How did this law come about? We believe there is a strong possibility that it is payback to whistleblowers:
http://www.no-sb-260.com/whyhappen.html
Virginia pounds and shelters aren't much to be proud of. Although the best of them are wonderful, only 10-15% are in full compliance with the law and there are some real hellholes. Volunteer rescuers are the most likely and determined whistle blowers and we've made some people pretty mad.
In the 1990s the The City of Richmond Animal Pound had a reputation for unsanitary and inhumane practices, even for outright cruelty. Euthanasia, for example, is required by Virginia law to be painless but was being done by the very painful method of "heart-sticking". In 1996 a group of concerned citizens formed SOS (Save Our Shelters) to press for change. Within a few months the group grew to over 30 and began to do a lot of animal rescue work as well. The fight to clean up the Pound was a long one, fought with Freedom Of Information Act requests and pictures from the SOS side and with harassment from the pound side.
One of the discoveries was that the State Veterinarian had had many complaints about the unsatisfactory conditions at the Richmond pound and indeed, there were similar reports about infractions at other pounds. The State Vet, however, had taken no action on these complaints and listed those pounds as being 'in compliance,' with animals receiving good care.
.... In 1999 the management of the Richmond City pound was replaced. SOS then pressed for a law that would allow fines to be levied against chronically sub-standard animal pounds unless they were doing their best to improve. The law was passed unanimously in 2000. However in 2001 and again in 2002 the effective date was delayed by lobbying from the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies.
Who were the drafters and chief lobbyists for SB 260? The VFHS. And after being made to look much worse than 'inefficient' by SOS' ongoing exposure of his failure to act on reports from his own investigators, what would you guess is the State Veterinarian's view of animal rescuers?
In our opinion 'rescuer control and payback,' is a third important reason for SB 260. And if the law survives, the next rescue group that campaigns to clean up an animal pound will have an even more dangerous battle because the State Vet will be able to call for rescuer searches at will and (since the law is too vague to know if you are 'legal'), find as many violations as he wants.