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You could say that we're used to seeing transformations at the Richmond SPCA. After all, some pets come to us at arguably the worst time of their lives. But once they arrive, they experience a world of care waiting for them, and with it, another chance at living a life – a good life.
Our admissions team was visiting Buckingham Animal Control in November when they came across Maurice, although he was not named Maurice just yet. "He was a wet, dirty stray beagle who showed us he wasn't too fond of other dogs," explained admissions counselor Amber Garcia. Unfortunately the team could not transfer him that day due to space constraints but asked Buckingham to hold him until a kennel was available. A few days later the beagle was in the care of the Richmond SPCA, and the admissions team named him Maurice after an animal control officer at Buckingham with whom he shared a kind, low-key personality.
Upon intake, however, our animal care team noticed a marked change in Maurice's physical condition. "He was trembling and drooling and just didn't look okay," said Garcia. The next several days turned out to be very important for Maurice as he underwent medical tests and examinations to determine what was wrong. Blood work and a full-body radiograph concluded Maurice was suffering from Spondylitis, inflammation and compression of the spinal cord, which was causing him severe neck pain. In addition, Lyme Disease and Ehrlichia, both tick-borne diseases which attack bones and joints, were discovered. "He would hold his head down and scream in pain any time you tried to touch him," recounted veterinary assistant Clarissa Davis.
Today, Maurice is a changed dog. The animal care staff began a treatment plan including pain and anti-inflammatory medications to treat the Spondylitis and antibiotics for the Lyme Disease and Ehrlicia, and his response was magnificent. Davis said, "He has done fantastic on the medications and seems like a totally different dog!"
In no time, the dog who was once in too much pain to be gently touched was asking for attention at every chance. Amber Garcia, who met Maurice at Buckingham Animal Control, said, "Maurice is one in a million. Of all the dogs I've transferred in my time at the Richmond SPCA, Maurice holds a special place in my heart. He is the cuddliest, sweetest boy, despite all he's been through."
While Maurice patiently awaits adoption, our staff who interact with him daily are grateful for the time spent with this special guy. Every day they tell new stories about his loving antics and share new photos. Below are a few.
"I've enjoyed spending quiet minutes cuddling in his kennel, and bringing him into my office for slow Sunday afternoons. He always has a smile and some kisses to share." -Admissions counselor Amber Garcia
"I fell in love with Maurice because he radiates joy. It's impossible to be unhappy when he's around; his smile lights up the room. All he wants in life is a few toys, a cushy bed, and cuddle time with his friends. There's a powerful lesson in that: that true joy is obtainable through quality time spent with friends and in life's simple pleasures. Spending time with Maurice always brightens my day because even though I may only have a few minutes at a time to spend on him, every minute means so much to him. It's a privilege to spend time with someone as loving, goofy, and genuinely happy as Maurice." -Animal care technician Christina Bird-Alexander
"I Loved Maurice the first second I saw him. Such a forever blonde Puppy! He's such a great cuddler. He has a million dollar smile and a very sweet soul. I Love you Maurice!" -Mix 98.1 personality Kat Simons
"When I met Maurice I had tears in my eyes because I could tell how much pain he was in. I don't know what unfortunate events made him end up at a shelter but I'm glad we transferred him into our facility for a second chance." -Animal care technician Leila Vaughn
"There's never a dull moment, or a frown on my face when Maurice is around." -Animal care technician Jillian Carver
"Maurice is a sweet and gentle soul who has stolen the heart of everyone he meets! He is one of those dogs that makes you feel like the most special person in the world- he just lights up when he sees you and will try to cover you in kisses. Even when he wasn’t feeling 100% he would always want to visit his friends and get snuggle time." -Manager of animal care Kyla Fink
We know that Maurice will soon find a family who loves him for everything he has been and is becoming – one that is able to manage his physical ailments while reveling in his endearing pleas for affection. Until then, Maurice will continue to bring smiles to the faces of everyone he encounters at our Robins-Starr Humane Center.
Abbey Howarth is the communications specialist for 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.
