URGENT!: Your Rescue May Be Shut Down - (The possible end to animal rescue in VA) This could impact animal rescues nationwide at some point
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Tracey Smith wrote:
From: Tracey Smith
Subject: Your Rescue May Be Shut Down - #1 (The possible end to animal
rescue in VA)
Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:40:13 -0400
This is one of the most important emails I have written in 15 years of animal rescue.
Please bear with me. This email will be a bit long. You all know that I only use the word 'Urgent' in extreme circumstances. This is urgent. It is crucial that you read this email carefully, understand it fully, and respond appropriately. This issue impacts whether you will be able to keep your rescue open.
Right now, this issue has a potential to impact ALL rescue groups and shelters in Fairfax County and Arlington County, VA. Should we lose the battle, it could impact not only every rescue and shelter in VA (and possibly nationwide at some point), but it could also impact other charitable organizations such as the Girl Scouts. It could shut all of them down, or seriously (and negatively) impact their operations.
AFH stays current on issues that may impact our organization (and those of our colleagues) and we want to share the following information with you.
You are encouraged to forward it widely, including any media outlets in your area, and you will be asked at the end of this email to contact the appropriate authorities.
First, an introduction from Ken Cline - A Forever Home Rescue Foundation (AFH) Board of Directors.
The zoning officials in Arlington and Fairfax Counties have cited AFH volunteers for keeping foster dogs in their homes. The citations do not claim that there are too many dogs, or that the volunteers don’t have a right to keep dogs - repeat - there is no violation regarding too many dogs or a lack of care - we have NOT done anything wrong. The claim is that, since the dogs are associated with a rescue group, they are considered to be “for commercial purposes”. Commercial uses are prohibited in residential districts. If the dogs were not rescue dogs, there would be no problem. This is our issue - foster homes - ours and yours - could conceivably be shut down for good if we are considered a 'commercial' operation.
The fallacy in this logic is that the fosters are volunteering their homes and their time to house these dogs. There is no compensation provided by the rescue to the foster (foster homes are NOT paid). The fosters are performing a volunteer activity for their “own personal use and enjoyment”. If the Counties are successful in classifying these volunteer activities as commercial in nature, then they will be establishing a precedent that can be used against any foster provider in the County, and potentially in the state. Since most, if not all, rescue groups rely on foster homes to house their animals, that could effectively put rescue in Virginia out of business.
By extension, if they are successful in classifying this type of volunteer activity as commercial – where does the boundary lie? The Girl Scouts rely on volunteers to staff their Girl Scout Troops and to sell their cookies. Is that really any different? It is a volunteer service provided to a non-profit organization – exactly what Arlington and Fairfax are trying to classify as “commercial”.
We cannot allow these citations to stand. It is imperative that we win the appeals associated with these cases.
What you should do NOW :
Read the attached press release, understand it, forward it to friends, family, the media, and any other interested parties immediately, and then contact everyone on the list below with your opinion. Post it on your websites. Put it in your newsletters. GET THE WORD OUT. If you don't, there is a very real possibility that rescue in Virginia will be eliminated. I am not exaggerating this point - this is SERIOUS. Contact everyone regardless of where you live. Remember - your county could be next.
PLEASE - be polite and professional but FIRM.
I will copy all of the email addresses to the bottom of this email so you can cut and paste it into your email and send one email to everyone on the list.
Some points to include in your email:
1. You support rescue - tell them why
2. Foster homes are NOT commercial. Neither the foster nor the rescue profits.
3. If rescue is stopped, tens of thousands more animals will die every year.
4. If rescue is stopped, it will cost the County/State thousands and thousands of dollars (because rescue saves them money by taking animals they would otherwise kill - which costs taxpayers $$)
5. If the people you are contacting are elected officials - you will not vote for them again.
6. If rescue is stopped, you will limit your spending in those counties as much as possible.
7. The rural shelters that we help will suffer even more since they have so much less than we do now. If we couldn't help them, a 100% kill rate in their shelters is possible.
