Hello supporters, On Friday, May 19, I had a productive call with Matthew Gray, Virginia State Director at The Humane Society of the United States. Matthew is familiar with this petition and some of the exposure it has gotten. During our call, we discussed the challenges of this law proposition and how we can possibly overcome those challenges. Perhaps the best news to come out of the call was this: The Humane Society of the United States is 100% behind this effort; furthermore, Matthew stated that he would like HSUS to work with me in drafting a bill that would not only protect Virginia's dogs from extreme weather, but would impose new statewide regulations on tethering and shelter. You may remember that a statewide tethering bill was introduced to the General Assembly this past January and ultimately failed. We believe we understand the reasons for that failure, and will purposely redirect the manner in which this new bill will be proposed. Over the next few months, I will be collaborating with HSUS, the Richmond SPCA, the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies, and a few other animal organizations. Collectively, we are going to brainstorm the language and specifics of this bill, and how we intend to present it to lawmakers. Lastly, we also discussed the importance of continued media coverage on this petition. I'm sure everyone is tired of this plea, but it is crucial that we keep bombarding the media. It is the only way to make it known that WE WILL NOT GO AWAY! With that said, please click this link: http://www.vpa.net/images/pdf/2013directory_updated.pdf Beginning on page 14, you will find contacts for practically every newspaper in the state. I ask you to email AS MANY OF THEM as you can with this letter: 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 two months ago and is nearing 15,000 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, CBS6, WDBJ7, ABC8, the Roanoke Times, and the Bristol Herald Courier 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 Again, thank you for your continued support. This is certainly a team effort. - Gary