At our 17th Annual Fur Ball on November 7, we showed a video featuring three of the thousands of pets who have benefited from our Cinderella Fund over the past year. Of those three pets, only one has not already been adopted to a loving home. Peanut's story of rescue from a hoarder, surgery to remove a tumor, radiation to eradicate the cancer and surgery to correct a congenital defect of his eyelids is told in the video below, which was directed, filmed and edited by former Richmond SPCA adoption counselor Louis Handler.
Now for the final act in Peanut's story: placing him in a home.
Considering all the suffering he endured because of a human, Peanut's affection for people is amazing. We see time after time in animals who have survived abuse and neglect that they are incredibly resilient and have enormous capacity for love even after unimaginable treatment. Affection for dogs may be the one thing for which Peanut lacks capacity – such world weariness has likely served him well in the years he was fending for himself, and he's just not ready to accept that canines can be friends. While he has enjoyed the opportunity to play with kittens at our center, he doesn't seem to enjoy the company of other adult cats, so a home without any other pets would be ideal for Peanut.
Restoring him to health has been a labor of love for our animal care and veterinary services teams. Peanut was also well loved by the staff of The Oncology Center in Richmond where he received a specialist consult and in Leesburg where he spent four weeks undergoing radiation therapy, and at Animal Eye Care of Richmond where Dr. Michael Blair performed the final operation on his eyes.
Please share the video and Peanut's miraculous story of rescue and rehabilitation, and if you'd like to give him a home, visit our Robins-Starr Humane Center at 2519 Hermitage Road. Our adoption counselors would be delighted to introduce you to this wonderful cat.
Tabitha Frizzell Treloar is the director of advancement 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.
Burt is one of 23 dogs whom we transported from Greenville, South Carolina, where the HSUS staged rescue operations following Hurricane Joaquin and requested our help, to Richmond, Virginia. He is now lovingly being cared for by our dedicated animal care and veterinary teams. When Burt arrived at our Robins-Starr Humane Center late on October 13, a clean kennel with a soft bed was waiting for him.
The following morning our veterinary team examined Burt and the other new arrivals. Burt’s skin was particularly irritated with scarring and hair loss on his face and ears as well as heavy debris in his ears. Flea treatment significantly improved his comfort and the redness and other signs of inflammation are beginning to fade. The brindle and white Staffordshire terrier mix is thought to be about 8 years old and has severe dental disease. Many of Burt’s teeth are missing, fractured and severely worn. During his dental procedure, fortunately only one tooth required extraction, and while he was sedated a cytology was performed on his ears which were treated and thoroughly cleaned.
Jackie Laubacher, Senior Behavior and Training Specialist, rewards Burt for responding to "sit" cue.
Burt has endeared himself to many at the Richmond SPCA, including a Running Buddies volunteer who takes him on weekly 3 mile runs. Because of low white blood cell count and anemia, which have since been resolved, Burt was not immediately available for adoption. As the veterinary team awaited further lab results, the behavior and training staff provided him daily enrichment and continue to teach him new skills. The trainers soon discovered that although he is deaf, Burt responds quickly to positive reinforcement and is learning hand signals for basic commands.
Like more than 2,900 pets this year, all of Burt's veterinary treatment at the Richmond SPCA has been provided thanks to generous contributions to our Cinderella Fund. For 17 years, we have raised money for this fund at our annual Fur Ball. This year's Fur Ball is on Saturday, Nov. 7 and will ensure that thousands more needy pets like Burt who arrive with illnesses or injuries will be given the lifesaving treatment and rehabilitation required to prepare them for happy futures in loving homes. You can support the Cinderella Fund by purchasing Fur Ball Raffle tickets.
This week Burt got his own Living Room in our adoption center where he eagerly awaits visitors, just in time for Adopt a Senior Pet Month. Though November brings special attention to the wonderful qualities of senior pets, the Richmond SPCA celebrates our older residents year round and offers a special adoption incentive to older adults who take home a companion 5 years or older. Adopters who are age 60 and up qualify for our Seniors for Seniors adoption program. We are confident he will meet his match very soon!
Tabitha Frizzell Treloar is the director of advancement 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.
