can do for the animal welfare movement. Sharing photos can help reunite lost cats and dogs with their families, can facilitate the transport of orphaned puppies with little prospect of adoption to the safe haven of a no-kill shelter, and can inspire donations to deliver lifesaving medical care to pets in dire need. 

However, April Fool's Day is an appropriate time for a reminder not to trust everything that comes across your news feed. Internet trolls feed on anger and outrage, and sometimes stoking the passions of animal lovers is a fire they start just to watch the world burn. One particular such troll took on the persona of an elderly Richmond woman and created a Facebook account as "Kat Tenna." Public posts from this profile were deliberately inflammatory on a variety of topics, but the ones that began to spread with a viral fever used real photos from news reports of animal cruelty and made blatant, outrageous statements of deliberate acts of cruelty. 

Feeding the voracious appetite of the troll, people from all over the country began to flood animal welfare groups, law enforcement agencies and news stations in Richmond with these reports yesterday evening. The Richmond SPCA's Facebook page was bombarded with hundreds of messages, and we responded to each one to explain the hoax and how to report the fake profile to Facebook for removal, which we were notified just before midnight that Facebook had acted upon. 

The messages, emails, calls to dispatchers and more all came from a good place. Genuine animal lovers, appalled by what they were seeing reached out from as far away as New Zealand to urge authorities to save a dog they believed was in danger. They were acting on what we've all learned: "If you see something, say something." And if you witness neglect or cruelty first hand, that is absolutely the right way to be programmed, to document and report mistreatment immediately. However, on the internet, a dose of skepticism is warranted and can prevent resources that can be devoted to a real animal or person in danger from being diverted in response to a hoax. 

How do you weed out the hoaxes, the cat-fishing and outright scams without ignoring an animal who is potentially in real danger? 

1. Google's reverse image search is an amazing tool. 
   This was the first step in ruling out that the "Kat Tenna" claims were false. Both of the photos she claimed to be of her own dogs could be found online in posts one to five years old that were connected to real news reports. 
   
   You can find many other methods, but Google makes it incredibly simple. At images.google.com, upload the photo or provide a link to the image you want to search. The results will show you matches online. We're opting not to show the images shared by Kat Tenna here, but they were connected to a 2015 case in Oklahoma and a 2011 case in the Philippines. 
   
   
2. Perhaps someone else has already done the research. 
   Just as you would hopefully search snopes.com if something about a "news" story shared by a distant relative doesn't smell right, there are websites and pages dedicated to debunking hoaxes involving animals. One of those is Animal Abuse Known Hoaxes on Facebook (warning: this page does include screen shots of graphic and disturbing images). If you have other favorites that are reliable, share them in the comments.
   
   
3. No results? It could be a valid threat. 
   Do your best to determine the location of the person and find the appropriate law enforcement agency to investigate animal cruelty in that locality. It can be as easy as plugging the search terms "report animal cruelty, Anytown, USA" into your favorite search engine. In most cases, that is not going to be a private organization such as ours, and social media is not the best avenue for serious or urgent communications such as this. 

We are truly grateful to live in a community with so many animal lovers willing to speak up when they suspect an animal has been mistreated. Thanks to all of you for your sincere concern and passion to make the world we live in a better one for animals. 

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Tabitha Treloar is the director of communications for the Richmond SPCA. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires both your first and last name to be used as your screen name. 

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Only eight days remain for early bird Dog Jog and 5K Run registration

With only eight days remaining to take advantage of early bird registration fees for the area’s most beloved family- and pet-friendly event – our 14th Annual Dog Jog and 5K Run presented by Holiday Barn Pet Resorts – the time has come for you to sign up if you haven’t already!

You won’t want to miss all the fun we have in store for runners, walkers, cheering family members, pets and children! Join us Saturday, April 16 at our Robins-Starr Humane Center for a sanctioned 5K run administered by Richmond Road Runners, a leisurely 1-mile dog jog for you and your four-legged companion, an awesome vendor fair sponsored by Concours Auto Detailing featuring food trucks, music, inflatables and crafts for kids, activities for dogs, and sponsors and other vendors offering giveaways at their booths and more.

Online registration, sponsored by Massage Envy, is easy!
Register simply and securely online. Early bird registration prices are only available for eight more days. Fees increase at Noon on March 31, so be sure to sign up soon. The first 1,000 people to register will receive an event T-shirt and a bag of goodies from our sponsors. We have included some highlights of what's to come in this year's event so you have lots to look forward to between now and April 16:

Fundraising
When you register online for the Dog Jog and/or 5K Run, you can create a special fundraising page and solicit donations to support lifesaving programs and services of the Richmond SPCA. If you are unable to attend on April 16 or do not plan on participating in either event, our Cat Nap option is free and allows you to help the pets in our care through participant-led fundraising. Your personal fundraising page makes it easy to ask your friends, family, neighbors and coworkers to donate. By starting early, you can increase your your chances of winning spectacular prizes! We'll be awarding prizes to top team and individual fundraisers as well as top 5K finishers during the Invisible Fence Awards Ceremony around Noon on the day of the event.

