A New Year’s Message From Our CEO

There is the story well told that awakens the heart. There is the story untold that escapes the heart. There is the story unfinished that breaks the heart. And there is the story transformed that forever captures the heart. In animal welfare, we see all kinds of stories with all kinds of beginnings, and it is the mission of the entire staff to ensure that the chapters written at the VBSPCA tell stories where every animal in our care is valued and loved. We succeed every day.

Here are some of the leading characters in our book of 2019 –

Sweet Gemma, 3 year old boxer mix, a transfer from our partners at PETA, surrendered by her owners with a horribly disfigured loss of her eye. Suffering from infection, she was treated in our clinic, cared for by our shelter staff, and adopted to a loving owner. I saw Gemma a few weeks back- my heart simply sang with the wag of her tail, the loss of her eye a mere scar. Gemma’s story is our story.

Fun loving Doppie, surrendered by his owner as his high energy young adult Labrador/Australian Shepherd mix who was too much to handle. Doppie thrives outdoors and was a great ambassador at our events, yet he struggled to contain himself when inside our kennel. We found a home for Doppie where he is living his best life and living his next chapter. Doppie’s story is our story.

Mischievous Shark Boy, a male Turkish Kedesi Cat, who came to us along with his 5 other feline roomies through a transfer due to a court case. He took a while to adjust to the shelter environment, and we waited patiently until he settled in enough to let his personality shine. Once he came out of his shell, he was adopted into a home that could handle both his mischief and his stunning good looks. Shark Boy’s story is our story.

Beautiful Mercie, an Australian Cattle Dog/Pit Bull mix, was brought in by an owner who could no longer afford her care. Her piercing blue eyes captured the hearts of all of our kennel staff, but she was continually overlooked by potential adopters. She struggled with temporary health issues, and with the help of our expert medical team and TLC from kennel staff, she was released to go home for the holidays as part of our Holiday Elf foster program. In just 2 days, Mercie’s foster family fell in love with her and chose to love her forever. I cried for joy as I said goodbye. Mercie’s story is our story.

Affectionate Tallie, a male black cat who is the best “snuggler” that I have ever met. Tallie was relinquished after 7 years due to landlord issues. Our staff took time to help him acclimate, allowing him lap time in our offices and many cuddles along the way. As expected, Tallie caught the attention of an adopter and is on his way to his forever home. Tallie’s story is our story.

Davidson, June, Mandy and Dove, beloved seniors with medical issues- counseled and adopted happily. Sally, Prissy, Sassy, CowCow, long hair dachshunds rescued from a hoarding case- loved and cared for in our shelter and then easily transitioned into their forever stories. Deuce, aka Koolaid Man, an old man reinvented and reenergized in a new forever home.

These stories have forever captured my heart. As we close the book on 2019, I look forward to writing the preface for 2020. It begins with a dog… cat… guinea pig… bird. It begins with an animal that needs us. And I will be here, ready to write…

Happy New Year to our entire community and thank you for the support you gave our organization over the past year. You are the heroes in our story.

For the Animals,
Derby