September 5, 200826 cats taken from local motel roomAnother rescue situation occurred this past week with 26 cats and kittens removed from a Roanoke motel room. Amanda Codispoti reported in today’s Roanoke Times: http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/175686. The felines were taken to the Roanoke Valley SPCA and are being fostered out and hopefully adopted. If you can help, give them a call. Angels of Assisi is caring for four of the adult cats. We are lucky to have such resources available to us and these groups have established systems to help in such cases. The RVSPCA announced on Thursday of this week that they have hired Gael Dixson to act as a coordinator for the volunteer department and it seems this recent influx of cats will keep them all busy for a while. Foster care is not a new thing at RVSPCA; more than 600 animals have gone into temporary care in the last 8 months according to Ann Marie Sweeney (my own Charlie cat being one of them!). August 25, 2008New hours for RVSPCA
The adoption center will open Tuesday through Sunday at 11:30 a.m. and will stay open until 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, until 7 p.m. on Friday, and until 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The center will be closed on Mondays. The new hours are intended to make it more convenient for families in search of a new pet. To see pictures and descriptions of the pets currently available for adoption, including the lovely Gigi pictured here, click here. You can also sign up for e-mail alerts when new pets become available. Vaccinations, spaying or neutering and a microchip are included in the adoption fee. July 16, 2008Bunnies in need of a homeI got this e-mail yesterday from the Roanoke Valley SPCA: 
If you know of anyone who wants to adopt a rabbit, or who could foster rabbits, please contact the RVSPCA, please call Bill Watson, 344-4840, ext. 205, bwatson@rvspca.org, or Ann Marie Sweeney, 344-4840, ext. 208, asweeney@rvspca.org. June 19, 2008Find you some bunny to love
It's Bun Day on Friday, June 20, at Angels of Assisi in downtown Roanoke from 2 to 7 p.m.. The shelter has plenty of wascally wabbits looking for good homes. During the open house event, you can learn more about bunny maintenance to make sure you are ready to add a rabbit to your home. There will also be activities for kids. All bunnies have been spayed and neutered, so you won't wake up in a few weeks with more bunny love than you can handle. For more information, go the Web site. June 11, 2008Good deeds at LAPClick here to read about a Botetourt County real estate firm that spent a service day at the League for Animal Protection in Fincastle. The blog entry said adoptions are down at LAP and it is near capacity with adoptable pets. June 10, 2008Got mice? Get cats.
If you have an infestation in your barn, stable or farm, these specially trained rodent control technicians (a.k.a. feral yet friendly kitties) are highly motivated and will work for kibble. All Barn Cat Buddies have been sterilized and vaccinated at no direct charge to the prospective employer, but donations are gladly accepted, appreciated and will ensure the continued success of the program for future Barn Cat Buddies. Protocol and relocation counseling is given to all barn owners so the feline security guards accept their new place of employment and understand their job requirements. Contact Heather Scott or Diane Novak at 420-7241 for more information. June 6, 2008Prince and BeautyBack to our continuing coverage of Adopt a Cat month, read this nice blog entry from Botetourt View journalist Cathy Benson about two kitties who found a home after their owner had to move to a retirement home. June 4, 2008Adopt one, get one free
In celebration of national Adopt-A-Cat month, Angels of Assisi is offering a special deal for families looking for felines: adopt two playful kittens for one adoption fee. Adults over the age of 60 can find their match with a mellow cat, aged to perfection, for a discounted adoption fee in the Senior to Senior program. The adoption center is located at 415 Campbell Avenue in downtown Roanoke and is open from 2 to 6 p.m. daily and from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays. May 22, 2008Angels will clear your fields
If you have 10 or more acres in Roanoke or Botetourt Counties in need of cutting, Angels volunteers will neatly cut and bale your field for free as a tax-deductible hay donation to the animals at the Sanctuary Farm. A combination of last summer's drought-like weather and the skyrocketing prices of hay, grain and corn have left the non-profit farm in need of food and funds. Harmony Farm Sanctuary is home to over 200 cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens and one donkey. They also took in 50 bunnies rescued from a Botetourt farm in March. If you or someone you know would like to donate, contact Steve George, the farm manager, at 312-2360 or e-mail at harmony@angelsofassisi.org. May 9, 2008Ringo settles in to a new homeI got this picture and e-mail earlier this week from the family that adopted Ringo, one of the dogs we shuttled in the save-a-pooch transport last weekend: 
"Thank you to all my transport friends for getting Ringo safely to our home. I cannot tell you how thrilled with are with this little boy. We had lost our beloved shepherd mix, Mojo to bone cancer a month ago (we also have 2 saints, I help with a local saint rescue). He was my husband best buddy. Ringo has taken some of that pain away already, (my husband is calling him Daddy's boy!) He has gotten used to his "big" St. Bernard sisters...lol, had a snooze and a meal. He started to play with a toy my daughter got him too. We will be bathing him in the morning, then it is onto a lifetime of freedom and love! Lori Happy endings feel so good. May 6, 2008Another successful transportMy hubs and I went on another doggie railroad run this weekend. Sure, getting up before dawn on a Sunday is not appealing, but it feels so good to help dogs find new homes it more than makes up for the loss of sleep. 
