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 largest single gift to any girls’ independent school—$31 million—has been bequeathed to Chatham Hall by alumna Elizabeth Beckwith Nilsen. “To the best of my knowledge, that is the largest single donation to an independent girls’ school in the country,“ said Susanne Beck, executive director of the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools. “And keep them coming.“ The Council for Advancement and Support of Education confirmed the distinction.

What makes an event newsworthy? Where should we draw the line on free speech? Our readers often disagree with us, and with one another, on the answers to these important questions. On Wednesday morning on TimesDispatch .com, we broke the story that a dog belonging to Robin Starr, CEO of the Richmond SPCA, died after being left unattended in her car for four hours on a day when temperatures topped 90 degrees.

The Richmond animal-protection office concluded yesterday that “no willful intent was found” in its investigation of the death of the family pet of Robin Starr. The finding apparently will end all investigations into the demise of Louie, a 16-year-old poodle mix who died of heatstroke after being accidentally confined in the Starr family’s car when the outside temperature was about 90 degrees.

As dog killer Michael Vick resumed his pigskin career amid cheers this week, the animal-welfare advocate who stridently opposed his return is under siege. Irony abounds in the heat-related death of a dog belonging to Robin Starr, the CEO of the Richmond SPCA. Her deaf and blind cocker spaniel/poodle mix, Louie, died Aug. 19 after being left in Starr’s Volvo for four hours. Ed Starr said he put the dog in his wife’s car before she drove to work but forgot to tell her.

Thanks in large part to the leadership of Robin Starr, the Richmond SPCA has earned a reputation as a model for humane societies. Starr vigorously and eloquently promotes the gentle treatment of animals. The SPCA has implemented a no-kill policy. Starr has contributed guest columns on the topic to our opinion pages. Her recent tribute to Black Dog struck a responsive chord in the community.

Richmond Animal Care and Control is investigating the death of a pet belonging to the head of the Richmond SPCA. Jody Jones, program manager for animal care, said today in a statement, “At this time, charges are not forthcoming for Robin Starr,“ and added the case is under investigation. Yesterday, Robin Starr’s husband, Ed, took responsibility for the dog’s death last week. Robin Starr is the chief executive officer of the Richmond SPCA.

When: 5 to 8 p.m. Monday
  Where: Richmond SPCA, 2519 Hermitage Road
  Registration: available through tomorrow at http://www.richmondspca.org

The Richmond SPCA is doing what it can to make it easier to reunite lost pets with their owners. On Monday, the nonprofit organization will hold a three-hour clinic during which dogs and cats will have a tracking microchip injected under their skin for $20. Typically, animals adopted from the SPCA are implanted with chips, but the group wanted to broaden the program to include other pets.

The mystical Black Dog, who died recently, was loved and admired by many, including me. Like other folks in “his” neighborhood, I irrationally believed him to be eternal. At the end, he was revealed to be a real dog, not a phantom. If his life had to end, his admirers would have preferred for him to have evaporated into thin air, but it did not diminish his place in our hearts that he ultimately died a corporal death.

Black Dog is gone but not forgotten. The Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has received $4,185 in contributions to the Black Dog Memorial Fund from people as far away as West Palm Beach, Fla. The fund was created a week ago in memory of the legendary stray dog that captured the hearts of hundreds of people in the Richmond area and beyond.

To reserve a T-shirt, call the SPCA at (804) 521-1334. The Friends of Black Dog T-shirt will be available this month. Sarah Murray, a caretaker of the dog, said she expects to take orders for a second printing in early August. Details will be available on the Friends of Black Dog Facebook page or by calling Beverly Morano at (804) 355-0324.

The Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is establishing a fund in honor of Black Dog, an endearing stray dog that roamed Richmond’s West End neighborhoods for nearly two decades. Black Dog was found last week near Cary Street and Maxwell Road, apparently fatally struck by a car, and was buried on private property in Buckingham County.

“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.“—Arthur Schopenhauer, 19th-century German philosopher. No healthy homeless animal has died for the lack of a home in the City of Richmond since 2005. It is an accomplishment of which few cities in the United States can boast.

The Richmond SPCA’s Progressive Dinner provided a feast moving through homes on Monument Avenue on April 25. The homes of John-Lawrence Smith and Tully Welborn, Frances Lewis, Marsha and Ronald Merrell, and Mary and Dick Fowlkes were opened to 100 guests for “A Progressive Dinner for a Progressive Organization.“ The fundraiser was the third annual event and is estimated to have raised $20,000 for the Richmond SPCA.