5/18/08

The animal/animal welfare community of the Northern Neck met on Sunday, 5/18/08, at noon, at the home of Betty and Pat Weakland in Warsaw, Virginia.

In attendance: * denotes member of Virginia Voters for Animal Welfare Board of Directors

Pat Canning
John Canning
*Lillian Clancy
Jacqui Coates
Nadine Cornwell
Tonya Creasy
Tommy Hamilton
Art Lunney
*Don Marro
Sheila Millette
Tristin Millette
Jim Monroe
Joyce Page
Florence Scott
Gayle Thompson
Ginny Trigger
Betty Van Fossen
Fran Warren
Betty Weakland
*Pat Weakland
Helen Wilkins
Doug Williams
Jean Williams

Local groups attended with representatives of each at the head table. Each group’s spokesperson described their group’s goals, successes, and current programs. The groups presenting were:

Animal Welfare League/Joyce Page
Friends of Northumberland/Fran Warren
Northern Neck Humane Society/Helen Wilkins
Northern Neck Kennel Club/Sheila Millette
Virginians for Animal Welfare/Don Marro & Lillian Clancy

Tommy Hamilton, the ACO for Westmoreland County, and Jim Monroe, the Assistant Commonwealth Attorney for Westmoreland County, led a discussion about dog- and cock-fighting and animal cruelty in general. Included were items taken from crime sites such as break sticks from dog fights and skulls of dogs. Steps required to build a case that can be prosecuted were discussed.

Tommy spoke of his new program addressing animal cruelty and his goal of getting that program into the local schools. The group supported his efforts and spoke in favor of both humane education and the humane investigator program.

After a short break, Pat Weakland placed on the floor the question of spay/neuter legislation addressing the 125,000 to 150,000 dogs and cats killed each year in Virginia due to nothing more than being “excess”. Gayle Thompson suggested changing the local ordinances requiring a larger fee for intact dogs.
Pat Weakland suggested a change in the Virginia State Code requiring breeders that breed for sale, to spay/neuter upon sale, with exceptions for fancier breeder and breed improver. He said Sen. Richard Stuart was interested in discussing the problem of excess breeding and would possibly patron a bill in the 2009 General Assembly session.

The meeting adjourned at 1 pm.