This time our passengers were Pizarro, a basset hound, and Ringo, a shepherd mix. Who could say "no" to that face? The run, organized by Gina Austin of Brigthon, Tenn., originally had nine dogs, most rescued from high-kill shelters in the Memphis, Tenn./Bryant, Ark. areas, all headed to new homes organized by a rescue group in New Hampshire. By the time Friday rolled around, the run was down to three dogs, Pizarro, Ringo and a Lab named Leland. A problem prevented Leland's foster family from making it to the drop off area, so it was just the hound and the shepherd for this transport. The two pooches had never met before becoming traveling companions. By the time they arrived at their overnight in Salem, they were BFF. April 16, 2008Too many puppies
"We need help! There are 50 puppies at the pound that we want to bring over to the RVSPCA. We have another 30 puppies in foster care due to come back next week, with another 20 set to come back the week after that. Obviously we don't have adequate space to save these precious lives. Can you help get the word out that PUPPY SEASON is on us and they are available for adoption?" Consider it done, Kathy. I realize I may be preaching to the choir here, since it's probably a fair assumption that most of you blog readers already have pets, but you may be able to help with foster care. And if you know people who are looking for a new pet, please urge them to consider the dogs and cats at the shelters. This adorable little guy pictured above here is among the hundreds of unwanted pups and kittens that end up there every spring. April 15, 2008Spring cleaning at LAP
Fresh mulch was added to the landscaping at the shelter's entrance and a fresh coat of paint was added to the kitty playroom known as the Cattery. The place was looking pretty spiffy by the time I had to leave. (Just to be clear: I snapped photos and took notes while other folks did the hard work.) LAP is a no-kill shelter is located at 603 Poor Farm Road in Fincastle, near Central Academy Middle School. The site, formerly the Botetourt County pound, is nestled quietly by a stream among many mature trees. The place is serene, especially on a sunny spring morning. April 14, 2008Beautiful Sabra
Sabra and her other feline friends seem happy together in the Cattery, but I know they would rather have a home and a family. If you are looking for a sweet and social kitty, stop by the League for Animal Protection in Fincastle. April 1, 2008Reflections on pit bullsPlease read today's story in The Roanoke Times about the plight of pit bulls that end up in shelters. 
A pit bull is like a mirror reflection of the people around him. Placed in a loving home with people who treat them kindly, pit bulls are wonderful pets. But if they end up in the company of criminals who stage dog fights or with aggressive people who find gratification in making a dog as vicious as they are, then they lead a life not fit for any dog. And it is the castoffs of the criminals and irresponsible people that fill shelters and have a hard time finding a home where they can get love they deserve. Add to this mix the supporters of breed specific laws intent on making these dogs extinct (because it is easier to punish the dogs than the idiots who treat them badly) and the future for these dogs looks grim. Personally, I support harsher punishment for the people who mistreat these dogs. If you are considering adopting a dog from a shelter, please take an extra long look at a bully. These are incredible dogs that do not deserve the reputation that evil, aggressive people have hung on them. And if you can’t adopt a dog right now, consider making a gift to a local shelter like RVSPCA, Angles of Assisi, or the League for Animal Protection, or a national group like Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, so these dogs can have a fighting chance to find good home.