Event details
The 5K Run is sanctioned and begins at 9:30 a.m. The course, sponsored by OrthoVirginia, is flat and is perfect for elite runners, as well as casual joggers and walkers. Fruit and bottled water, courtesy of Martin’s Food Markets, will await you at the finish. The 1-mile Dog Jog for dogs and their people begins at 11 a.m., and the course, sponsored by Rick Hendrick Chevrolet/Buick/GMC, features fun Instagram photo stops. Our Concours Auto Detailing Vendor Fair is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and features a Pet Wellness Tent sponsored by the Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Center, a Pets Fun Zone sponsored by Conquest Moncure & Dunn where your pet can try his or her paw at agility with one of our expert trainers, a Kids Fun Zone sponsored by Richmond Alarm Company where children can say hello to Waggles, complete crafts or slide down a giant inflatable, as well as a number of food trucks and music.

Free parking, courtesy of the Richmond Flying Squirrels, is available on the day of the event in the Green and Pink Lots located behind The Diamond on the corner of Hermitage Road and Robin Hood Road. If you are participating in either event, please allow yourself a few extra minutes to walk the short distance to our center.

The day promises to provide tons of fun for the whole family – those with two legs and four – so don't miss it. Register today and be a hero to homeless pets!

Susan M. Markel Veterinary Hospital a landmark achievement in the history of this 125-year-old organization

On February 25, we celebrated the opening of our amazing new Susan M. Markel Veterinary Hospital and this week the Times-Dispatch provided great coverage for the community in an article and gallery of photos. This is the culmination of years of work for many people who have believed deeply in this project. I could never thank Stuart Siegel, who chaired the capital campaign, and Allen King, who chaired our Board during the campaign and kept the organization focused and energized, enough. We are immensely grateful to Claiborne Robins who not only was the honorary chair of the campaign but also was enormously generous to it. There is no way to adequately express our gratitude to Tony Markel who gave the lead naming gift in memory of his beloved wife Sue who was a great animal lover. These acts of devotion and generosity have given an asset and resource to the pets and people of our community that is not offered in any other community of which I am aware. It is a landmark achievement in the history of this 125-year-old organization. 

Stuart Siegel and Allen King at the grand opening of the Susan M. Markel Veterinary Hospital on February 25, 2016.

I can remember when I first started working in animal welfare 18 years ago. The standard refrain at that time was that people of low income should not have pets because they could not provide them with the veterinary care they needed. That heartless and inadvisable viewpoint still prevails in isolated parts of our field of work. This has always seemed so unreasonable and unkind to me. People of modest means can provide a homeless pet with a wonderful, loving home for life and they themselves need the companionship and joy that pets bring to our lives just as anyone else does. And, homeless pets need more possible homes not fewer. We need to find the ways to expand the numbers of possible homes in our community and providing access to low cost veterinary care is one of the most effective and important ways we do that.

I am grateful, proud and rewarded that the Richmond SPCA and all of the wonderful people who support it and lead it have worked so hard to make this veterinary hospital a reality. People of low income and people who adopt from the Richmond SPCA may use this great resource to obtain full service, high quality veterinary care for their beloved pets. This is an absolutely essential piece in achieving a no-kill community. Much data confirms that many pets are relinquished at shelters because they are suffering from a medical condition that oftentimes is totally treatable but their families lack the financial resources to provide the needed care. Sick and injured animals are often those whose conditions worsen and who end up getting euthanized in shelters around the country. In our community, that no longer need be the case. We have made Richmond one of the safest cities in the country for homeless animals. Last year, the Richmond citywide euthanasia rate for homeless animals was 7 percent, a stunning achievement. The euthanasia rate at the Richmond SPCA’s no-kill shelter in 2015 was less than 1 percent of the more than 4,000 animals in our shelter that year. Our community is an example of the fact that no-kill cities and communities are achievable. No longer is this a debatable issue. Richmond is to be emulated nationally for saving animal lives and that is because of the wonderful love we have for our animals. The opening of the Susan M. Markel Veterinary Hospital at the Richmond SPCA is a great moment for every animal lover in our community.

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Robin Robertson Starr is the chief executive officer of 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.