8. If you are not a rescuer (just an animal lover), this impacts you too - write to these people about how you would feel about rescue going away and tens of thousands of additional animals dying every year.
You guys are all good at this - you have the facts. Use your heart to write the rest.
Contacts:
Arlington County:
Arlington County Board of Supervisors: countyboard@ arlingtonva. us
J. Walter Tejada/Chairman wtejada@ arlingtonva. us
Barbara Favola, Member/ViceChair bfavola@ arlingtonva. us
Jay Fisette, Member jfisette@ arlingtonva. us
Mary Hynes, Member mhynes@ arlingtonva. us
Christopher Zimmerman/Member czimmerman@ arlingtonva. us
Arlington Zoning Administrator Melinda Artman martman@ arlingtonva. us
Fairfax County:
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors http://www.fairfaxc ounty.gov/ opa/aboutbos. htm:
Gerald E. Connolly/Chair chairman@ fairfaxcounty. gov
Sharon Bulova/ViceChair braddock@ fairfaxcounty. gov
John W. Foust/Dranesville Dist. dranesville@ fairfaxcounty. gov
Michael R. Frey/Sully Dist. sully@ fairfaxcounty. gov
Penelope A. Gross/Mason Dist. mason@ fairfaxcounty. gov
(Mr.) Pat Herrity/Springfield Dist. springfield@ fairfaxcounty. gov
Catherine M. Hudgins/Hunter Mill Dist. hntrmill@ fairfaxcounty. gov
Gerald W. Hyland/Mt. Vernon Dist. mtvernon@ fairfaxcounty. gov
Jeff C. McKay/Lee District leedist@ fairfaxcounty. gov
Linda Q. Smyth/Providence Dist. provdist@ fairfaxcounty. gov
Fairfax Zoning Administrator Eileen M. McLane eileen.mclane@ fairfaxcounty. gov
General Assembly:
Senate – Fairfax County
George L. Barker district39@ sov.state.va. us
Ken Cuccinelli district37@ sov.state.va. us
Mark R. Herring district33@ sov.state.va. us
Janet Howell district32@ sov.state.va. us
Chap Petersen district34@ sov.state.va. us
Toddy Puller district36@ sov.state.va. us
Richard L. Saslaw district35@ sov.state.va. us
House of Delegates – Fairfax County
David B. Albo DelDAlbo@ house.state. va.us
Kristen J. Amundson DelKAmundson@ house.state. va.us
David L. Bulova DelDBulova@ house.state. va.us
C. Charles Caputo DelCCaputo@ house.state. va.us
Adam P. Ebbin DelAEbbin@ house.state. va.us
Timothy D. Hugo DelTHugo@ house.state. va.us
Robert D. Hull DelRHull@ house.state. va.us
David W. Marsden DelDMarsden@ house.state. va.us
Brian J. Moran DelBMoran@ house.state. va.us
Kenneth R. Plum DelKPlum@ house.state. va.us
Thomas D. Rust DelTRust@ house.state. va.us
James M. Scott DelJScott@ house.state. va.us
Stephen C. Shannon DelSShannon@ house.state. va.us
Mark D. Sickles DelMSickles@ house.state. va.us
Margaret G. Vanderhye DelMVanderhye@ house.state. va.us
Vivian E. Watts DelVWatts@ house.state. va.us
Senate – Arlington County
Patricia S. Ticer district30@ sov.state.va. us
also covers part of Fairfax County
Mary Margaret Whipple district31@ sov.state.va. us
also covers part of Fairfax County
House of Delegates – Arlington County
Robert H. Brink DelRBrink@ house.state. va.us
Albert C. Eisenberg DelAEisenberg@ house.state. va.us
David L. Englin DelDEnglin@ house.state. va.us
Email list:
countyboard@ arlingtonva. us. wtejada@ arlingtonva. us, bfavola@ arlingtonva. us, jfisette@ arlingtonva. us, mhynes@ arlingtonva. us, czimmerman@ arlingtonva. us, martman@ arlingtonva. us, chairman@ fairfaxcounty. gov, braddock@ fairfaxcounty. gov, dranesville@ fairfaxcounty. gov, sully@ fairfaxcounty. gov, mason@ fairfaxcounty. gov, springfield@ fairfaxcounty. gov, hntrmill@ fairfaxcounty. gov, mtvernon@ fairfaxcounty. gov, leedist@ fairfaxcounty. gov, provdist@ fairfaxcounty. gov, eilleen.mclane@ fairfaxcounty. gov, district39@ sov.state.va. us, district37@ sov.state.va. us, district33@ sov.state.va. us, district32@ sov.state.va. us, district34@ sov.state.va. us, district36@ sov.state.va. us, district35@ sov.state.va. us, DelDAlbo@ house.state. va.us, DelKAmundson@ house.state. va.us, DelDBulova@ house.state. va.us, DelCCaputo@ house.state. va.us, DelAEbbin@ house.state. va.us, DelTHugo@ house.state. va.us, DelRHull@ house.state. va.us, DelDMarsden@ house.state. va.us, DelBMoran@ house.state. va.us, DelKPlum@ house.state. va.us, DelTRust@ house.state. va.us, DelJScott@ house.state. va.us, DelSShannon@ house.state. va.us, DelMSickles@ house.state. va.us, DelMVanderhye@ house.state. va.us, DelVWatts@ house.state. va.us, district30@ sov.state.va. us, district31@ sov.state.va. us, DelRBrink@ house.state. va.us, DelAEisenberg@ house.state. va.us, DelDEnglin@ house.state. va.us
Also visit: http://www.fairfaxc ounty.gov/ opa/aboutbos. htm:
Please act NOW unless you want rescue to disappear.
PLEASE DO NOT HIT REPLY TO RESPOND.
I AM NOT THE CONTACT; ONLY THE MESSENGER.
PLEASE CONTACT THE SHELTER OR THE PERSON(S) LISTED.
Tracey Smith wrote:
From: Tracey Smith
Subject: Your Rescue May Be Shut Down - #1 (The possible end to animal
rescue in VA)
Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:40:13 -0400
This is one of the most important emails I have written in 15 years of animal rescue.
Please bear with me. This email will be a bit long. You all know that I only use the word 'Urgent' in extreme circumstances. This is urgent. It is crucial that you read this email carefully, understand it fully, and respond appropriately. This issue impacts whether you will be able to keep your rescue open.
Right now, this issue has a potential to impact ALL rescue groups and shelters in Fairfax County and Arlington County, VA. Should we lose the battle, it could impact not only every rescue and shelter in VA (and possibly nationwide at some point), but it could also impact other charitable organizations such as the Girl Scouts. It could shut all of them down, or seriously (and negatively) impact their operations.
AFH stays current on issues that may impact our organization (and those of our colleagues) and we want to share the following information with you.
You are encouraged to forward it widely, including any media outlets in your area, and you will be asked at the end of this email to contact the appropriate authorities.
First, an introduction from Ken Cline - A Forever Home Rescue Foundation (AFH) Board of Directors.
The zoning officials in Arlington and Fairfax Counties have cited AFH volunteers for keeping foster dogs in their homes. The citations do not claim that there are too many dogs, or that the volunteers don’t have a right to keep dogs - repeat - there is no violation regarding too many dogs or a lack of care - we have NOT done anything wrong. The claim is that, since the dogs are associated with a rescue group, they are considered to be “for commercial purposes”. Commercial uses are prohibited in residential districts. If the dogs were not rescue dogs, there would be no problem. This is our issue - foster homes - ours and yours - could conceivably be shut down for good if we are considered a 'commercial' operation.