Since 2004, the Richmond SPCA has operated a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program with the purpose of humanely and effectively controlling the region’s feral cat population through spay/neuter and vaccination against rabies. The Richmond SPCA is happy to provide over 1,000 no-cost sterilization surgeries and rabies vaccinations every year for our community’s outdoor cats. In doing so, this program relies heavily on dedicated volunteers to feed, transport and monitor colonies. The Richmond SPCA is committed to supporting feral caretakers in their charitable endeavors associated with TNR and recognizes that communication is key to coordinating care.
With so many members of the community working on the cats’ behalf, the need for a centralized location for caretakers to connect became apparent, and the Richmond VA Feral Cat Network was created. This free group, hosted on Yahoo, has continued to grow both in its membership and effectiveness. The volunteer group administrator, who anonymously donates her time to this cause, proudly describes the online forum as, “more than just an online group consisting of those with a common interest. We share a mission (CATS - compassion/action/teaching/sharing) as well as values in promoting the humane treatment and non-lethal control of feral and free-roaming cats.” This group allows feral cat caregivers to sign up for veterinary appointments at the Richmond SPCA and to share unused appointments among themselves, as well as coordinate community efforts.
This unique online group is more than just for those interested in helping feral cats. It also acts as a platform for education about community cats. The Richmond VA Feral Cat Network is a resource for those that are elderly, disabled and/or with limited resources. The group administrator says that helping those populations is the most rewarding part of her volunteer role. When asked to describe her most memorable experience, she recalled an individual helping a senior citizen about four years ago. She says, “He had been feeding for about a decade at a local business. These cats had no veterinary care and over the years, untold numbers of young kittens disappeared into the dense wooded area adjacent to the business parking lot. A Richmond VA Feral Cats volunteer determined that the location was within two blocks of her managed feral colony and volunteered to assist. More than a dozen cats were trapped and provided with no-cost spay and neuter, de-worming, and rabies vaccinations at the Richmond SPCA Clinic for Compassionate Care. Additionally, the volunteer purchased low-cost distemper vaccinations for each of the cats and offered to assist the caretaker with twice weekly feedings which she performed for three years.”
Stories like this one, as well as countless others, are why we celebrate National Feral Cat Day at the Richmond SPCA. The motto “every life is precious” is upheld through the daily actions of volunteer trappers and community members who dedicate themselves to this cause. We want to show our appreciation for them and the countless hours they spend educating the public, helping both people and cats in need, managing colonies and transporting cats for TNR. From the bottom of our hearts, we say thank you!
Tori Williams is the senior hospital manager at the Richmond SPCA's Clinic for Compassionate Care.To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines.
Cheryl Tankersley and Gracie enjoying a day at work together.
Despite weighing less than 5 pounds, Gracie is making an enormous impact on a great many human lives. She was adopted for all the reasons thousands of area families give homes to pets from the Richmond SPCA each year: love, companionship, comfort and friendship. But Cheryl and Mike Tankersley also adopted Gracie for another purpose, to provide solace to Cheryl’s special clientele at Planet Hair, the West End salon the couple own.
Cheryl specializes in fitting wigs for women undergoing medical treatments that cause hair loss, such as chemotherapy. One of her clients is Pat Manning, a member of our Board of Directors, and when Pat learned of Cheryl’s desire to have a small, calm dog who would sit with clients having their heads shaved and wigs fitted, Pat was certain that a perfect match could be found at our Robins-Starr Humane Center.
At Pat’s urging, Cheryl called Carly Sgueo, our senior manager of shelter operations, to begin looking for a candidate to adopt. Carly immediately knew that Wicket, a tiny terrier mix whom we had just brought into our care, would be a wonderful match for the Tankersleys and up for the job they had for her.
Wicket got her name from a Star Wars character, as did nine other dogs who came to us from the same crowded home. Their guardian suffered a medical emergency in late March, at which time it was discovered that she had more animals than she could care for responsibly.
Like many of her housemates, Wicket suffered hair loss from flea allergy dermatitis and had not been spayed, but in spite of this neglect, she was immediately friendly and affectionate with our staff and volunteers caring for her. Carly described Wicket to Cheryl and Mike who were eager to meet the tiny 8-year-old dog immediately after her spay surgery. However, they would have to wait.
