So, this is Chesapeake Virginia….

I had all but given up on writing Blog posts any longer but then I came across an article in the Virginian Pilot and just had to write something about it. This is a blog about dogs and dog adoption but this post is about the City of Chesapeake and a woman who is trying to help the stray cat problem at one of Chesapeake's malls.

 As reported in the June 17, 2015 edition of the Pilot (http://bit.ly/1GnFaMN), “Last September, Debbie Manzione was leaving Chesapeake Square Mall when a cat crossed her path in the parking lot.
The devoted cat lover retrieved some dry cat food from her car, and followed the animal to nearby shrubbery where she saw other felines. She set out the food and headed home.

Since then, Manzione said she has returned several times to feed them. Other people were doing the same, she said - some every week.
About two weeks ago, as she has done before, she captured a few of the strays, had them neutered and paid for their shots. The pair are now in what she calls "foster care" to determine whether they can be domesticated or sent to a farm. Previously she's taken away seven cats, including a female who later gave birth to four kittens.

The Suffolk resident was happy to help the animals. At least until last week, when she came home from work to find a Chesapeake police officer and an animal control officer waiting for her.

They gave her a court summons to appear in General District Court”

Chief Kelvin L. Wright (http://bit.ly/1GkmX2F) continues to do a stellar job running the Police Department. You can't report a traffic accident at Chesapeake Square mall because it’s considered Private property but you sure as hell can give someone a ticket for someone who captured some of the MANY stray cats, had them neutered and paid for their shots. So why is it left up to citizens to help with this problem to begin with? Why isn’t or hasn’t Animal Control done anything about it, after all Animal Control comes under the Police Department and Chief Wright. Oh yeah…because it’s PRIVATE property and since the property owners never called to make a complaint, why does Chesapeake Police have any business giving her a summons to appear in court? 

Maybe Chief Wright and his department can give her the summons and charge her because the wonderful mayor of Chesapeake, Alan P. Krasnoff (http://bit.ly/1JYjKwU) doesn’t give a damn about the animals in Chesapeake. That’s been made pretty clear time and time again until a bunch of Chesapeake residents got together (http://bit.ly/1K1de6N and http://bit.ly/1QFBwJe) to demand changes to the way the city shelter dealt with animals and the way they euthanized those they didn’t like, such as Pits, Rottweilers or just about anything bigger than the kennel manager Tracy Stevens. And if you know who Tracy is, just about every dog that ends up at the shelter is bigger than her. We’ll get back to the shelter a little later.

Maybe Chief Wright can do as he pleases when it comes to doing next to nothing to help Chesapeake animals because, along with Mayor Krasnoff, he has the city council who doesn’t do much of anything at all when it comes to trying to make things better for the animals. You have the wonderful S.Z. “Debbie” Ritter (http://bit.ly/1JYjXQL) who has made it clear time and time again that she fully supports euthanizing animals of Chesapeake and does nothing to try and make things better. Actually, she goes out of her way to make things even more difficult and if anyone says anything about her, Mayor Krasnoff is quick to jump up and put an end to it. Meeting with Ms Ritter is next to impossible as she is one of the rudest most obnoxious members of the city council, but why not, she’s not going anywhere. She and the rest of the city council are part of the “Good Ol Boys” club. 

But there is one saving Grace in Chesapeake and that is City Council Member Robert C. Ike, Jr (http://bit.ly/1H1Sxsq). He’ll meet with you, even make you feel as he cares and empathizes with the plight of the animals in Chesapeake. But, that’s as far as it goes. He’s would make a damn good actor if he ever wanted to change careers.

 

Oh yeah, I said I would get back to the shelter. Kathy Strouse is the Superintendent of the shelter. “Superintendent” the title alone tells you how archaic and stuck in the dark ages Chesapeake Animal Control is. The only way I can describe Kathy is bitter. To this day she is still bitter about the fact that she did not get to kill a St. Bernard named Alchemy. And try she did. 

