A big thank you to everyone who has helped raise awareness of the killing rates at the Regional Center for Animal Control and Protection. Your efforts are working. The kill rates have dropped from 73% to 53% (so far for the year 2011). 

While 2609 dogs and cats killed this year is 2609 too many, progress has been made. 

And this leads to the question.... if the media had not gotten involved, if concerned citizens had not stepped up, if the municipalities had not questioned what was happening, would Bill Watson, Executive Director of the Roanoke Valley SPCA and the entity that manages the Regional Center for Animal Control, have implemented any changes? 

According to the data, (and numbers don't lie)... No.

The RCACP has a new director named Vickie Roller, and she has some good ideas and seems to share our mission. Vickie and her staff are working for the animals, and they have a tough job with the policies, procedures and leadership in place.

Keep up the good work, everyone! We'll be announcing a meeting to be held within the next few weeks. 

If you think you’re too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito. 

~African Proverb