While she was performing the spay surgery, associate veterinarian Dr. Kristen Talbott discovered and removed a mammary mass. Carly anxiously shared this news with the Tankersleys as we awaited the results of the biopsy.
Rather than being discouraged by this news, they felt even more strongly that it indicated she was the right dog for them. All were overjoyed on April 20 when the biopsy revealed the tumor to be benign, and by the end of the week, she was a permanent member of the Tankersley family.
Another touching coincidence marked Gracie’s first day at Planet Hair. Cheryl asked a new client if she would like for Gracie to sit with her while Cheryl shaved her head and fit her wig. Gracie laid calmly in the client’s lap, and she asked to know more about the dog’s story. When Cheryl shared that she had just been adopted from the Richmond SPCA, the client, Jackie Woolfolk, revealed that she is a member of our Board of Directors.
Client, Gale, enjoys Gracie's company as Cheryl does her hair.
The consolation and reassurance Gracie provides to Jackie and other women who visit the salon is a wonderful illustration of the far-reaching impact of saving the life of a deserving animal.
Gracie will also become part of Cheryl’s volunteerism with hospice patients. In the coming months, they will work toward therapy dog certification through Paws for Health, the Richmond SPCA’s pet visitation program.
Your loving gift ensures that formerly neglected pets like Gracie have the opportunity for rehabilitation that enables them to reach their full potential.
Tabitha Frizzell Treloar is the director of advancement 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.
Thanks to Attorney General Mark Herring and his office’s Opinions Counsel Timothy Oksman, it is now clear that private people and organizations like ours can engage in trap-neuter-return programs ("TNR") in Virginia without fear of legal reprisals. A letter sent out from the Attorney General's Office during the previous administration in 2013 has been found by Attorney General Herring’s Office to have been inaccurate and therefore it has been wholly retracted. This is important and welcome news for everyone in Virginia who wants to help feral cats by providing them with spaying and neutering and rabies vaccinations through trap-neuter-return programs ("TNR").
The letter at issue, dated November, 2013, was sent to me, and also to Rob Blizard at the Norfolk SPCA, by Norman Thomas who was Opinions Counsel in the Attorney General’s Office at the time. The letter threatened us with criminal prosecution if we continued to provide spaying and neutering services to kind people helping feral cats by engaging in TNR. The City Attorney for Richmond was copied on the letter, apparently in hopes that he would take action to force us to stop providing such services. Yes, that is right, in hopes that our City Attorney would force a non-profit to stop providing free spaying and neutering services to the community. The basis for the irresponsible threats in Thomas' letter was an opinion letter dated July 13, 2013 that had been issued by Attorney General Cuccinelli to the Town of Front Royal. That opinion letter had said only that an agency of a local government may not itself engage in the “return” portion of TNR programs.
Mr. Thomas, who indicated that he was writing the letter because he had been asked to do so but never specified who had done the asking, wildly misinterpreted the July 13, 2013 Cuccinelli opinion. First, he sought to apply it to us, a private non-profit organization that provides the veterinary medical services for feral cats for free, when the Cuccinelli opinion had explicitly limited itself to local governments. Secondly, the Cuccinelli opinion made clear that private people could engage in the trapping and the returning parts of TNR without being seen under the law as owners. The Richmond SPCA itself does not do the trapping or the returning; we just provide the veterinary medical services. The trapping and returning are done by caring individuals acting on their own who clearly under the Cuccinelli opinion are not violating the law either since they cannot be considered to be abandoning an animal they do not own.
When I got the threatening letter from Thomas, I discussed the letter with our Executive Committee and Board leaders and we agreed that it was obviously not based on an accurate reading of the Cuccinelli opinion. We knew, and still know, how very crucial our free sterilization and rabies vaccination services for feral cats are and we were not going to be intimidated into ceasing to provide them with no reasonable legal basis. I am deeply grateful for having Board leaders who are cool-headed and courageous because Thomas’ letter would probably have intimidated many organizations into stopping these crucial services. I replied to Thomas’ boss, Attorney General Cuccinelli, saying that we were confident that the interpretation of his opinion in Thomas’ letter was incorrect and so it would not affect our continuing to provide free spaying and neutering and rabies vaccinations for ferals in connection with TNR efforts. I never received any further communication from Thomas or his office whatsoever.
