HB 429 was voted down 5-3 last night by the agricultural subcommittee of the Virginia House of Delegates. The bill had proposed adding a single sentence to the section of Virginia Code governing animal shelters.
However, no pound may euthanize, or prohibit the adoption of, any dog based solely on breed.
AWLA Executive Director Kay Speerstra testified against this bill (see posts below for details), helping to ensure that dogs in Virginia will continue to be killed based on discredited breed stereotypes alone.
Here’s an example of a dog whose prospects would be grim were he to find himself abandoned in Loudoun County. In Arlington County, his fate would hinge on the flimsy evidence of a behavior evaluation conducted by prejudiced strangers in a bewildering and alien setting.
In the not-too-distant future, breed-based killing will be an anachronism, and those defending it now will be distancing themselves from the medieval practice or pretending it never happened.
This is really disappointing!
Does AWLA end up with more pit bulls as a result of breed bans in Loudoun County and other jurisdictions? Can those numbers be tracked? How many dogs are transferred from Loudoun? How many are surrendered by owners from Loudoun? What ultimately happens to these dogs?
The video with the dog, cat and chicks is a hoot! Sad to think that dog might not be alive if he were surrendered to a shelter in the wrong jurisdiction.
It seems they end up with more pitbulls because alot of the general public thinks that they are a no-kill shelter. Why? I’m really not sure. Citizens from all over the area can drop animals off if they are not virginia residents. I know that many times people have brought animals to the shelter because they were told by someone they know that they are a shelter that does not practice euthanaia only to find out later they have to sign the release form that states there is a possibility that the animal may not “find a home” whether it is due to an illness or some other reason that it may be humanely euthanized,
I’m so disgusted by the actions of the AWLA’s director. She should be ashamed of herself. Why is this woman running a shelter. Clearly she does NOT like animals. I’m embarrassed to be an Arlington County resident.
Loudon transfers them to AWLA, thinking they won’t be killed. They are. I know of several that were EU’d because they were “too cautious”, A Little too jumpy, or just “looking at you wrong”
They also, do not , I believe, listen to the right people when It comes to the behaviors of the animals. The kennel techs are the ones that spend the majority of the time with the animals, They get to know their moods, attitude, likes and dislikes. They should have some sort of input on the evaluations of the dog. The eval. team only spends that spec. time and its always the pits that pay. I havce seen it happen!
You answered that perfectly. the techs spend the time with the animals but are cast off like their nothing. They had a tech who they just fired who was a certified dog trainer, and a evaluator with the AKC and testor for Therapy Dogs, Inc. and not once would they listen to his input.
The reason the tech was fired. Apparently he was complaining in the lobby about a staff member who doesn’t do hardly any work and was caught sleeping in their isolation room. So they fired my friend and the tech who doesn’t do anything still has a job.
>Monica>
I myself was fired because I refused to lie about some crap that Kay wanted me to say I did when I had all kinds of proof to the contrary.
I believe that I was fired because I knew more, or because I truly had the animals in mind. While earning a paycheck was great, I was there for the animals.
They let go the ones who gave a damn about the animals, kept the ones who dont care.
I am willing to bet that I know who they found doing nothing and sleeping in the iso room. Was it a female?
She is part the reason that I no longer have a job.
Unfortunately, in the long run, its the animals who are going to pay. We pay in the short of it but at least we can speak for ourselves………..
Kay was very PROUD on her performance in Richmond and was walking around the shelter boasting about her triumph afterwards. (from a first hand account)
Ya know, GOD DON’T LIKE UGLY. I have to believe that and that Kay will get what she should. She is so two faced its not funny. Hopefully they will see that.
Wow. I love the “insider” point of views. Well, I love that someone can give them. I hate what seems to be going on there. How unfortunate for the animals.
What I don’t understand is, Why would she drive all the way down there to testify against this? What was she promised? I wonder what type of “kickback” she received. She surely would not have gone all the way down there for no compensation. Would she?
E…..G……O…….
you don’t walk around a shelter bragging about your ‘victory’ if it was not about EGO.