Not long ago, I received a tip that the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA had persuaded two prospective pet owners to leave with two pets– when they meant to get just one.
On Monday, the Newsplex reported that our local branch has seen an increase in the number of hunting dogs needing homes. I’ve loved every beagle and Jack Russell I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, so I decided to stop in and hoped to hang out with a Snoopy– and see if I’d be encouraged to get two.
I never made it that far. As soon as I set foot in that door, I felt bad for ever having had an ulterior motive. I cried.
I am not insensitive to pet adoption. Admittedly, our family has adopted several. Sadly, my expectations of those caring for animals in the absence of a truly caring owner were set low early on. The dog of my childhood came from a puppy mill, unbeknownst to us until we picked her up. She was in poor health even as a weeks-old puppy, and her “breeding” had rendered one of her back legs slightly deformed. (It was just so cute to watch her run, though!) Doggy “care” businesses didn’t impress me, either. The lobby of the best kennel in the city I grew up in reeked of urine, and I could hear dogs barking as I approach the warehouse, a couple hundred yards away. My parents are loathe to leave a pet there unless they have to, because our pets would seem forlorn for a solid week after.
But the SPCA was so different. Our SPCA is located at 3355 Berkmar Drive– and I was taken aback because it looks like a bit like a McMansion, to be honest, set back in the woods a bit with a landscaped front yard. When I walked in, staff in purple tee shirts were walking dogs through the halls and walking people through adoption forms. I was allowed to walk around and see the dogs without a chaperone. Most dogs and cats are kept in single cages or rooms, many with a door that leads to a shared courtyard outside. Attached to each cage is a name tag with information about immunizations they’ve received and whether they have been spayed or neutered, and a first-person biography “by” the animal with any behavioral traits to be aware of. One might say, “I’m kind of stressed being here, but I can’t wait to play and cuddle with you.” It’s heart-wrenching. I wanted five dogs that day.
Truth be told, the internet research I did on whether it’s better to have one pet or two is not conclusive in the least. Will a young pet be okay if it’s separated from its siblings in a litter? Absolutely. Will it be happier with a sister or brother to play with? And there, I shrug. This is just not my place to say. I’ve emailed a friend who’s a veterinarian but have not heard back. I would love some advice from a pet pro.
It seems to me, though, that if you can afford to adopt more than one pet, and if you’ve got that much love for these abandoned animals, why not? I’m just glad that the pets-to-be have a happy home at the SPCA for now.
[Credit: trolf]
Popularity: 23% [?]
Tagged as: , Charlottesville, dogs, hunting, pets, sad, spca
In some situations, it is better to have a companion for the animal to hang out with while you’re at work all day. Some say that a pet left by itself will get bored and destructive. Depends on the two animals though, as it’s not a good idea to put two male cats together or a really old animal with a really young animal, etc…
On the other hand, the shelter is super-saturated with homeless animals so getting people to take home even one more animal helps.
I love large families…more entertaining!…more love!
Dogs are social animals, I wonder if anyone did any studies on the cost of having one dog and what it cost the owner in destruction of property because when left alone it went on a daily rampage due to the stress of being left alone, vs. the cost of two happy puppies 2x toys and food and vet bills.
I wonder..
Nothing like a 3 or 4 (or more) dog night on a cold night in an old house. Of our 21 dogs, 11 are Jack Russells, almost all of whom are rescues. Course there’s a limit on how many mastiffs on the bed at a time; they’ll crowd your ass right out onto the floor……………
some dogs are okay by themselves during the day - do some research on breeds and temperaments. i got mine at the fluvanna co spca (which is much less sparkly as charlottesville’s). i can only have one dog in my apartment, but he is an incredibly good dog without a destructive bone in his body and hangs out while i’m at work no problem. i definitely suggest spending a some quality time with your potential adoptee to get a good sense of their personality before taking them home.