We are aware that the Thomas letter has been used by people and organizations in our state who oppose TNR programs, such as the Virginia Alliance for Animal Shelters, as the basis for inaccurate claims that TNR engaged in by private people utilizing the veterinary services of a private organization such as ours is not legal in Virginia. It is important that they stop spreading this false information now that our Attorney General's office has made clear that the letter Thomas wrote was wrong and has retracted it.
I am very grateful to Attorney General Herring and to Mr. Oksman for have set the record straight on this issue and, thereby, ensuring that caring people and organizations like the Richmond SPCA do not need to fear prosecution for continuing their good and charitable works to help and protect feral cats.
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.
The year 1978 was a good year. I graduated from high school knowing that all I wanted to do was to become a veterinarian and the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP) was founded. The ABVP advances the quality of veterinary medicine through certification of veterinarians who demonstrate excellence in species-oriented clinical practice. Its diplomats have a common desire to deliver superior, comprehensive and multi-disciplinary veterinary care. Their members demonstrate expertise in a wide range of areas relevant to their practice and are able to communicate observations and data in an organized manner.
Only ten veterinary specialties have been recognized and veterinarians practicing in those fields can achieve certification from ABVP as specialists. The specialties include Canine and Feline Practice as well as Avian, Beef, Dairy, Equine, Food Animal and Exotics. The eleventh specialty to be joining will be Shelter Medicine Practice. The Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) appointed a task force almost 10 years ago to explore the development of such a specialty.
This September, Shelter Medicine will begin accepting applications and the first exam will be scheduled for November 2015. The certification process is demanding and requires a thorough mastery of species-oriented practice. The new certification for Shelter Medicine Practice offered by ABVP is recognized by the American Board of Veterinary Specialties of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
It has now been almost thirty years since I graduated from veterinary school and I have been blessed to spend the last ten practicing Shelter Medicine here at the Richmond SPCA. I did not have any training in school for this field and the first actual classes in shelter animal health were not taught until the 1990s. Now the field encompasses shelter design, preventative health care and forensics all in an effort to ensure that our shelter animals have the best care available. Training is now offered at almost every veterinary school. There are externships and residencies as well as hundreds of hours of continuing education every year. The ASV has more than a thousand members including veterinarians and students in chapters at more than 22 veterinary colleges.
What an exciting time for our chosen focus and what an opportunity for the animals in our care. The new specialty can help all shelters by addressing how to optimize the animals’ health both medically and behaviorally, it can facilitate progressive shelter design, it can develop new programs to alleviate companion animal homelessness and address animal cruelty, abuse and neglect as well as serve as a resource on animals and public policy.
I am extremely lucky to have fallen into this aspect of veterinary medicine at this stage in my career. It is an honor to have it recognized now as a specialty. But the bigger honor is the reward of knowing how many animals in our care get permanent loving homes after all of our efforts. I think they already knew what I knew and that is that it was always special.
Dr. Angela Ivey is the director of veterinary medicine 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.
What a great celebration of people’s love for animals we had on Saturday evening at the Jefferson for our fifteenth annual Fur Ball! It was truly the biggest and the best one ever. Because number fifteen deserved to be an even more special occasion than our Fur Balls usually are, we did some new fun things and had some special surprises in store for the guests. The evening’s Cinderella theme was apropos of the magical nature of the evening. Of course, the Fur Ball is our sole source of funding for the Cinderella Fund which is what we tap to pay for veterinary care and rehabilitation for the thousands of sick and injured homeless animals who come in to our loving care each year. Without the Fur Ball, we would never be able to save their lives. So, the fun has a very serious purpose. And, I am so deeply grateful to the title sponsor BB&T who made this lifesaving event possible for us.
