artanimals

This past Christmas ART’s Pit Bull Awareness Coalition took home the Chairman’s Award in the Grand Illumination parade held in Norfolk. The theme of the parade was “A Sweet Life” and we decked out our float and dogs as Pup Cakes, a play on the word “cupcakes.” The dogs performed obedience moves such as “sit” and “lay down”, while the song “How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You” played.

“We are making strides with educating people about pit bulls,” said Rhoda Tucker, chairperson of the PBAC. “Our dogs are Canine Good Citizen certified. Some of them are even therapy dogs.”

Unfortunately we were declined participation in the Chesapeake holiday parade and in the Norfolk St. Patrick’s Day parade. We were told by parade officials that the dogs posed a threat to public safety.

“There is so much myth out there about pit bulls,” Rhoda said. “Although our group is making a difference and people are starting to see the truth, people are still so afraid of this breed when there is no reason to be. We will continue our work to stop the discrimination against pit bulls.” If you support our position, please visitwwwARTanimals.org and donate.

Here are two figures that might surprise you.

$51,290 – The amount ART spends on it’s SpayHR program.
These funds are used to run the mobile spay/neuter clinic. Our SpayHR program has provided free spay/neuter for 624 dogs and 1,184 cats of lower-income Norfolk families since our first clinic. In 2011 the city run Norfolk Animal Care Center sheltered 5,673 dogs and cats.  By the end of the year, 2,643 had been killed. Our momentum is growing, and we are confident that our efforts will pay off and lower these depressing numbers.  Spaying and neutering animals in families who otherwise could not afford it will help to lower shelter killings.

$26,841 – The amount ART spends on direct service to cats and dogs. These funds are used for our foster animals, feral trap/neuter/release program, community Pit Bull aid and community medical assistance.

In this economy, we are so grateful for such generous donors and partners. In an effort to save funds, we have changed our newsletter by eliminating the return envelope and converting to a self mailer. Instead of mailing a donation, we encourage you to visit our website where donating is easy and secure. As always, we appreciate your kindness!