Animal Abuse in Woodland Heights
There is a thread on the Woodland Heights Yahoo Group discussing some cases of animal abuse.
Original post:
One of the homes on my street came home with a new dog, a pit bull, from what I can tell. This was late last week. Since they brought him/her home, he/she has been chained to the shed in the backyard, receiving no exercise or walks the entire time. Yesterday, the owners repeatedly put the dog in a black abandoned car in their backyard. They would leave him/her in there for 45 mins to 1 hour, then take him/her out and chain him/her back up. What I thought was bizarre was that while they kept the dog in the car, the owners were out and about in the yard, laying on the ground or doing this or that, but they didn’t bother to take the dog out or let it walk around on its leash with them. The dog was clearly overheated as he/she hung his/her head out the crack in the window, panting hard. This happened at least 4 times, several times during the heat of the day. I have seen them feed him/her once but can’t tell if there is food/water out there for the dog. Also, they seem to be trying to build a pen for the dog, about 7′x7′ between their fence, side of the shed and (currently) a piece of plywood propped up as the front of the pen, meaning the dog can’t see anything or move outside of that area. Yesterday the dog barely had a voice to bark with.
I am concerned for the health of the dog. I had been trying to monitor him/her to make sure everything seemed ok but now I cannot see into the dog’s pen.
I don’t know these people at all. If I did, perhaps I would inquire but truthfully, I just don’t know that this is a good home for a pet.
I don’t know if I should butt out b/c its none of my business or try to help the animal. I thought I would throw it out to the group for some advice.For obvious reasons, I would like to remain anonymous.
Thanks for any response, it is greatly appreciated.
Another case of abuse:
The same thing is happening on (street removed by editor) in front of my house. A couple of us have called both the cops and animal control repeatedly with no luck. This family is locking a beautiful friendly dog in their car for hours, sometimes over night and through large parts of the day. Animal control has been out several times but the owners keep mistreating the dog. The dog is yelling all the time and does not have water while it is locked up in the car or on the front porch. We don’t know what to do either since animal control and the police are not enforcing anything on the owners.
The original poster called Richmond Animal Control:
I spoke with Animal Control on Tuesday and they came out but it seems they left only a citation or warning for the owner. I called back just now and told them what I shared with the group and they stated that the owners need only to provide food and water and clean up after the dog but they are not required to let it out of the “kennel.” They are going to send someone out to make sure there is food/water/its being cleaned up after but that is all. So sad. That poor dog does not have much of a life to look forward to :(
The city response to both incidents has not pleased local residents. People directly involved are being encouraged to reach out not only to city officials but also the media.
Resources:
Richmond Animal Control
Richmond SPCA
AARF (Animal Adoption and Rescue Foundation of Richmond
Ring Dog Rescue
FURS (Friends United with the Richmond Shelter)
I’d suggest getting some pictures and/or video of these situations and making the rounds of the local news media.
Don’t know if they’ll be interested or not, but if it can be demonstrated that there’s a pattern of abuse and that there’s sufficient community concern, it might generate some interest.
The first two examples, it sounds like the owners are trying to go around the letter of the new City ordinance, which is a dog may not be tied out for more than an hour at a time. I believe RAC has to talk to the dog owners several times before anything can be done. The neighbors should continue to call and to open tickets through the Citizen’s Service request system (which gives a case number to track). We had something similar happen in our neighborhood and the first visit was along the lines of checking to make sure the dog was licensed and vaccinated for rabies.
As for the kenneling, many of us are old enough to remember back when we were kids and dogs ran free in the neighborhood or were penned or chained, and that was considered caring for your dog. Society has changed since then and *most* of us consider our pets members of the family. Most of us, not all….
Perhaps you could print off some information from one of these websites and slip it under their door.
http://www.unchainyourdog.org/
http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affecting_our_pets/animal_abuse_and_neglect/the_facts_about_chaining_or_tethering_dogs.html
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/chain.htm
http://helpinganimals.com/ga_chained.asp
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.com/home.html
If comment #2 is correct, it seems like it takes a lot more energy to keep switching where you’re holding the dog every hour, on the hour than to actually spend time out in the yard *with* the dog.
This is very sad.
