VVAW met at 11 am on Sunday, 7/15/07, at the Railroad Depot in Culpeper, VA.
In attendance: * denotes member of Virginia Voters for Animal Welfare Board of Directors
Ballengee, Virginia
Bogley, Hilleary
Brackman, Benji
Brooks, Neal
Brooks, Veshis
Cernea, Carolyn
Charette, Ray
*Clancy, Lillian
Comer, Ron
*Coyner, Peyton
Crisler, Cindy
Doles, Cindy
Emdadi, Amy
Federico, Maureen
Flynn, Karen
Given, Rose
Heller, Carole
Helwick, Aldene
Henderson, Brandy
Henderson, Coletta
Jacobs, Sheryl
Jurta, Trish
Kennedy, Laura
*Marro, Don
McCleary, Joanne
*McCurdy, Mollie
Porterfield, Terri
Pottle, David
Reid, Lisa
Schmidt, Franklin
Spencer, Tony
Weakland, Betty
*Weakland, Pat
Whitesides, Samantha
Wilson, Caren
Woboril, Marilyn
Samantha Whitesides brought the meeting to order at 11:15 am. Each person introduced themselves and gave a brief background of themselves and their experience in animal welfare.
1. mission statement
Samantha started the meeting by discussing VVAW's mission statement.
2. successes
Pat Weakland spoke on VVAW success during the 2007 legislative session in getting VVAW supporters to come to Richmond to talk with their representatives and walk the halls of the General Assembly.
3. reasons for involvement
Don Marro stated the three main reasons that meeting attendees were involved in helping animals: irresponsible owners; irresponsible breeders and indifferent government.
He asked how to get like-minded humane people together. He noted that they are often perceived to be emotional do-gooders with too much time on their hands.
4. making change
Hilleary Bogley, a humane investigator in Fauquier and Culpeper counties, encouraged groups involved in Culpeper’s animal welfare to get together and start talking as the first step in making progress for the county.
She encouraged spay/neuter.
She encouraged contacting repeatedly those who have animals tethered or are irresponsible owners, finding reasons to stop by, dropping off free dog food, or otherwise making contact with those whose behavior she hopes to modify.
5. some statistics
Don noted approximately 150,000 companion animals are killed annually at taxpayer expense in Virginia.
6. animal law
Tony Spencer, candidate for Caroline County Commonwealth's Attorney, said not everyone is familiar with existing animal law, even those who are involved in animal welfare work.
He noted it is a misdemeanor to abandon animals in Virginia and that there are many laws already on the books concerning dog fighting.
He also suggested that input from constituents is more important to politicians before the November elections than after.
7. enforcement of laws and our opposition
Don said the issue is not the quality of existing law but the financing of enforcement of that law.
He suggested groups visit legislators and local officials to insist on enforcement. If this is unsuccessful, media should be alerted. If all else fails, a writ of mandamus can be served to force officials to do their duty under the law.
The question arose of who comprises our opposition.
Don said our opposition is primarily people who fear we will restrict their handling of domestic
animals (farmers), sporting animals (hunters) and cut their profit (breeders). He mentioned that it is far easier for meeting attendees to sway local thinking on animal issues than for the VVAW to do so and that local people have much influence in convincing neighbors of the wasted taxes
spent on care and killing of excess animals.
8. releasing agencies bill
Pat Weakland explained our releasing agency bill and the breeder exceptions that are expressly provided in it.
Don talked of how VVAW had attempted to meet responsible breeders' needs with the bill and had offered to work with them on it, but never received their consent. He said breeders are better organized and more vocal than VVAW and the humane community in general, and this must change.
9. advertising
Tony Spencer suggested advertising as a means of promoting change.
10. Madison County
Carole Heller, a Madison County Animal Shelter employee, said her county does not adopt
state regulations and that a local judge has refused to prosecute animal laws until a leash law is adopted in the county.
Tony Spencer indicated that a county cannot refuse to enforce state law.
Carole mentioned that Bob Kane, President of the Virginia Hunting Dog Owners Association, is regularly printed in the Madison County paper and allowed to rebut humane letters at length, although others are not afforded that same opportunity.
11. Don mentioned we must all become nuisances in order to get politicians to act.
Samantha adjourned the meeting at 1:15.