But she lost in court and he was awarded to an 

organization that takes very good care of him. To this day he is doing wonderful. Kathy comes down from her office and looks for reasons to euthanize a dog, especially if it’s a Pit. She has made it pretty clear that she doesn’t like them, doesn’t trust them and doesn’t find any reason for them to exist. Oddly enough though, she was quick to write a book about the Michael Vick dog fighting ring of a few years ago now. Before you say, she wrote a book about Pits and can’t be all that bad. The book was from a legal standpoint where she said in the book that the dogs should all be euthanized, even though many of them went on to be wonderful ambassadors for their breed. So Kathy released her book, trying to make money off of the Pits, just like a backyard breeder would make money off of them. For years and years Kathy kicked and screamed about opening the shelter on Sunday (the second biggest adoption day of the week) but in June 2014 the shelter hours for Sunday were changed to noon – 4:00pm. I just have to wonder if it had to do with all the noise that Chesapeake citizens were making. Maybe it was a way to give them something and shut them up?

So, what does a woman being served a summons for feeding stray cats on private property have to do with the Mayor, Police Chief, City Council and Head of the shelter? They are the ones who are supposed to be protecting Chesapeake’s animals but as long as each of them holds their current position that is not going to happen. And exactly why was a CHESAPEAKE Police Officer and Animal Control officer waiting at Debbie Manzione’s home in SUFFOLK? As usual, Chesapeake police spokeswoman Kelly O'Sullivan offered few details. And what in the world was a Chesapeake Animal Control officer doing on PRIVATE property if the property owner never called to make a complaint? At some point Animal Control Officer set up live-capture traps baited with food - but because they say other people were feeding the cats, the traps were unsuccessful. So Debbie Manzione was being part of the solution by taking the cats she could to a vet to have them spayed/neutered and vaccinated. But instead of getting a thank you by anyone from the city of Chesapeake, she now gets to go to court and answer for the charges.

In closing, I want to make sure that you understand that there are some Animal Control Officers who truly care about the animals and do everything they can to help them. Unfortunately, many times it results in them hitting a brick wall.

This is Chesapeake, Virginia.

Faces Of Death - PETA & Ingrid Newkirk REPOST

Each year for the past 4 years now I have updated this post to show the latest number of animals that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has killed. PETA kills thousands of defenseless pets each year at its Virginia headquarters. Since 1998, PETA has killed 33,514 adoptable dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens instead of trying to find them forever homes and loving families. But in 2014, PETA, not happy with the number of animals they have killed have resorted to stealing people’s pets off of their porch and out of their yards and immediately killing them. Or maybe they have been doing it all along and finally got caught when they stole Maya the Chihuahua and killed her. PETA first attempted to deny it, even though they were caught on video. Once they had no choice but to admit it, they finally did and were forced to pay a $500 fine. You can watch the report here. And just recently it came out that PETA wrongly euthanized more than just Maya that day. You can also watch that report here.

PETA's own records report for 2014 (filed with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services) shows that PETA employees killed 88.3 percent of the dogs and cats in their care last year. During all of 2014, PETA found adoptive homes for just 39 pets. In contrast to this the Norfolk SPCA, in the same city as Peta, euthanized 3.9% of the animals they took in. Why would PETA, a supposed "animal rights" group, kill so many animals at its headquarters? The answer is simple and disgusting: Killing adoptable cats and dogs—and storing the bodies in a walk-in freezer until they can be cremated - requires far less money and effort than caring for them until they are adopted.

PETA has a $33 million annual budget. But instead of investing in the lives of the thousands of animals in its care, the group spends millions on media campaigns telling Americans that eating meat, drinking milk, fishing, hunting, wearing leather shoes, and benefiting from medical research performed on lab rats are all "unethical". And yet PETA has no problem with the unethical practice of killing of killing 96 percent of the animals in their care.

Years of public outrage hasn't convinced PETA to eliminate its pet killing program. Now the death toll of animals in PETA's care has reached over 33,500, including 2,324 pets in 2014.