The fallacy in this logic is that the fosters are volunteering their homes and their time to house these dogs. There is no compensation provided by the rescue to the foster (foster homes are NOT paid). The fosters are performing a volunteer activity for their “own personal use and enjoyment”. If the Counties are successful in classifying these volunteer activities as commercial in nature, then they will be establishing a precedent that can be used against any foster provider in the County, and potentially in the state. Since most, if not all, rescue groups rely on foster homes to house their animals, that could effectively put rescue in Virginia out of business.
By extension, if they are successful in classifying this type of volunteer activity as commercial – where does the boundary lie? The Girl Scouts rely on volunteers to staff their Girl Scout Troops and to sell their cookies. Is that really any different? It is a volunteer service provided to a non-profit organization – exactly what Arlington and Fairfax are trying to classify as “commercial”.
We cannot allow these citations to stand. It is imperative that we win the appeals associated with these cases.
What you should do NOW :
Read the attached press release, understand it, forward it to friends, family, the media, and any other interested parties immediately, and then contact everyone on the list below with your opinion. Post it on your websites. Put it in your newsletters. GET THE WORD OUT. If you don't, there is a very real possibility that rescue in Virginia will be eliminated. I am not exaggerating this point - this is SERIOUS. Contact everyone regardless of where you live. Remember - your county could be next.
PLEASE - be polite and professional but FIRM.
I will copy all of the email addresses to the bottom of this email so you can cut and paste it into your email and send one email to everyone on the list.
Some points to include in your email:
1. You support rescue - tell them why
2. Foster homes are NOT commercial. Neither the foster nor the rescue profits.
3. If rescue is stopped, tens of thousands more animals will die every year.
4. If rescue is stopped, it will cost the County/State thousands and thousands of dollars (because rescue saves them money by taking animals they would otherwise kill - which costs taxpayers $$)
5. If the people you are contacting are elected officials - you will not vote for them again.
6. If rescue is stopped, you will limit your spending in those counties as much as possible.
7. The rural shelters that we help will suffer even more since they have so much less than we do now. If we couldn't help them, a 100% kill rate in their shelters is possible.
8. If you are not a rescuer (just an animal lover), this impacts you too - write to these people about how you would feel about rescue going away and tens of thousands of additional animals dying every year.
You guys are all good at this - you have the facts. Use your heart to write the rest.
Contacts:
Arlington County:
Arlington County Board of Supervisors: countyboard@ arlingtonva. us
J. Walter Tejada/Chairman wtejada@ arlingtonva. us
Barbara Favola, Member/ViceChair bfavola@ arlingtonva. us
Jay Fisette, Member jfisette@ arlingtonva. us
Mary Hynes, Member mhynes@ arlingtonva. us
Christopher Zimmerman/Member czimmerman@ arlingtonva. us
Arlington Zoning Administrator Melinda Artman martman@ arlingtonva. us
Fairfax County:
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors http://www.fairfaxc ounty.gov/ opa/aboutbos. htm:
Gerald E. Connolly/Chair chairman@ fairfaxcounty. gov
Sharon Bulova/ViceChair braddock@ fairfaxcounty. gov