March 27, 2008Wild horses
The center is located at 487 Maury River Road in Lexington. The horses should arrive Friday morning and will be available for public viewing from 1 to 5 p.m. The adoption process will begin on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and continue on Sunday from 8 a.m. to noon. Virginia horse trainer John Hockaday will be on hand to give gentling demonstrations. Karen Roberts of the Bureau of Land Management said the adoption fees vary depending on the age of the horse or burro. The minimum fee for a horse three-years-old or younger is $125. The minimum fee to adopt an older horse or burro is $25. Roberts said there is an application process for adoptive families and the applications will be screened on site. Bring a trailer with you and, assuming you are approved, you can take the animal home with you. March 26, 2008Puppies in need of a little love
I got an e-mail this morning from the RVSPCA. They have a plethora of puppies that need fostering. They are looking for folks who can take these babies in and care for them until they are old enough to be adopted. Foster care is so important to puppies. It helps them learn basic social skills that make it much more likely they will be adopted and adjust quickly to their new homes. And every puppy in foster care opens up kennel space at the shelter for an adoptable adult dog at Animal Control who is in desperate need of a home.
 If you or anyone you know can take in an orphan for a few weeks, please contact Ann Marie Sweeney at 344-4840, ext. 208.
March 17, 2008Keep those doggies rollin'Not much in life feels better than sleeping in my own warm bed early on a Sunday morning. It takes a lot to lift me from deep, serene, weekend slumber. But helping save a life will do it every time. For the second time this year, my husband and I rose before dawn on Sunday, gulped a cup of strong coffee and headed out to take part in a logistical miracle. We were one leg in a rescue relay, taking the baton of homeless dogs are on their way to a better life with new families. 
On this particular weekend, we shuttled Ava, a small but mighty bulldog mix, and Sasha, a sweet and skinny yellow lab, from their overnight accommodations in Roanoke to Marilyn, the next driver in the relay, in a Cracker Barrel parking lot in Staunton. Marilyn would get them to their next exchange in Harrisonburg. Their journey began Friday morning in Memphis, Tenn. By the end of Sunday and after 28 legs in the relay, they will be with new adoptive families coordinated by Patriot Lab & All Breed Rescue, a foster-home based group in New Hampshire. March 5, 2008New hours at the RVSPCA
Beginning March 21, 2008, the Roanoke Valley Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will be open on Friday evenings until 7:00 p.m. According to the press release from the RVSPCA, the change is in response to prospective pet parent requests for evening hours at the beginning of the weekend. Makes sense that people may want to bring a new pet home on a Friday evening so they can spend the whole weekend cuddling and spoiling the little sweetie. Take a cyber stroll through the Animal Gallery in the RVSPCA Web site. The dogs and cats are temperment tested before they are put up for adoption, so reading the profiles can help you determine if a critter is a good match for your family. Information on the adoption process, including regulations and fees, is also on the Web site, and if you don't see your perfect-fit canine or kitty the first time you browse, you can sign up to be notified whenever new cuties are ready to find family. March 4, 2008Healing hands needed
Read Ruth Tisdale's story in today's Roanoke Times about the neglected horses that are now being cared for by Roanoke Valley Horse Rescue. There is a link on the RVHR Web site to donate money to the care and feeding of these mistreated animals. The group is also looking for volunteers to help with the horses, including providing them the love and attention that they clearly did not get on the Middleburg farm where they were rescued. And if you have room in your life and in your budget for a horse, the adoption fee is $300. February 28, 2008There's something about MaryAn editor forwarded this letter and picture to me today: My name is Judy and most of my friends already know what a dog lover I am. I work full time and like most of you who do, spare time is limited to “essential errands and must-do-projects”. That’s what I thought until I happened upon the Humane Society of Montgomery County several months ago. I’d heard about their great work with such limited means and thought I’d just drop off a few items they have on their wish list. Well, I did indeed drop off a few items and took a quick tour of their facilities and met their family of dogs of cats. One look at those animals and reading the brief history on each of their cages was quite a wakeup call. Some of those dogs have been there for 2 or 3 years. Little Joey has been there since 2004 and she runs the show – just ask her! Some of these dogs can be seen on the HSMC’s Web site, although not all are listed there. The HSMC is a non-profit organization that is fully funded by community donations. No money is provided by federal, state, or county governments. 
It is a no-kill shelter filled with beautiful, well-cared for dogs. Each dog has their own little bed and their cages are filled with toys and treats. The staff at the shelter has done a wonderful job and these dogs and cats are their family. Unfortunately, space is limited. What I thought would be a one-shot deal instead has brought me back time and time again, no matter how hard I tried to tell myself I have more important things to do. I go as often as I can with rawhides or toys; the dogs eagerly grab them. All except for one – Mary. |
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