VVAW Open Line Friday Archives 4/22/05

For our Sunday, 5/1/05 meeting in Norfolk, we are pleased to announce that the Animal Welfare Coalition of Hampton roads (AWCHR) graciously invited VVAW to share their space and include their membership. Please join us!

The meeting will be held in the Norfolk Health Department building on 830 Southampton Avenue.

The VVAW portion of the meeting begins at 3:15. The Coalition meeting starts at 2, and we are welcome to attend; the topic under discussion will be a super adoptathon. If you prefer to attend only the part of the meeting in which VVAW presents, please plan to come around 3pm.

We also decided to consolidate the Saturday, 4/30/05, Newport News meeting into the Norfolk meeting. If you planned to attend in Newport News, please come to Sunday’s meeting in Norfolk instead.

Bring a friend or anyone like-minded, or give us contact information for any group you think should be present, and we will invite them.

Letter to the House and Senate Ag Committee Members

This letter was sent 4/22/05 to each member of the House and Senate Ag committees of the Virginia General Assembly:

To House and Senate Ag committee members:

This is what inaction on bills to fund animal control and animal welfare programs, enforce existing law, and extend existing laws produces.

The photograph attached is very graphic but is not intended to shock, but rather to illustrate the cruelty perpetrated by people when the right laws, and the funding for enforcement thereof, don’t exist.

We assure you that this behavior – breeding and/or training dogs to make them vicious - is a fact of life that will not change unless it is legislated and enforced out of existence.

Lillian Clancy and Donald Marro

Virginia Voters for Animal Welfare

* * * * * *

Warning, the attached image is very graphic. However, please feel free to
forward this to anyone and everyone you know. The more people who know
about this possibility means the fewer dogs available to sickos like the
ones who let this happen to Lucy.

Lucy's former owners probably thought they were doing the right thing. They
couldn't keep her, so they tried to find what they thought would be a good
home for her. To entice someone to take her, they decided to make her free
of charge. Unfortunately in Lucy's case, "free to a good home" translated
into "free bait dog".

Sadly, Lucy's story is not unique. It is repeated across the United States.
Free dogs are collected and used to teach fighting dogs how to get the
taste for fighting a live animal. Lucy is lucky. At the last report the vet
is cautiously optimistic that she will recover and she is already feeling
well enough to give kisses to every person she can reach. Most bait dogs do
not have the same positive outcome.

Letter from Tom Evans

The following letter was sent by Tom Evans to a number of Virginia legislators regarding the recent Pit Bull attacks.

Tom Evans is a lobbyist for the NRA in addition to the groups he mentions in his letter. We reached out to him and offered to work with him earlier this year, but he declined and opposed all of VVAW's initiatives.

"Gentlemen:

As you probably are aware, I represent four statewide groups that hunt with hounds, an Animal Alliance that has small breeders and companion animal rescuers as members, and the VA Federation of Dog Clubs and Breeders (the statewide show dog organization).

We have discussed the recent tragedy involving pit bull dogs and we stand against any irresponsible owner practices in this case, if that is what led to the death. We feel sure the court will arrive at the right judgment.

We hope that a bill to upgrade the law on this topic will be introduced and we look forward to being able to support it.

Please guard against hysteria based remedies. Avoid condemning a whole breed, and avoid violating the evidenciary requirements for criminal prosecutions. We will support a bill that increases the penalty for criminal intent or criminal negligence.

I look forward to an early look at whatever bill drafts emerge and an opportunity to comment on them about any unintended threat to my clients' interests.

Please remember that we want to be helpful in this issue, and we want to be able to work out any problems so we can go into the next session in a supporting posture.

Thank you for your past support of our interests.

TOM EVANS"

_______

Carnival Animals - submitted by Cindy Hiddemen

On behalf of reptile, rabbit and guinea pig rescues in VA, we would appreciate it very much if Virginians would remember to check your local and county fairs for animals as midway game prizes.

We know of only three cities and one county with a law prohibiting. They are Norfolk, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and Chesterfield County.

We know that iguanas were prizes in 2004 in VA Beach, Chase City, South Boston, Manassas and possibly Chesapeake. We know rabbits were prizes in Alexandria and possible Shenandoah County. In the past, live prizes occurred in Richmond, Loudoun County, Clarke County, Chesterfield County and Courtland.

We know of many animal fatalities from these midway games. Pet stores are now among the complaining parties as they are asked to take sick “prizes.”