John W. Foust/Dranesville Dist. dranesville@ fairfaxcounty. gov
Michael R. Frey/Sully Dist. sully@ fairfaxcounty. gov
Penelope A. Gross/Mason Dist. mason@ fairfaxcounty. gov
(Mr.) Pat Herrity/Springfield Dist. springfield@ fairfaxcounty. gov
Catherine M. Hudgins/Hunter Mill Dist. hntrmill@ fairfaxcounty. gov
Gerald W. Hyland/Mt. Vernon Dist. mtvernon@ fairfaxcounty. gov
Jeff C. McKay/Lee District leedist@ fairfaxcounty. gov
Linda Q. Smyth/Providence Dist. provdist@ fairfaxcounty. gov
Fairfax Zoning Administrator Eileen M. McLane eileen.mclane@ fairfaxcounty. gov
General Assembly:
Senate – Fairfax County
George L. Barker district39@ sov.state.va. us
Ken Cuccinelli district37@ sov.state.va. us
Mark R. Herring district33@ sov.state.va. us
Janet Howell district32@ sov.state.va. us
Chap Petersen district34@ sov.state.va. us
Toddy Puller district36@ sov.state.va. us
Richard L. Saslaw district35@ sov.state.va. us
House of Delegates – Fairfax County
David B. Albo DelDAlbo@ house.state. va.us
Kristen J. Amundson DelKAmundson@ house.state. va.us
David L. Bulova DelDBulova@ house.state. va.us
C. Charles Caputo DelCCaputo@ house.state. va.us
Adam P. Ebbin DelAEbbin@ house.state. va.us
Timothy D. Hugo DelTHugo@ house.state. va.us
Robert D. Hull DelRHull@ house.state. va.us
David W. Marsden DelDMarsden@ house.state. va.us
Brian J. Moran DelBMoran@ house.state. va.us
Kenneth R. Plum DelKPlum@ house.state. va.us
Thomas D. Rust DelTRust@ house.state. va.us
James M. Scott DelJScott@ house.state. va.us
Stephen C. Shannon DelSShannon@ house.state. va.us
Mark D. Sickles DelMSickles@ house.state. va.us
Margaret G. Vanderhye DelMVanderhye@ house.state. va.us
Vivian E. Watts DelVWatts@ house.state. va.us
Senate – Arlington County
Patricia S. Ticer district30@ sov.state.va. us
also covers part of Fairfax County
Mary Margaret Whipple district31@ sov.state.va. us
also covers part of Fairfax County
House of Delegates – Arlington County
Robert H. Brink DelRBrink@ house.state. va.us
Albert C. Eisenberg DelAEisenberg@ house.state. va.us
David L. Englin DelDEnglin@ house.state. va.us
Email list:
countyboard@ arlingtonva. us. wtejada@ arlingtonva. us, bfavola@ arlingtonva. us, jfisette@ arlingtonva. us, mhynes@ arlingtonva. us, czimmerman@ arlingtonva. us, martman@ arlingtonva. us, chairman@ fairfaxcounty. gov, braddock@ fairfaxcounty. gov, dranesville@ fairfaxcounty. gov, sully@ fairfaxcounty. gov, mason@ fairfaxcounty. gov, springfield@ fairfaxcounty. gov, hntrmill@ fairfaxcounty. gov, mtvernon@ fairfaxcounty. gov, leedist@ fairfaxcounty. gov, provdist@ fairfaxcounty. gov, eilleen.mclane@ fairfaxcounty. gov, district39@ sov.state.va. us, district37@ sov.state.va. us, district33@ sov.state.va. us, district32@ sov.state.va. us, district34@ sov.state.va. us, district36@ sov.state.va. us, district35@ sov.state.va. us, DelDAlbo@ house.state. va.us, DelKAmundson@ house.state. va.us, DelDBulova@ house.state. va.us, DelCCaputo@ house.state. va.us, DelAEbbin@ house.state. va.us, DelTHugo@ house.state. va.us, DelRHull@ house.state. va.us, DelDMarsden@ house.state. va.us, DelBMoran@ house.state. va.us, DelKPlum@ house.state. va.us, DelTRust@ house.state. va.us, DelJScott@ house.state. va.us, DelSShannon@ house.state. va.us, DelMSickles@ house.state. va.us, DelMVanderhye@ house.state. va.us, DelVWatts@ house.state. va.us, district30@ sov.state.va. us, district31@ sov.state.va. us, DelRBrink@ house.state. va.us, DelAEisenberg@ house.state. va.us, DelDEnglin@ house.state. va.us
Also visit: http://www.fairfaxc ounty.gov/ opa/aboutbos. htm:
Please act NOW unless you want rescue to disappear.
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