This is an excellent example of why it is essential to introduce ourselves to our neighbors, get to know them a bit, and do what we can to see them as people with needs and struggles, just like us. I know that it sometimes isn’t easy, and some people are really unfriendly, but even a small effort can have its rewards. If we have made some effort at contact, done something kind for them, it makes it so much easier to speak over the fence to offer to help with their overgrown yard or new pet that has turned out to be more than expected (many pets are let go by the shelters with the label “house trained” when they aren’t). Calling the authorities before having a friendly chat is guaranteed to make things worse, I know, because I have made that mistake before, and every time I have regretted my failure to make efforts to know the people before I took action. People who suffer cause suffering, I have to remind myself of that every day.
Great comments, Jim!
That is so upsetting to hear. I agree with Laura and tvnewsbadges’ response. A combination of constantly reporting the problem and getting media attention will force the proper city organization to take action. The squeaky wheel…
From what I’ve heard, the city only has a few animal control officers making it difficult to deal with every situation. Based on similar animal related posts on CHPN.net, many people think the city would benefit from adding a few extra officers. Also, it seems like the response you get from the police is dependent on the individual officer. Some officers take these matters more seriously, especially if they know RAC is held up at the time.
Jim- it is good to meet our neighbors, and certainly makes it easier to deal with certain problems, but I don’t know how you talk to someone who lacks the compassion to properly care for their animal.
Every shelter I’ve dealt with in Richmond is glad to take the animal back if their new home (or makeshift dog kennel/car) is not working out.
Budget amendments were proposed successful by several members of council (Trammell, Hilbert, Graziano) to add positions for animal control officers.
Shockoe – you ask how one talks to someone who lacks the compassion to properly care for their animals. I don’t know how it is for you, but for me whenever I see the other person as someone less than a struggling human being just like myself, I invite conflict and trouble. Nothing justifies mistreating animals, but when I mistreat those I judge as mistreat-ors, I always start wars, not resolve conflict.
Jim, I’m not suggesting the mistreatment of anyone by calling the proper authorities. I’m glad there are people out there like you willing to befriend neighbors who present themselves in a less than great light. Hopefully you will tell them they should give up the dog to someone who will care for it.
I’m sorry but this is pretty black and white for me. Reaching out or lending a hand to a neighbor with an overgrown yard, etc. is a whole a different story. Would you sit by and give the “love your neighbor” talk if these people were sticking their kid in a hot car for hours? Hey, maybe they’re struggling and it’s kind of like babysitting.
Ignorance is no excuse for cruelty. If the laws are unjust or inadequate, they need to be changed. I hate to say it Jim, but conflict is very often a necessary thing for the right thing to be done. In this case, harassing this individual through legal means until the problem is dealt with is the way to go. It will be hard, but it will be worth it. I honestly don’t like PETA, or the animal lib groups because I think they’re extremists, but what they’re doing to these dogs is plain inhuman.
Update from the original poster:
One final update from Animal Control…
My neighbor has decided to surrender the dog. Unfortunately, the local Animal Control shelter is a euthanizing shelter so I don’t know what this truly means for her future. From what I am told, the decision to euthanize is based on heatlh and temperament, so perhaps she has a chance. I do know the animals are available for adoption but again, I don’t know much about the process there.
There is a follow up post that quotes a May 1, 2009 Press Release and at the bottom of the release is this statement. “The Richmond SPCA, founded in 1891, is a no-kill humane organization dedicated to the guiding principle that every life is precious. As a national leader in humane care and education, the Richmond SPCA is aggressively tackling the problem of pet overpopulation through programs of adoption, rehabilitation, spay/neuter, pet-retention, trap-
neuter-return, and humane education. For more information, visit http://www.richmondspca.org.
Jim said “Nothing justifies mistreating animals, but when I mistreat those I judge as mistreat-ors, I always start wars, not resolve conflict.”
That’s sound advice in most cases, but the sad fact is that there are people in society who are beyond “resolving conflict”, and folks who abuse children and animals are the worst of them.
There’s no “conflict” to “resolve” in these case. These people are going to continue to abuse those under their care until they are stopped.
Sometimes starting a war is justified if it’s the only way to protect the victims.
In a positive light, starting the first Saturday in June, Richmond Animal Control and the South of the James Market will co-sponsor an animal adoption event at the SOTF Market.
The market is held at Forest Hill Park, 42nd and New Kent, from 8-Noon, and the animal adoption will be the first Saturday of every month.