We ask your cooperation in letting us know of instances where this occurs, watching your own local fairs and letting us know if your city or county passes such as law. We do still wish to see a state law and are interested in any data on this topic that you can provide. We did not succeed in getting the bill passed in 2003 and we did not get a sponsor in 2004. Last summer was the worst we have ever seen in this state.

The midway operators that brought the iguanas and rabbits to VA last year were Jolly Shows, Deggeller Attractions, and Reithoffer Shows. This practice tends to escalate until the law shuts the game down.

We are willing to provide adult iguanas or rabbits for pictures to any group or newspaper who wants to do an article on this subject. We did make the news in MD, VA and NC last year.

We are in close contact with reptile and rabbit groups in North Carolina and Maryland and are interested in any news in those states also.

Rescued Chihuahua - submitted by Donna Essig

Here is a photo of a senior citizen chihuahua that Tammy rescued from the Franklin County Animal Control Shelter where she was scheduled to be gassed. She is a stray and was not claimed by an owner. Very sweet and gentle. She is housetrained, up to date on her shots and is being dewormed. She needs a good retirement home. To adopt, please contact Tammy or Jennifer at Planned Pethood Clinic - (540)489-3491.

Link to Webmail

For those of you who have requested a VVAW email address, we have added a link to webmail on the main page of the VVAW website.

Now you can check your email from any computer. Go to www.VirginiaVotersForAnimalWelfare.com and click on the "Webmail" link at the bottom of the menu on the left side of the page.

For those of you who would like your very own VVAW email address, here's what you do:

2. Send an email to lsclancy@crosslink.net with your name, the email address you would like (joe@VirginiaVotersForAnimalWelfare.com) and the password you would like to use.

All we ask is that your email name be appropriate and consistent with our goals and mission.