I agree Lilith, the Cville SPCA is definitely doing a great job with an inundation of homeless animals. It’s very understandable that when they see a good home walk in their door, they might suggest the possibility of adopting 2 dogs rather than 1, but hopefully they’re cool about it when people say no. One unique option they offer for people who love dogs and want to help, but can’t adopt for whatever reason, is that they let people borrow dogs for a day. (I’m not sure if that’s open to everyone or just for people who volunteer there, but if the latter, it’s a good incentive to volunteer!) You can check out any dog you want on Saturday morning or whatever, and spend the day hiking on Ragtop with it or just letting it sit on your couch with you watching TV, and then return it at night. Makes your day AND the puppy’s day.
Trillian’s right about breeds mattering. Don’t leave an Australian Cattle Dog at home alone.
While the idea of sharing a day with a furry friend is sweetly beautiful, there’s absolutely no way I could return an animal after spending the day with it. It simply would break my heart. Hopefully, others will feel the same way, and choose to adopt instead. <3
You could foster. Give the beastie back before you gotta go out of town. Not as bad as it sounds! Some of those places need foster keepers. Don’t know about SPCA-Chalbermarle. Well, it does sound impossible actually.
The CA-SPCA on 29 can always use fosters. They need help with everything: from baby kittens who need to bottle-fed till they’re old enough to be adopted to old dogs that just need a change of scenery. They also can always use volunteers to come in and just walk a dog or two.
Hey, Lillith, When you click on Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA in your above text it takes you to Texas…hmmm….The URL for here is
SPCA Charlottesville
http://www.caspca.org
Ours is a much cuter website!
@8,9,10
Fostering a rescue dog at the SPCA, while a noble idea (truly) is a SCAM
Mrs. Nut and I fostered the most adorable lab-mix puppy for 10 days while her vaccines kicked in (we had just signed up to be foster parents for incoming dogs), and could not stomach the idea of giving her back. Luckily we had some friends who came into town while we had her and they fell in love with her and agreed to take her. We already have one of the most perfect dogs in the world, a 6-year old lab, and occasionally dog sit for friends and relatives. The difference between having 1 dog and 2 is vast. Once you already have 2 dogs, having more than that (up to say, 4) isn’t as big a difference. The vet bills and the space requirements (with bigger dogs like labs) are the biggest issues, I feel.
Jus my $.02
I fostered and wound up adopting two brother kitties, and I don’t think I would ever NOT get two again! They just adore each other and keep each other busy when I am not around. But I imagine two dogs would take a bit more time, effort and risk.
As for animal lovers who can’t adopt right now, I hope you do consider volunteering! I hear so many people say “oh, I couldn’t do that, I would want to bring them all home!” The Cville SPCA relies on volunteers to walk dogs each day - if noone comes, the dogs don’t get walked (for the most part). And for those housetrained ones, that means they will hold it all day, just waiting for someone to come.
I just left there this morning after about 4 hours and got all the housetrained ones out. But what really breaks my heart is leaving those that haven’t been walked, not knowing if another volunteer will come! So if you like dogs, and have even just a little free time, volunteer!
@13, ok I am in….that was the pitch, and I am not even a dog person…what days can I walk the dogs and at what times? and can I have google directions to the rspca
i can do this as long as you promise i won’t become a crazy cat lady.
more info please.
r=royal ya limey
Map is here, scroll down:
http://www.caspca.org/ContactUs.htm
Unsolicited (and certainly not expert) adoption advice, from personal experience: in order for a puppy or kitten to learn how to socialize with other animals, two is always better than one. It’s important not only for them to learn how to act around other human beings, but with others of their own species.
No critter lives in a vacuum !
And no man is an island…!
“what’s good for the goose is good for the gander!”
- this doesn’t really make any sense. i meant to say “rising tide lifts all boats.” i am an idiot.
“the early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese!”
- i think this means that the second mouse crawls over his dead buddy’s crushed spinal column to eat the cheese, which is no doubt DELICIOUS after all that.
“and don’t accept any wooden nickels!”
- this doesn’t mean anything, it’s just retarded. whoever said it is dead, and quite frankly, good riddance.
