Hello supporters, While it's true that this petition came about because we need better animal laws in Virginia, it really started because of a personal experience. At the beginning of March 2017, I was sent a message about a dog in Henrico County that was being left outside day and night on a chain. The dog was visibly depressed and living in a yard with scraps of metal and trash. At that time, we were having unbelievably cold weather on a daily basis, especially overnight when it dropped below 15 degrees. A concerned neighbor asked me if anything could be done about it. I went to the house with some people from Gracie's Guardians and the Richmond Animal League. Our goal was to talk to the owner calmly and see if we could do anything to help the situation. We barely got five words out before the door was slammed in our faces. After calling Animal Control, we offered the owner an $800 fully insulated dog house - free of charge. The owner refused. Next, we offered to pay for two weeks at a pet resort so that the dog could at least sleep indoors during the cold spell. The owner refused. I spoke to Animal Control again and begged them to reason with the owner on our behalf. The AC officer told me directly that he would never keep his dog outside, and that it was inhumane, but that no law was being broken. Our hands were tied. We had to walk away, knowing that a dog was freezing outside every single night, never taken off its chain, and was given no attention or affection. And that was okay - because the law said so. Miraculously, the dog made it through the frigid temperatures. We're now into Spring. But come Summer, when the humidity skyrockets and the heat goes well into the 90s, that poor dog will still be outside on his chain, day and night, depressed and seemingly unwanted. THAT is why we're fighting to create this law - because he is just one of many dogs that are being abused and neglected through the many loopholes in Virginia's current animal legislation. Help us fight. We're hitting a lag in the amount of signatures being accumulated. We need to get well past 20,000, past 50,000 even. We need to show the lawmakers that this matters - that people care. We need to flood the media. Here's what you can do. Please copy this message: To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to make you aware of a large movement to pass legislation in Virginia that will protect dogs from being left outside in extreme weather. Several dogs have frozen to death and died of heat stroke, and this proposed law will prevent owners from openly abusing their dogs. A petition was started last month and is nearing 12,000 signatures. You can read the petition and the related statistics here: https://www.change.org/p/pass-a-virginia-law-requiring-dog-owners-to-keep-their-dogs-inside-in-harsh-temperatures PLEASE consider running a story on this movement. NBC12 and ABC8 have already covered it. This is quickly becoming a large mission and meetings are being set up with Virginia legislators. If you would like to reach Gary Sweeney, the creator of the petition, please email him at: gary@guardiansofrescue.org. Thank you very much for your time and consideration! Sincerely, Your name And email it to EVERY ONE of these addresses, multiple times if necessary: Newstips@wtvr.com Content@richmond.com News@newsvirginian.com Hneditor@gmail.com Info@insidenova.com News@wdbj7.com Circulation@starexponent.com News@dailyprogress.com lee.wolverton@roanoke.com Editor@powhatantoday.com Please also continue to share the petition on FB & Twitter and TAG as many people, rescues, shelters, SPCA locations, etc. as possible. Thank you for your continued support!