	Virginia Voters for Animal Welfare
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Home Mission Statement Alerts Get Involved Become a Member Get on our Email List About Us Pet Overpopulation Virginia Statistics Pet Overpopulation Study Gas Chambers Animal Licensing 2005-2006 Plan (pdf file) 2005 Initiatives Meetings Meeting Minutes 2005 Meeting Schedule Photos Contact Us Archives WebMail	You are here: Home>>>Archives>>>Open Line Friday>>>4-22-05 OPEN LINE FRIDAY (4/22/05) Announcements: NORFOLK MEETING For our Sunday, 5/1/05 meeting in Norfolk, we are pleased to announce that the Animal Welfare Coalition of Hampton roads (AWCHR) graciously invited VVAW to share their space and include their membership. Please join us! The meeting will be held in the Norfolk Health Department building on 830 Southampton Avenue. The VVAW portion of the meeting begins at 3:15. The Coalition meeting starts at 2, and we are welcome to attend; the topic under discussion will be a super adoptathon. If you prefer to attend only the part of the meeting in which VVAW presents, please plan to come around 3pm. We also decided to consolidate the Saturday, 4/30/05, Newport News meeting into the Norfolk meeting. If you planned to attend in Newport News, please come to Sunday’s meeting in Norfolk instead. Bring a friend or anyone like-minded, or give us contact information for any group you think should be present, and we will invite them. If you will attend, please send a quick email to: lsclancy@crosslink.net This week's articles: Letter to the House and Senate Ag Committees Letter from Tom Evans Carnival Animals - submitted by Cindy Hiddemen Rescued Chihuahua - submitted by Donna Essig Link to Webmail _______ Letter to the House and Senate Ag Committee Members This letter was sent 4/22/05 to each member of the House and Senate Ag committees of the Virginia General Assembly: To House and Senate Ag committee members: This is what inaction on bills to fund animal control and animal welfare programs, enforce existing law, and extend existing laws produces. The photograph attached is very graphic but is not intended to shock, but rather to illustrate the cruelty perpetrated by people when the right laws, and the funding for enforcement thereof, don’t exist. We assure you that this behavior – breeding and/or training dogs to make them vicious - is a fact of life that will not change unless it is legislated and enforced out of existence. Lillian Clancy and Donald Marro Virginia Voters for Animal Welfare * * * * * * Warning, the attached image is very graphic. However, please feel free to forward this to anyone and everyone you know. The more people who know about this possibility means the fewer dogs available to sickos like the ones who let this happen to Lucy. Lucy's former owners probably thought they were doing the right thing. They couldn't keep her, so they tried to find what they thought would be a good home for her. To entice someone to take her, they decided to make her free of charge. Unfortunately in Lucy's case, "free to a good home" translated into "free bait dog". Sadly, Lucy's story is not unique. It is repeated across the United States. Free dogs are collected and used to teach fighting dogs how to get the taste for fighting a live animal. Lucy is lucky. At the last report the vet is cautiously optimistic that she will recover and she is already feeling well enough to give kisses to every person she can reach. Most bait dogs do not have the same positive outcome. _______ Letter from Tom Evans The following letter was sent by Tom Evans to a number of Virginia legislators regarding the recent Pit Bull attacks. Tom Evans is a lobbyist for the NRA in addition to the groups he mentions in his letter. We reached out to him and offered to work with him earlier this year, but he declined and opposed all of VVAW's initiatives. "Gentlemen: As you probably are aware, I represent four statewide groups that hunt with hounds, an Animal Alliance that has small breeders and companion animal rescuers as members, and the VA Federation of Dog Clubs and Breeders (the statewide show dog organization). We have discussed the recent tragedy involving pit bull dogs and we stand against any irresponsible owner practices in this case, if that is what led to the death. We feel sure the court will arrive at the right judgment. We hope that a bill to upgrade the law on this topic will be introduced and we look forward to being able to support it. Please guard against hysteria based remedies. Avoid condemning a whole breed, and avoid violating the evidenciary requirements for criminal prosecutions. We will support a bill that increases the penalty for criminal intent or criminal negligence. I look forward to an early look at whatever bill drafts emerge and an opportunity to comment on them about any unintended threat to my clients' interests. Please remember that we want to be helpful in this issue, and we want to be able to work out any problems so we can go into the next session in a supporting posture. Thank you for your past support of our interests. TOM EVANS" _______ Carnival Animals - submitted by Cindy Hiddemen On behalf of reptile, rabbit and guinea pig rescues in VA, we would appreciate it very much if Virginians would remember to check your local and county fairs for animals as midway game prizes. We know of only three cities and one county with a law prohibiting. They are Norfolk, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and Chesterfield County. We know that iguanas were prizes in 2004 in VA Beach, Chase City, South Boston, Manassas and possibly Chesapeake. We know rabbits were prizes in Alexandria and possible Shenandoah County. In the past, live prizes occurred in Richmond, Loudoun County, Clarke County, Chesterfield County and Courtland. We know of many animal fatalities from these midway games. Pet stores are now among the complaining parties as they are asked to take sick “prizes.” We ask your cooperation in letting us know of instances where this occurs, watching your own local fairs and letting us know if your city or county passes such as law. We do still wish to see a state law and are interested in any data on this topic that you can provide. We did not succeed in getting the bill passed in 2003 and we did not get a sponsor in 2004. Last summer was the worst we have ever seen in this state. The midway operators that brought the iguanas and rabbits to VA last year were Jolly Shows, Deggeller Attractions, and Reithoffer Shows. This practice tends to escalate until the law shuts the game down. If you haven’t seen this: We are willing to provide adult iguanas or rabbits for pictures to any group or newspaper who wants to do an article on this subject. We did make the news in MD, VA and NC last year. We are in close contact with reptile and rabbit groups in North Carolina and Maryland and are interested in any news in those states also. Contact: vbiguana @ yahoo.com (Remove spaces) ______________ Rescued Chihuahua - submitted by Donna Essig Here is a photo of a senior citizen chihuahua that Tammy rescued from the Franklin County Animal Control Shelter where she was scheduled to be gassed. She is a stray and was not claimed by an owner. Very sweet and gentle. She is housetrained, up to date on her shots and is being dewormed. She needs a good retirement home. To adopt, please contact Tammy or Jennifer at Planned Pethood Clinic - (540)489-3491. Regards, Donna Essig ___________ Link to Webmail For those of you who have requested a VVAW email address, we have added a link to webmail on the main page of the VVAW website. Now you can check your email from any computer. Go to www.VirginiaVotersForAnimalWelfare.com and click on the "Webmail" link at the bottom of the menu on the left side of the page. For those of you who would like your very own VVAW email address, here's what you do: 1. Become a VVAW Affiliate; just fill out the form here: www.VirginiaVotersForAnimalWelfare.com/Affiliate.htm 2. Send an email to lsclancy@crosslink.net with your name, the email address you would like (joe@VirginiaVotersForAnimalWelfare.com) and the password you would like to use. All we ask is that your email name be appropriate and consistent with our goals and mission.
	Updated: September 2, 2005

Responsible Government

Responsible Ownership

Responsible Breeding

OPEN LINE FRIDAY (4/22/05)

Letter to the House and Senate Ag Committee Members

Letter from Tom Evans

Carnival Animals - submitted by Cindy Hiddemen

Rescued Chihuahua - submitted by Donna Essig

Link to Webmail