Metro Richmond Small Animal Adoption Network

In the Richmond, Virginia area, there is a notorious lack of services for small animals. There are only a handful of vets capable of treating them, a very small number of shelters that even accept them if an owner wants to rehome their pets, and along with the lack of services a lack of awareness about how to properly care for small animals. Small animals -- guinea pigs, rabbits, birds, and others -- are "dumped" in parks, dumpsters, and on the side of the road and left to fend for themselves. I want to change that by providing a resource for vet information, adoptions, fostering, and information regarding the care of small animals. By changing the outlook on and resources available for small animals, I can change their lives in my community. I want to create a network of volunteers to support the development of enhanced services for and awareness of small animals in my community. This includes fosterers, a place for adoptions postings, and welfare information that will help small animal owners make good decisions for their pets. My organization would help to educate the public on small animal welfare: they need specialized vet care, and my website would list all of the vets in the area that are capable of providing that service (there are only two at this time and neither are well-advertised, so they are not really utilized by small animal owners). I plan to provide an outlet for people looking to rehome their small animals to help reduce the number of animals abandoned in parks, dumpsters, and other locations around the city. There are very few shelters willing to take in small animals, so this service would provide a crucial service to the community that would directly impact the lives of the animals. I also plan to attract a network of volunteers who would be willing to foster small animals (either taken in off the street or from the few shelters that accept them when their time is up). My website would also include an area for fosters to register and coordinate, as well as an adoptions section for the animals in our foster care. Finally, I will have an information section, dedicated to providing the community the most important, up to date information on small animal care. Lack of services for small animals goes hand in hand with lack of awareness, and my community could greatly benefit from a better knowledge of how to care for small animals; as pets, their lives are just as important as cats and dogs, and they should be treated with respect.