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Who We Are and What We Are Doing
Since mid-2003, we have been working on pet overpopulation in Virginia and the resulting killing of “excess” pets. We formed Virginians for Animal Welfare ("VAW"), our “c3” tax-deductible group which focuses on education, research, and raising awareness of animal welfare issues, and Virginia Voters for Animal Welfare ("VVAW"), our legislative group.
Before people join with us, they often ask who we are, what we want to do, and why they might want to become involved.
I am Lillian Clancy, and my husband is Donald Marro. We live in Fauquier County. I am a former teacher and for 23 years had an executive search business. Don has been in the electronics and software businesses. We are both now retired.
Always having animals, we adopted from the San Francisco SPCA and public pound when we lived there. We moved from San Francisco to Virginia in 1995 with our cats and dogs and since then expanded our pet family. In that process, we became aware of the incredible problem in Virginia of more dogs, cats and other companion animals than can find homes and the killing that follows.
We also became aware of the unconscionable condition of many Virginia shelters. To even call them “shelters” demonstrates a flagrant insensitivity that is part of the problem. We started hearing about the huge numbers of dogs and cats killed because of overpopulation, with the killing often done brutally, sometimes even using gas chambers.
We learned that even though some 150,000 pets are killed in Virginia every year, those creating the overpopulation – irresponsible breeders and irresponsible owners - do so with impunity. We found that dogs and cats are often bred by untaxed businesses – backyard breeders – and by commercial breeders - puppy mills. And the pets are sold. And if unsold, dumped. Or used for dog fighting. And dumped. Or used for hunting. And dumped. Or used to protect drugs. And dumped.
And cats aren’t even protected by Virginia law.
We decided that enough is enough.
We started in November, 2003, and hoped to have legislation addressing these problems introduced by Senator Russell Potts in the 2004 session of the Virginia legislature. However, Senator Potts proposed a study (SJR 37) to establish the magnitude of the problem first and point the way to solutions. But this study was opposed by hunt, farm and gun lobbyists, breeders, vets, and even the State Veterinarian. The Virginia Senate then voted it down, although we were on record to provide the funding for the study.
So we decided to do the study anyway.
We collected data on sources of excess population, on what it costs Virginia to establish and operate its excess pet population system (including killing the excess), on the use of gas chambers, and on the breeding business.
From the study we concluded the solution to pet overpopulation must be broadly based, and encompass responsible government, responsible ownership, and responsible breed-ing. At the heart of this effort is the funding needed to produce these changes.
We’ve made significant progress since the 2004 session:
• we built a state-wide organization
• we established Virginians for Animal Welfare as our “c3” tax deductible group focusing on information which could be used as the basis for legislation
• we established Virginia Voters for Animal Welfare to promote legislation; the website: www.VirginiaVotersForAnimalWelfare.com
• we became active in the General Assembly in every year since 2004 and have become recognized animal welfare advocates in Richmond
• we drove the elimination of gas chambers for euthanasia in Virginia
Our legislative goals are modest:
• be the catalyst for established but near moribund animal welfare groups to become more active
• give legislators a credible image of animal welfare groups and solid data on ani-mal welfare issues
• build a legislative following of bipartisan patrons for animal welfare legislation
In 2005, of our 7 bills, only 1 passed. In the 2006 and 2007 sessions, we also had a full suite of bills, patroned by a cross-section of legislators whose courage, compassion and vision for Virginia's pets transcends geography and party. We were able to attract, and are most grateful for, such patrons in Virginia’s General Assembly, but again we met with significant opposition and only limited success.
The 2008 session of the General Assembly was different. The Michael Vick case and high profile puppymill cases combined with our constant nagging at elected officials and a generally activist and collegial atmosphere among animal welfare groups paid off.
Working together, significant bills passed:
• gas chambers were eliminated as a way to euthanize companion animals
• puppymills in Virginia became regulated
• animal fighting became a far more serious crime
• bonds were required in seizure cases
• constant water was required
• dogfighting became a RICO asset seizure offense
However, there is still much to do. To have legislation passed, we need to blunt the sup-porters of the status quo and build a broader base among members of the General Assembly, given that some members have not and perhaps never will support VVAW or animal welfare generally.
Our present goals are to:
• resurrect the humane investigator program
• have adequate revenues to fund animal welfare programs, and so we advocate an increase in penalties generally and the cost of pet licenses
• end tethering
• have pet abandonment to be more rigorously enforced, particularly abandonment of hunting dogs
• protect cats, which are not protected under Virginia law in the same way as dogs; some public pounds still do not accept cats
• end discrimination against specific breeds, including illegal refusal to adopt bully-breeds, and rigged temperament tests some public pounds use as an excuse to kill pits
• set standards so that only responsible breeders may breed
• upgrade the training opportunities and content, and the career opportunities of an-imal control officers
• force more rigorous inspection and follow-up on pound inspections, including privatization of the State Veterinarian’s companion animal reporting and inspec-tion function
What we will do:
• continue the effort to build an activist collaboration among animal welfare groups
• seek cooperation and involvement of employees of public pounds and private shelters, especially those with the awful job of killing and killing some more
• make public the conditions in our pounds and shelters and move for rigorous in-spection and enforcement, and civil fines when there is failure to comply with the law
• be vocal and vigorous in support of the October, 2006, opinion of Virginia’s Attorney General that breed discrimination is illegal
• establish “watch” programs in the model of the current and successful “Court Watch”
What we ask of you is your active and vigorous participation:
VAW:
• Become a member of Virginians for Animal Welfare and make a tax deductible contribution to that effort. We cannot provide the information needed and provide the support to spay/neuter without your money. Write a check as large as you can.
• See the website (www.VirginiaVotersForAnimalWelfare.com) for details about becoming a member of both VAW and VVAW.
VVAW:
• Go to our website (www.VirginiaVotersForAnimalWelfare.com). Ask to be on the VVAW distribution list. Join VVAW and send in your membership check, and add a donation to that amount if you can.
• Follow the progress of both VAW and VVAW as we start planning 2009 initiatives by checking the VVAW website, responding to alerts we will be distributing and attending regional planning meetings.
• Send letters and faxes, make phone calls, and meet with your public officials. Most effective is personal contact with your officials. Meet with them. Talk with them. Let your county Board of Supervisors, state senators and delegates know who you are and what you want. (Remember that working on or contributing to their campaigns helps you and the animals get a hearing.)
• Work with these public officials on VVAW bills. Contact them when the General Assembly is not in session so you have more opportunity to get their attention and commitment to support. And come to Richmond when the General Assembly is in session.
• Join with or form a VVAW chapter in your area. We will be successful by being numerous, vocal, persuasive to our senators and delegates, and more effective than the self-serving and well-entrenched breeder, farm, gun, and hunter lobbies fighting relentlessly to preserve their special status.
Please plan to work with us and make this happen. Companion animals are being killed in staggering numbers. Approximately 150,000 dogs and cats are killed annually in Vir-ginia because they have no home. A pet is killed every 4 minutes in Virginia for no rea-son other than it has no place to live.
As Kim Kincheloe, a Board member of VAW/VVAW, says summing up: “In Virginia, we breed a lot, adopt a few, and kill the rest.”
Work with us to stop this.
Lillian Clancy and Donald Marro
Fauquier County, VA
LSClancy@crosslink.net
www.VirginiaVotersForAnimalWelfare.com
540-253-5309
Updated: May 2, 2008