Who is the person behind this slaughter house? Her name is Ingrid Newkirk and she is, in my opinion, the most disgusting, unethical and evil person of them all. In 2003 it was learned for the first time that Ingrid Newkirk has another face. During the 1970's her chosen profession was "dog catcher" and killer. Newkirk describes her fondness for killing in her own words: "I'd go to work early, before anyone got there, and I would just kill the animals myself...I must have killed a thousand of them, sometimes dozens every day." She was so good at it she rose through the ranks to become director of District of Columbia's high-kill pound where she reigned for some years. There, under her rule, untold thousands more died.

Newkirk has never stopped killing. Not only is she non- apologetic about her murky past, she quietly continues her murderous ways. She has turned PETA's Norfolk, Virginia headquarters into her own personal killing field. There she has taken in more than 38,566 puppies, kittens, dogs and cats since 1998 and executed 33,514 of them. PETA killed 86.9% of their defenseless captives and adopted less than 9% - a ratio far worse than almost any pound in the country.


Pets Killed by PETA

Year	Received	Transferred	Adopted	% Adopted	Killed	% Killed
2014	2,631	252	39	1.48%	2,324	88.3%
2013	2,175	311	46	2.1%	1,792	82.5%
2012	1,877	130	23	1.2%	1,675	89.2%
2011	2,050	34	28	1.2%	1,965	95.9%
2010	2,345	63	44	1.9%	2,200	93.8%
2009	2,366	31	8	0.3%	2,301	97.3%
2008	2,216	34	7	0.3%	2,124	95.8%
2007	1,997	35	17	0.9%	1,815	90.9%
2006	3,061	46	12	0.4%	2,981	97.4%
2005	2,165	69	146	6.7%	1,946	89.9%
2004	2,655	1	361	13.6%	2,278	85.8%
2003	2,224	1	312	14.0%	1,911	85.9%
2002	2,680	2	382	14.3%	2,298	85.7%
2001	2,685	14	703	26.2%	1,944	72.4%
2000	2,681	28	624	23.3%	2,029	75.7%
1999	1,805	91	386	21.4%	1,328	73.6%
1998*	943	125	133	14.1%	685	72.6%
TOTAL	38,556	1,267	3,271	8.5%	33,514	86.92%

*Figures represent the second half of 1998 only

Why do those in our government who say they are for the protection of animals and those in the animal protection movement not only tolerate this woman but also defend her? Nathan Winograd, the author of “Redemption:The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in America” and a former prosecuting attorney wrote:

"Engrave this in stone: As soon as Newkirk and her pro-killing cultish devotees are gone, PETA will immediately, completely, and without reservation embrace the No Kill philosophy and become one of its leading champions. When that happens; when her actions are thoroughly and completely seen by everyone for what they truly are; when she is condemned and finally, finally, thankfully, finally, we don’t have to hold our breath, clench our teeth, shake with rage, or cry at the thought of what PETA did to those poor animals, we will all be left wondering just what took us so damned long to rise up and stop this villain in our midst."

For those who support PETA and those who entrust the care of their animals to PETA, you are not only helping and supporting the slaughter of your own pet, but you are supporting the slaughter of many other defenseless animals as well. If you want to help homeless animals then support your local Shelter or Rescue Group. Ask them exactly how they use the money donated to them. Unlike PETA, most of them will talk to you and answer your questions and won't secretly go back to killing animals once you leave. And if you're not completely comfortable with their answers, there's probably a really good reason so you may want to move on to another.

In Virginia stealing someone's dog is a class 5 felony...For Class 5 felonies, a term of imprisonment of not less than one year nor more than 10 years, or in the discretion of the jury or the court trying the case without a jury, confinement in jail for not more than 12 months and a fine of not more than $2,500, either or both. So, why did the Commonwealth’s attorney make the decision not to prosecute the two PETA workers accused of stealing and euthanizing a family’s dog, especially when they are on video taking her?

On a personal note, I have said many times now and will say again in closing - The next time Ingrid, or anyone else at PETA, gets the urge to euthanize. I would suggest they put the needle in their own arms and do the animal community a huge favor.

For more information on PETA read:
The Butcher of Norfolk (6th Edition) by Nathan J. Winograd