[…] you about your first experiences. I have yet to write my review. Don’t forget to read about the SPCA! That’s all folks! Thanks for reading. Spring is almost […]
The foster program is not a scam; it’s the only way the shelter can be no-kill. And it’s not a huge commitment, the shelter will loan you food, bowls, bedding or whatever else you may need.
I borrowed an old half-blind Labrador one time because he looked so forlorn in his run, and we went down to the mall and had a good old time. We ate dinner on Petit Pois’ dog-friendly patio, sniffed a lot of butts (him, not me), and went home and watched a movie. The next day when I took him back, I was able to tell everyone how well he did in public and with other animals and he was adopted the end of that week by an older couple with a farm.
Dog-walking is fun too. Go on Saturday or Sundays after noon (you will hopefully be sober by then) and walk just one dog around; it will really make their day. Some dogs some days never get walked at all.
@21
I was actually trying to be funny with the “scam” comment regarding fostering (hence the smiley!). I only meant it as a warning to others of good hearts that hey, you know what? Puppies are ADORABLE and will worm their way into your hearts even if you’re dead set against it when you go in there. Mrs. Nut and I had only the noblest of intentions in mind and just cannot have another dog at the moment, so it was a tough few weeks for us.
I do encourage everyone who is so inclined to donate something (old sheets, money, time, pet food, toys) to the SPCA as they do great work and the people who are there day in and day out are truly dedicated.
I got my pup at the SPCA - we only intended to look around as I’d never actually been to the location, but of course we found a dog that day and I came back and got him the next morning. The folks there were so nice - they even let me run out to the store to buy dog stuff after I’d paid the adoption fee, and I was able to pick up our hound later that afternoon.
One note for potential adopters - our guy had just been fixed a few days before, so when we took him out to walk him he was perfectly mellow. A week after we had him, once he was acclimated and healed, his energy level tripled. I still absolutely love the little guy, but be warned if you are looking for a low energy dog that they may appear more mellow than usual even a week after surgery.
TwoOFour - I am late with this reply, but, you can walk dogs Monday through Thursday 8-7 and then Fri through Sun 8-6. Contact the volunteer coordinator to get you set up with training - once or twice with a senior walker and then you have complete freedom to come and go as your schedule permits.
I already filled out the volunteer paperwork and my three year old son is extatic with the thought of walking dogs, we have three cats so we can’t ad a dog to the household, but this way we can enjoy a happy dog on a lazy saturday or sunday, and they can get out and have some fun with us. THANK YOU for that comment, i think it really resonated with a lot of people. I am also going to volunteer for cat stuff at the Petsmart, I am such a cat lady.
This response has been awesome! Thank you, everyone! (I was a little nervous about posting!)
Thank you for posting this, lilith. I went today when I had a little free time and walked two dogs. One of the volunteers there knew me as a dog person (even knew about the recent loss of my dog, though I hadn’t seen her in probably a year) so I didn’t have to apply or fill out any paper work. I chose two dogs who I would not consider good candidates for adoption for me because I didn’t want to leave there with one (too soon
) and they were very good companions for the time we spent together. We even wandered into the cemetery/memorial area of the grounds, and I was wondering if anyone here knows how one goes about having their pet buried there (or is it for cremated pets only?) as I struggled with whether to bury my dog in the yard of a home I probably won’t live in for very long, or find some other place (almost buried illegally him at Riverview Park, one of his favorite places).
All my previous pets are in my yard. Yes even the hermit crabs. No not the sea monkies. But then, I will probably die in this house. So there’s that.
As a slightly similar question. I have raccoons in my chimney, and groundhogs in my basement. I have obtained a humane trap, and secured the knowledge of ideal bait (coons: sardines, hogs: parsley FYI). But haven’t moved farther with operation de-zooification, as I would not know what to do with either should I catch one.
Anyone?
@28: this should help…
http://www.aaanimalcontrol.com/professional-trapper/city/VA-Charlottesville.htm
Thanks, but see… that costs money. I am trying to get my Steve Irwin on.
