Let's Do This

The Rally for the Animals housed at the Regional Center for Animal Control and Protection is this Saturday, October 29th, at 1 pm.

We support the RCACP staff and their efforts to save lives. We are protesting that they have to do so under the very difficult policies, procedures, and leadership in place.


We are protesting that almost 5000 homeless pets were killed last year.

We are protesting that half of the homeless pets brought to RCACP this year have been killed. 

We are rallying for a volunteer program like almost every pound in Virginia allows. The Executive Director has stated that the volunteer program is close, and that the municipalities are the hold up. He says he is in favor of volunteers. We question why he did not start this process years ago. In fact, it did not start until the media brought public attention to the killings at the pound. It did not start until we took the initiative to ask City Council for volunteers. When we asked, they said yes. They said it was top priority. That was last April. What's the hold up?

We are questioning the conflict of interest that the Roanoke SPCA and the Roanoke Pound (RCACP) share a common executive director. His responsibilities are to be split evenly between the 2 entities, according to his salary- half from each. The SPCA has wonderful programs, including  a no kill adoption center, foster care, volunteers, public outreach, pet food pantry, and outstanding fundraising events.

The Roanoke Pound (RCACP) has a high kill rate, does not offer consistent, if any, outside time for the dogs, no volunteers, no fundraising events, and no money to treat sick or injured animals.

The cost to treat this dog was under $20. This photo was taken after she sat at the RCACP for 10 days without any treatment for a painful eye infection. By the time she was transferred to another rescue, she was unable to walk on her own. This happened under the existing policies, procedures, and leadership in place at the RCACP. With a $20 treatment her eye infections cleared, and she has been adopted through that rescue. 

This dog sat for over 12 days at the RCACP with hair so matted he could not close his eyes. He was also transferred to another rescue. The cost to sedate and shave him was under $10. This happened under the existing policies, procedures, and leadership in place at the RCACP.

The above dogs are 2 small examples of what has been happening behind closed doors. Another example is the employee who was not fired for abusing a cat. Enough is enough. Join us on Saturday to learn more.

The Rally is on the corner of Orange Avenue and 13th Street in Roanoke. Look for Little Caesar's Pizza, and park across the street (near the creek where you often see people fishing).

Bring a friend. Bring a poster (handles on posters are not allowed per the permit). Here are some examples:

• "If we trust volunteers in our schools, we should trust them with our animals"
• "Tax Dollars Go Farther With Volunteers"
• "1 Director, 2 Philosophies - Why"
• "Stop The Killings And Allow Adoptions"
• "Solutions Not Excuses"

We'll supply the information, great networking, people qualified to answer any questions, and even some pizza. For additional information, join us on facebook (Roanoke No Kill Coalition) or comment on this blog.

We appreciate your support for animals like Karma and Max below. They are still alive at RCACP, and together we can be their voice.

Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision.  The ability to direct individual accomplishment toward organizational objectives.  It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.  
~Andrew Carnegie