THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 7, 1996 TAG: 9606060178
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 62 lines
Red tape at Beach SPCA too much for dog lover
Two weeks after my collie died in mid-April for unknown reasons, my family decided to get a new dog. We looked in the classified section of the newspaper and didn't see what we really wanted (an animal in need of a good home).
We then went to the Animal Assistance League in Chesapeake in search of what we hoped would be a collie pup. They had several dogs in need of a good home but not a collie. So we decided to try the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. We went on a cold rainy Sunday, and the only SPCA open was the one in Virginia Beach. Coming from Deep Creek in Chesapeake, we traveled to Virginia Beach to try and find a ``friend forever.''
We looked around and fell instantly in love with a cute collie-shepherd mix puppy. They put us in the isolation booth with the puppy so we could unite with each other. We knew this was the dog that we had been looking for, so we told the staff at the front desk that we would like to buy the dog. Almost instantly, the lady operating the front desk said, ``You don't buy dogs you adopt them.''
That, and the woman's attitude, made my mom furious. The lady gave my mom a four-page application to fill out. We were adopting a dog, not a baby. The lady told my mom she should go and see the dog while she filed the paperwork. I went back to the front desk later and asked specifically when we could pick up the dog. The lady asked me to get my mother's driver's license. When I came back, she began to ``quiz'' me about the death of my former dog, and how many hours of the day we will be spending with a new dog. Then she told me to go and get my mom and she began to ``quiz'' her also.
She then told us that my father was to come and ``bond'' with the dog - within two days. My mom told her that my dad was currently working 12-hour days and coaching a baseball team, and he did not have the time to travel 30 miles to Virginia Beach to ``bond'' with a dog we might not even be able to adopt. We ended up going back to the AAL to adopt a terrier mix.
The owner of AAL was glad to see a dog go that they had for several months. We had to pay a $35 adoption fee, and they gave ``Daisy'' a ``goodbye gift'' of dog food and goodies. This place does not euthanize the animals after 10 days as does the SPCA. The cages are clean, unlike the SPCA's in which the animals were laying in their own feces and urine.
Nicholas Delphia
May 29 Thanks to two strangers who helped runaway dog
Last week, during a thunderstorm our dog Magoo dug under our fence and traveled more than two miles from home. Frightened and confused, he found refuge under a tree in the middle of Shore Drive. Fortunately for him and our family, two people came to his rescue.
Lt. Votypka, an officer in the sick call office at Little Creek, and a manager at the Howard Johnson known to us only as Dave came to Magoo's aid. They comforted him with dog biscuits until we could arrive.
Because of their caring and concern our family can keep a longtime friend and very loved pet. We want to express our thanks publicly to these two individuals.
The Harrison Family
Dave, Carolyn, Jenny,
Samantha and Ted
May 27 by CNB