Only I will not make the mistake he made… *I* will wear sunscreen.
Why?
Helps block harmful rays.
/rimshot
and from the “WTF” file:
A group wants cockfighting to be exempt from any laws that result from the Michael Vick case:
linkypoo
@28:
how about this one…
http://www.charlottesville.org/Index.aspx?page=498
/maybe you could have changed the locks February 2nd…?shadow?
@31 is that the same group that holds cockfights every tuesday night at SS?
maybe you could have changed the locks February 2nd…?shadow?
um… why? and as to the link, I have had some serious dissatisfaction with cville animal control. When I hit a bear on 250 at barracks road (swicki cant find the post, bastard swicki) they told me it was my fault, as that section of the bypass is part of the black bear’s migration route (!), AND they would not put the wounded animal down, but merely waited for it to die. Awful.
Maybe they are better with coons and hogs though… especially if they are pre-boxed.
B-yo: Call my dad. He’ll take them groundhogs and leave you with some “beef stew”.
your basement squatter needed to get out and look for his/her shadow to determine the coming weather february 2nd…
sorry about the bear.
one more resource:
http://www.wildlifecenter.org/
Agrh, I went to drop off the paperwork at cspca and as I was waiting in line a woman comes storming in with a cat that is screaming, it looks like something is wrong with it’s head, and the young woman following her is crying uncontrollably. Someone could have warned me, that was God Damn traumatic. I almost threw up, that poor cat. I am scarred, I once hit a squirrel, I am still recovering from that, I don’t know if I dare go back.
Parlie - we prefer the politically correct term - “Penis Conflicts”
Despite what you all think, it’s not a shiny happy petting zoo. Sorry you had to see that.
Shenanigans, I think I am too sensitive, or maybe I am just bias towards animals, for instance, I thought they should have but down the boy that taunted the tiger, (well the tiger took care of that) and not the other way around. This looked like the cat was hit by a car….I don’t know maybe I should be put out of my
Believe me, it wasn’t easy for me to go there today either, but you can’t just expect to go there to get something out of the experience for yourself. Part of it has to be what your visit will do to make a potential pet more comfortable and adoptable, if its not easy for you to be there briefly, imagine how much more difficult it is for the truly lovable animals who have to live there, and thus how much more important your visit is.
doof speaks truth.
yo, what part?
No parts, all of it.
And thanks nanigans, but I’d just as soon leave your dad out of it. Coon tartare is to be avoided. I’ve had plenty offers to kill my residential menagerie, but very few refugee camps available. Maybe Monticello could do with a few more critters? Nothing like a trip up 53 with twenty pounds of caged raccoon fury… Maybe the lawn if I could get away with it…
I know this post led you all to wanna jump in on the cause of the week between drinking/restaurant bashing but in reality you don’t just bebop into the shelter and think you’re a great person since you graced it with your presence. The reality is that it is a sad place with death and suffering and just walking a dog or writing about it isn’t gonna do shit.
I disagree (as an almost eternal optimist). Writing about this has already gotten people to show up to help out. The people who show up to help out are more likely to volunteer further. Volunteer are probably more likely to donate more than just a little of their time, and may bring in money, pet food, etc. Saving the world for homeless animals, no. But its a start. I would rather people stop in to see what they can do to help than just drive by…
Someone who I think of as an expert on this subject had this to say earlier:
“
“Dog-walking is fun too. Go on Saturday or Sundays after noon (you will hopefully be sober by then) and walk just one dog around; it will really make their day. Some dogs some days never get walked at all.
I made sure I walked dogs who hadn’t been out yet, and I thank/credit that commenter for getting me off my butt and in there.
Belmont ‘yo’s bear story is here: http://cvillain.com/2007/12/13/a-legitimate-question/
I keep tellin’ you youngun’s, that “site:cvillain.com” Google doohickey works wonders for your anal search hemorrhoids. Just put this in your Google box “site:cvillain.com bear bypass” by ‘xample. ‘Specially on the oldy moldies.