Pat Manning, Robin Starr and Martha Dula
First, while the guests were having cocktails in the gorgeous Rotunda of the Jefferson, we honored Pat Manning’s remarkable leadership of this event for the past seven years. Then, everyone watched the most delightful display of doggie couture ever seen in the Pet Parade. There was a lot of mariboo, tutus and pearls and even a pair of dogs in elaborate ruffled Scottish plaid outfits that were worthy of Alexander McQueen. The silent auction during cocktails had fabulous packages on it this year and earned the largest amount it has ever done for the care of our sick and injured animals. The pets who came as guests had great fun and received superb care all evening from our volunteers and staff members who served as Pet Escorts.
After we moved up to the ballroom, it was my great pleasure to present the Ellen Glasgow Award to MARTIN's Food Markets which is one of our most devoted and generous corporate donors, giving us all of the food, litter and treats the animals in our care need. The award was accepted by Jim Scanlon, the Regional Vice President of Martin’s and a dedicated member of our Board. He spoke inspiringly of Martin’s belief in the Richmond SPCA and our mission and even took the occasion to announce an additional gift of support that they will make to our fund to buy a much needed new van.
A delicious dinner followed, and the remarkable piece de resistance of the meal was a dessert that looked like a beautiful Cinderella slipper made of white chocolate filled with delicious chocolate truffles. It was a true work of art by Jefferson pastry chef Sara Ayyash and I ate every single delectable bite of mine.
After dessert, we showed a video that reflected the remarkable film making talents of our staff member Louis Handler. It was a Richmond SPCA Cinderella Story. It told the story of a little homeless dog (portrayed by our own alumnus Hoover) who received the veterinary care she needed thanks to the Cinderella Fund and then went to an adoption event where she attended a fantasy ball and met her perfect adopter there. They went off together in a gorgeous carriage and then arrived at the Fur Ball. It was absolutely adorable and made everyone in the audience laugh. You should take a look at it on YouTube. After the video ended, Emerson and Bekkah Hughes sang the gorgeous Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella song “Ten Minutes Ago” to the piano accompaniment of Kathy Hughes. Their voices were stunningly beautiful. The Fur Ball guests were thrilled and delighted by the video and the singing and even more so when we presented Hoover live and in person. Everyone laughed when I confessed to them that Hoover, who is now much loved in his forever home with one of our volunteers, is actually a "Cinderfella." Hoover was the perfect choice for the role, despite the differing gender, because he really did come to us very sick and in need of Cinderella Fund care and now is healthy and very happy.
Auctioneer Mark Motley, emcee Greg McQuade and Bartholomew Broadbent present the South African Wine Tour package on the live auction.
The live auction then began and it was a huge success with the most exciting and amazing auction packages we have ever had. There was a trip through the wineries of South Africa with our Board member, the renowned wine expert Bartholomew Broadbent, and a trip to a cottage in the Cotswolds and then to London. There was a gorgeous diamond ring and a wonderful bathroom renovation package. And, the most fun was to see our new adorable mascot for 2013-14 be anointed. Her name is Isabella and she is the companion of our Board member Jack Nelson and Katherine Gomez. She is a sweet and very easy going girl and will be a delight to have as our mascot as was the darling Rosie Hogge last year. The last part of the auction was the Angel Pledges when our wonderful and dedicated Fur Ball attendees pledged generous contributions to save animals' lives.
Isabelle with guardians Katherine Gomez and Jack Nelson
The fifteenth annual Fur Ball was a huge success for us. While we are still counting, it is clear that the event significantly exceeded our monetary goal for the evening. It also gave our very best friends and supporters a magical evening that they will long remember with their beloved pets. There is nothing more rewarding for us than to know that we will have the resources for the coming year to provide the veterinary care and rehabilitation that thousands of wonderful homeless animals will need. I am so very grateful to the Fur Ball guests whose generosity will make that possible and to our wonderful Fur Ball Chair Pat Manning without whom none of this would have happened.
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.
The Supreme Court of Virginia issued its decision last Friday in the case of Susan Mills vs. the Board of Supervisors of the County of Henrico. This case began in 2011, when the county issued a notice of zoning violation, and finally Susan has prevailed before the Commonwealth’s highest court. The Richmond SPCA was with her every step of the way in this journey for justice.