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Blessing of the Animals: celebrating the human connection with all creation

For the eighth year, the Richmond SPCA will join with the congregation of Grace and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church this Sunday for a beloved annual tradition of the Blessing of the Animals. The service will be held at 10 a.m. in Monroe Park on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015. All creatures great and small are invited to join their guardians for the pet-friendly outdoor worship service. Dogs, cats, chickens, horses and lizards have all been brought to receive a special blessing, as have stuffed animal proxies and photos of pets unable to attend. 

We talked with Rev. Bo Millner, Rector of Grace and Holy Trinity Church, about the significance of this event for his church and the importance of collaboration with the Richmond SPCA. 

Grace and Holy Trinity Church is an inclusive and spirited community which transforms lives. With Christ at the center, we seek, serve and care for each other and those around us. The Richmond SPCA is based on the principle that every life matters. The Richmond SPCA website notes: “At all times and in every way, we are advocates for animals. We provide for their safety and comfort, strive to alleviate their suffering and work to place them in homes that provide a responsible lifetime commitment to them.” This is transformative work on behalf of God’s good creation and is in harmony with the mission of Grace and Holy Trinity Church.

Rev. Millner prepares to bless a cat who came to the 2014 Blessing service in a custom basket on her guardian's bicycle.

It is especially appropriate that we partner with the Richmond SPCA as we celebrate St. Francis. Stories abound where Francis communicates with animals and celebrates the human connection with all creation. We believe that the transformation God brings about includes not simply human beings, but all of creation. As the seer in the Book of Revelation has it, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth…And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: ‘Look!  The dwelling place of God is among human beings. He will live among them, and they will be his people…He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more…And the one seated on the throne said: ‘Look! I am making all things new!’” (21:1ff) It is that vision of redemption, of a new heavens and a new earth, of complete transformation that we celebrate with the pet blessing and in honor of St. Francis. We are grateful to serve and celebrate, arm in arm with the Richmond SPCA.

Please join us in celebration of our companion animals and all creation this Sunday. In addition to welcoming your pets our Tail Wag'N adoption vehicle will be on site with pets available for adoption. Children will have the opportunity to participate in animal-themed crafts with our Humane Education Department. 

 

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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.

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Let's Clear the Shelters this Saturday with support from NBC12 and Maddie's Fund®

This Saturday, August 15, the Richmond SPCA will participate in Clear the Shelters Day thanks to the promotional support of NBC12 and a generous grant from Maddie’s Fund®. We, and I hope some other local shelters too, will be urging folks to come in and find a wonderful new four-legged family member with the adoption fee being waived. It is our hope that NBC12’s promotions of this great adoption opportunity will catch the attention of lots of people who may have been thinking about adding pets to their families and this will give them the needed nudge to do so.

This local event came about when we saw that NBC owned television stations around the country are participating in Clear the Shelters day on August 15, and we asked NBC12 if they would do this event with us here in Central Virginia even though they are not a network owned station. They quickly said yes and are working to make this a big event with a wide local participation. We are proud and happy to have gotten this ball rolling and grateful to NBC12 for their enthusiastic embrace of this effort to get lots of homeless pets into wonderful homes on Saturday.

Let me speak for a moment to the topic of fee-waived adoptions to which a few people still express objections. Our primary goal is to save the lives of as many homeless animals as possible by placing them in homes that will provide to them a lifetime of love and commitment. There is absolutely no empirical data to support the claim that guardians who got their pets through fee waived adoptions are any less attached to their companions or that they provide less care for their pets than do people who paid adoption fees or bought their pets from a retail business. To the contrary, data exists from studies by the ASPCA and by University of Florida's Shelter Medicine program, among others, that confirm that there is no correlation between the amount paid, or the absence of any payment, for the acquisition of a pet and the guardian’s treatment of and sense of responsibility to that pet in the future. The idea that it is bad not to charge an adoption fee is an unsupported old saw that only serves to keep pets from getting out of shelters and into loving homes.

Our knowledgeable and caring adoption team always has the best interests of our pets in mind, and they do an excellent job counseling prospective pet guardians to ensure that we are making appropriate and lasting matches among pets and people. Fee free or reduced fee promotions like this one have had a dramatic positive impact on the numbers of pets adopted from shelters all over this country, and that has saved many thousands of lives that otherwise would like have been lost without these promotions. At the Richmond SPCA, getting a large number of pets adopted to good homes in this way allows us to save the lives of even more animals because, every time a pet goes home, it creates an opening in our shelter for us to bring in another pet from a government shelter where his or her life is at risk.

So, let’s hope that lots of people see NBC12’s generous promotional messages about Clear the Shelters Day and that Saturday brings great numbers of people into the Richmond SPCA who want to make their lives happier with the wonderful love and companionship that pets provide. We will be ready for them and so will many wonderful four-footed best friends. 

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Robin Robertson Starr is the chief executive 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 both your first and last name to be used as your screen name.

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