If you want your late dog’s body cremated, your vet’s office can hook you up, or if will drive it to the C-A SPCA, the cost is about half ($25-$40 if I recall it). For the actual euthanasia at a vet, expect to pay from $75 to $125. I tell you this because no one else will and it’s a bad time to have to call around and find out. The best way involves three drugs. Unfortunately or not, it is more humane than the outdated protocols for executing condemned humans in the U.S.A. That’s why the Supreme Court has put a semi-freeze on capital punishment. Few doctors want to get involved, so the science is bad.
For a dead animal around your property in the city, you would have to move it to public property or the city will not take it. All cities are the same. You look up the city name in the phone book and go to “d” for “dead animals”.
A good use for a cat. The NYT had an amazing article on deli cats a few weeks ago. I’ll link to it in another post. Seems even a six month old kitten can scare off the fiercest NYC raaaaaaaaaat. Not mouse, rat. The rodents don’t like the smell of the felines, is one theory. Don’t know about your attic squirrels. A good beagle would get your groundhogs, though. Or maybe you might need a real hound, bluetick, redbone, etc. A good hound dog will also make you sleep well. I don’t know what it is, some kind of pheromone they exude. Those are some intense dogs. Don’t be surprised if they climb up out of your chain link fence. You can’t do better than a hound dog. The last one that *borrowed me* managed to escape out of the C-A SPCA’s after-hours drop-off cage. It was at the old location before they moved. A UVa cop dropped her off there after we turned her in, and she escaped right out. They knew her and had already had her three times before. I regretted not keeping that bitch.
NYT seems to have two stories on deli cats. I gotta read the 2002 one, because the 2007 one was great.
To Dismay of Inspectors, Prowling Cats Keep Rodents on the Run at City Delis
By KATE HAMMER
Published: December 21, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/nyregion/21cats.html
…with great pictures of Holly and Oreo on the job.
URBAN TACTICS; They Call Me Assassin
By CAROLINE F. CAMPION
Published: November 24, 2002
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9800EEDB1239F937A15752C1A9649C8B63
Come to think of it, it might have been some kind of little *terrier* I knew that took down groundhogs.
Colfer, the search-fu is strong in you. My grats.
was I the only one who thought “Vietnamese restaurant” after reading “deli cats”?
I was?
Yep. Just you.
Stanley rulez, and I am hammered, and just finished a birthday mix about heartbeak! Free cd’s that you will hate on wednesday, Step up to the decks, while supplies last.
Sheesh.
Betcha didn’t know:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23472518/?GT1=43001
Not sure if this has been posted. I like it better than can i haz cheeseburger.
http://faildogs.com/
You guys interested in doing a cutest pets of cvillain contest?
OH YEAH! Count me in!
my little guy is pretty adorable. but he also HATES having his picture taken. it’s one of his very few weird traits, he cowers, he runs away, he looks at me and wonders what the hell i’m doing to him. but if by some odd chance i get a really good picture that does his cuteness justice, i’d be in.
Sweet! One of my 17 cats is sure to win!
My pup could totally rock a contest, but in my case (as I walk the furball of terror all around downtown Charlottesville) it would effectively be outing myself, and that seems like it would negate the first rule of cvillain?
My sea monkies would blow all your pets out of the… well… water.
Can I submit photos of my roommate? He kind of looks like a panda bear.
Can we apply MySpace rules and use outdated photos to represent our pets?
Just this past weekend, I retrieved my dog from my parents’ house in NC. They took care of him for the ~3 months while my foot was welded back together and healing. I handed him over at 58 lbs… now he’s a jolly 85 lbs.
However, if there is a separate Walrus category; I’m sure he’d win for lack of competition.
Oh man, I’ve got some good lookin’ pets. They’re shoe-ins.
Tom Daly can make a turd shine on film, if you need some good pics.
got that right gobbler
http://tomdalyphotography.smugmug.com/photos/262510699_BjMMg-M.jpg