I’m dedicating today’s IYRTP to puppies and kitties.

Rigby-O

This idea came from my noticing two main stories on yesterday’s Pilot online were pet-related. It gained momentum when civil war developed in my neighborhood over our dog park and the news that a certain local pet store might be unethical. It was solidified when I realized how many great little pets all of us at AltDaily have to keep us occupied.

We live in a terrific area to be pet owners. Norfolk has many dog parks, and we have beaches and boardwalks and trails all over Hampton Roads. The boardwalk in the off season and the Noland Trail in Newport News anytime are two of my favorite options. I love the sidewalks of Colonial Place but the lack of trash cans can be challenging.

We’re also home to PETA. Say what you will about them, they are certainly the most well known animal rights group in the country, so placing their headquarters in Norfolk can’t be a bad thing for animal lovers. Also, several local businesses are pet friendly on the premises, which is great to see.

The fine men and women at Grow Interactive take meetings mixed with humans, Boston Terriers and French Bulldogs. NARO Expanded Video employs several clerks, Mason the Dog being my personal favorite. I love seeing him on Colley, walking to work, excited about all the DVD returns and dog treats his day will see. And in the summer, Taphouse patrons bring their pets to the outside patio where they can enjoy shade or sunshine and friendly pets from all the other people bummed they didn’t realize they too could bring their animals.

What’d I miss? I’m sure there are tons of pet-friendly businesses around. Give them a shout out on the comments section. They deserve it.

Good Newz for People Who Hate Bad Newz

NFL player and local celebrity Michael Vick’s former estate, where he ran the Bad Newz Kennels dog fighting ring that landed him in prison, may turn into a doggie rehab center. A Pennsylvania animal rights group called Dogs Deserve Better wants to use the property to house Good Newz Rehab Center, citing the size of the house (4600 square foot) and its property (15 acres) as ideal for dogs to get a “real house” environment and room to roam and train. The karma effect is in play too, as it’s awesome to turn a place with bad vibes into a place of love and good deeds.

The house is currently on the market for $595,000, and the group is fundraising to meet its goal. According to the Pilot, they only have $50,000 raised thus far. According to the always supportive and fair citizens who comment on the Pilot, this group is wasting taxpayer dollars and everyone’s time and need to stay away from ol’ Virginny and her hardworking, God-loving peoples. Dogs don’t need no mansions!! (No taxpayer money goes towards this house or charity, by the way.)

I hope they succeed. It’s a nice happy ending that’s win-win for everyone: the property owner who’s trying to sell the place in the wake of scandal, the animals, the charity, local pet-lovers.

Scoop Scoop a’Doop

Kaiser Cothran (Smith)

Two Virginia Beach organizations have produced 10,000 stickers to remind pet owners to “scoop the poop.” They go on to list reasons obvious (smells, clean shoes, etc.) and not as obvious (damage to the Bay) why proper cleaning of pet waste benefits everyone. I often notice how many trash cans the Beach neighborhoods have, and how the majority of the waterfront neighborhoods have free doggie bag receptacles everywhere.

So, kudos to Lynnhaven River Now and the VB SPCA. Could you guys maybe have a talk with your Norfolk counterparts? You’re taking a good situation and making it even better, whereas Norfolk needs to take an okay situation and make it good. My neighborhood has a dog park, with bags and trash cans, but not a single public trash can on its sidewalks. This means a long dog walk leaves owners either holding bags of poo for blocks or just letting the mess stay on public green spaces for some unlucky neighbor to discover. Neither are appealing options. I mean, if this cause was good enough for Harvey Milk, shouldn’t it be good enough for Norfolk?

Just a quick hop on my soapbox: if we thought regionally, these sorts of programs could consolidate resources and stretch their message and supplies all over Hampton Roads, resulting in more convenience for pet owners and cleanliness for all.

Shocking

Sorry for the lack of link, but this story is out of the Colonial Place-Riverview listserve. I wasn’t sure it was a qualified news source, until I remembered my esteemed (and much smarter than I) colleague John McManus has referenced it before, so I’m stealing his idea. A local doggie daycare clerk recently notified a dog owner that they “had to use the shock collar” on her pet. The daycare had not previously mentioned this as being their practice and the revelation that it occurred without the pet owner’s knowledge stirred the kettle a little bit.

I have never used a shock collar and don’t have a dog in that fight (pun intended), but do think pet owners should be told about what scolding policies a sitting service will use when necessary. On the other hand, pet owners shouldn’t assume all places punish equally and need to ask questions. I’m not naming the daycare because I’m not entirely sure they did something wrong. Unpleasant? Yes. Below the radar? Yes. Unethical? Undecided.

Jolting

A Newport News kitty got all mischievous and played in Dominion’s electricity equipment, somehow making 1,300 homes around City Center lose power yesterday evening. That’s so badass.

Widow’s Tax

I’d never even heard of this before. When I saw the headline, my sleepy eyes thought it said “Window Tax” and I thought, “Isn’t that British… and from centuries ago?” Turns out, this is just as sneaky. The so-called “widow’s tax” is a situation many–over 55,000-military widows–are now battling with their congresspersons.

Botkins Ford

If a military couple buys a life-insurance annuity and then one spouse dies in a service-related incident, the surviving spouse will not collect the annuity unless she or he remarries after age 57. Various loopholes and small changes to policy over the years have made the rules so convoluted, I still don’t fully understand them after reading this three times. I think an “if-then” graph would be helpful. The widows, however, think the money would be even more beneficial. I’ll go with their take on this one.

JFCOM Closing Details Due Today

JFCOM’s impending closure will leave Hampton Roads with approximately 1,900 fewer jobs. At an afternoon press conference, we will get to hear some of the specifics and (hopefully) how the decision will specifically affect us.

Spice Ban Looks Likely

The House of Delegates has Bill 1434, which passed 98-0. The Senate has Bill 745, which passed 37-0. Both want to make synthetic marijuana illegal. Citing the fact that these drugs “have devastating effects on the users such as paranoia, anxiety, hallucinations, rapid heart beat and psychological disorders,” Delegate Glenn Oder is stringently pushing the passing of this law.

Okay. Something that causes the above side effects, and that has been linked to deaths, could be bad for us all, especially uneducated party people. I’m cool with banning it. However, something that’s side effects include relaxation and pain relief, and which has not been linked to death or hallucination, and which could give us all plenty of tax dollars to play around with, should not be illegal.