Help offered to Chesterfield's homeless animals

Call it dog day.

On the same day last week, two humane organizations and a group of residents offered to help Chesterfield County reduce the number of homeless dogs and cats killed each year and increase the number sterilized and adopted.

The Richmond SPCA is seeking a partnership in which animals at the county's shelter in danger of being euthanized would be transferred to the SPCA for safekeeping and adoption. The Richmond Animal League has offered a low-cost partnership for sterilizing pre-adoption animals and providing medical services.

Chesterfield's shelter, which handles more animals than any other locality in the region, has improved its euthanization rates in recent years. But some residents still are concerned.

"For almost two decades now, citizens have come before the Board of Supervisors and the administration with serious concerns and constructive criticisms about the shelter," said resident Jane Weisenfels. "And for reasons that defy logic and common sense, most of these citizens have been met with condescension and empty promises."

At last Wednesday's supervisors meeting, Weisenfels called for the county to establish a residents committee to work with the shelter.

"We hope to save lives, and we hope to save tax dollars," she said. "If you decide against this proposal, we feel with all due respect that you owe the citizens an explanation as to why not."

Last year, Chesterfield's shelter euthanized 1,351 dogs and cats of the 4,788 received. That was better than neighboring Henrico County, which put down 1,562 of its 3,713.

Hanover County, which recently partnered with the Richmond SPCA, euthanized 1,036 of the 2,829 dogs and cats received; Richmond's shelter put down 1,445 of 4,402; and the SPCA put down 23 of 3,007.

Chesterfield was able to find homes for 1,551 of its dogs and cats; Henrico, 817; Hanover, 374; Richmond's shelter, 1,221; and Richmond SPCA, 2,891.

At last week's supervisors meeting, the Richmond SPCA's CEO, Robin Starr, offered a free partnership with the county, with the end goal being a "no-kill" shelter where no healthy or treatable animals would be euthanized.

The SPCA partnered with Richmond in 2001 and with Hanover last year.

"Since 2005, no healthy homeless animal has died in the city of Richmond," she said. "In Hanover, no healthy homeless animal has died in 2009."

Starr said Chesterfield potentially could have its first year with no healthy animals dying within a year or two of joining forces, but the county first would need to agree to a policy requiring all adopted pets spayed or neutered and other provisions to keep down the population.

The SPCA plans to approach Henrico next to extend the same offer as part of the organization's strategic plan for the Richmond area, she added.

Sharon Cornett, a Chesterfield resident and president of the board of directors for the Richmond Animal League, which is located in Chesterfield, also offered Wednesday to partner with the county.

Her proposal would transfer more dogs and cats from the shelter to the Animal League, and the organization would take care of all pre-adoption spaying and neutering as well as medical care for a reduced cost. The Animal League would provide free transportation, heartworm testing and microchipping.

The Animal League began working informally with the county's shelter six years ago, resulting in the transfer and adoption of more than 650 dogs and cats.

"As helpful as this may be, we recognize the need to do more," Cornett said, adding that her goal, too, was a no-kill shelter in Chesterfield.

"The no-kill philosophy cannot be implemented overnight," she said. "But the first and most obvious building block of a no-kill doctrine is to reduce the number of animal births within our community."

County Administrator James J.L. Stegmaier said all offers are being considered carefully.

"The county has really been pushing to increase adoptions and decrease the number of animals that end up having to be disposed of by other means," he said. "But we want to do better, so we're looking at these agreements."

Stegmaier said the county was in the early stages of discussing the offers, priorities and finding out how it can work together with all interested parties.

"We don't have firm proposals from either group at this time," he said. "We don't want to turn any group against any other group. We think there are opportunities for everybody to work together to achieve a common goal."

Residents urged the supervisors to act quickly, noting that taking advantage of the offers would be a great first step toward major improvements and cost savings.

"If you just reduce the number that have been killed in the last couple of years by 50 percent, it represents about $48,000," noted Bob Herndon.

Added Jane Lannon: "There is so much money out there if we only reach for it with the type of shelter that attracts them to us. We are severely lagging in the treatment of our nonhuman citizens."

Contact Wesley P. Hester at (804) 649-6976 or whester@timesdispatch.com.