The ruling was reported in the Richmond Times-Dispatch last Saturday, and we share the hopes expressed by Susan’s attorney Will Shewmake, who was quoted in the story. He said, “In light of the court’s ruling and finding the notice of zoning violation was overbroad, we’re hoping that this ends the issue.”
However, another statement in the article attributed to Henrico officials needs to be addressed: “Henrico officials said Susan Mills of the Laurel Pines subdivision was feeding seven feral cats and there were complaints from neighbors, two of whom were bitten and required inoculations.” This brief paragraph leads the reader to the conclusion that there is a cause and effect relationship between Susan’s responsible care for feral cats and the neighbors who were bitten. In fact, the opposite is true. The cat that inflicted the bite was not one of the small group being cared for by Susan, as those cats have been spayed or neutered and vaccinated against rabies. If her neighbors fully understood the rabies issue, they should be praising Susan’s efforts rather than making complaints against her. And in fairness, many residents in Laurel Pines have supported Susan’s care for the neighborhood cats. Only a vocal minority have tried to disrupt her feeding of the cats she trapped, neutered, vaccinated and returned to the community they knew as home.
Misunderstanding of the rabies virus in cats is common, and those who care for community cats often face critics who argue against humane management of the cats on the basis of preventing the spread of rabies. In reality, TNR is the only solution that addresses concerns about this disease.
These pervasive myths about rabies are the focus of a presentation at our Robins-Starr Humane Center next Friday, Sept. 6, at noon. We are delighted to offer a “Lunch & Learn” seminar with special guests Peter J. Wolf, national feral cat expert who will speak on the topic of rabies, and Will Shewmake, of LeClairRyan, who will remark on the Supreme Court case and its ruling. We encourage both avid community cat advocates and those new to the concept of TNR alike to bring their lunches and hear from Peter and Will. There is no cost to attend. The Richmond SPCA will provide drinks. Please RSVP for this event on our website: www.richmondspca.org/feral_seminar.
Related: Peter Wolf has an announcement on his blog, Vox Felina, to support our Henrico Feral Defense Fund.
Tabitha Frizzell Hanes is the director of advancement 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.
Lewis and Clark, two adorable 10-month-old kittens, found a loving home together where they are enjoying lots of love from their new guardians and new feline sibling. These two very special kittens would not have had a second chance at a life free of pain without the funding our donors provide.
Lewis and Clark as kittens (top left and right) and Clark awaiting adoption later as an adolescent
The Richmond SPCA transferred Lewis and Clark to our center from Richmond Animal Care and Control in October 2012 when they were only 4 weeks old and in need of around-the-clock care. While growing strong and having fun with a dedicated volunteer through our foster care program, it became clear that both Lewis and Clark were experiencing some eye discomfort. Dr. Angela Ivey examined both kittens and determined that they suffered from a congenital birth defect know as eyelid agenesis, which prevented the upper eyelids of each kitten from forming properly during normal development. This diagnosis was confirmed during a consultation with Dr. Michael Blair at Animal Eye Care of Richmond, and our veterinary team ultimately made the important decision for both kittens to receive the recommended corrective surgery to end scarring and irritation to their eyes.
While recovering and thriving in our care, Lewis and Clark won the hearts of our staff and volunteers. Each day these brothers would snuggle together while waiting for their perfect match to walk through the doors of our Robins-Starr Humane Center and offer them a lifetime of love. That day came on July 6, when the adoption bell rang and staff gathered in our adoption center to say goodbye to these two felines who’d been so deeply loved while at the Richmond SPCA.
Three days later, we received an email from Lewis and Clark’s adopter that was filled with gratitude and wonderful photos of the new companions she already loves so dearly. She wrote, “Thank you for taking care of them until we could find each other.” We extend the same thanks to all of the donors whose gifts made this perfect story of rehabilitation and adoption possible. Life would not have ended so perfectly for these two cats without the resources provided by our supporters that enable us to transfer thousands of kittens like Lewis and Clark to the Richmond SPCA where they receive essential veterinary care. Join the community of animal lovers who make second chances possible for the sick and injured pets who need us most by visiting www.richmondspca.org/donate.
Lisa Clarke is the community development manager 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.
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