The Most Hated Person In Town

in #life7 years ago (edited)

“Trespasers will be SHOT” said the words spray-painted on the singlewide’s mildewed aluminum siding. I read them out loud as we drove past, and I laughed. My soon-to-be-husband didn’t crack a smile. “Better believe they mean it, too,” he said, like that sort of thing was as common as coal dust.

This was one of my first visits to his hometown, a small, rural community nestled in the hills of Central Appalachia. I am a born-and-raised Georgia girl, native of the Deep South, where people can be catty and sometimes criminal, but never so overtly threatening that they’d spray-paint warnings of deadly intent on the sides of their homes. This should have been my first clue that the rules are different here. But I was young and in love, spellbound by the magic of the mountains and the idea of starting over in an area so rich in culture and history.

SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT COMING

Years later, after learning of the outrageous kill rate at our local animal shelter and the overwhelming number of dogs dumped and abandoned in Tazewell County, I founded a 501c3 nonprofit rescue in hopes of offering some relief for this problem. Going hand in glove with that was an urgent need to make the community aware of the situation, and begin educating people about better ways to treat our animals. You’d think this sort of outreach would be welcome. You’d think county officials would be grateful for an offer of help, and that residents would be overjoyed that someone had stepped up to run a high-volume rescue in one of the highest-kill counties in Virginia.

Wrong.

For my first meeting with county officials, I prepared a video presentation complete with facts and statistics and lots of visuals. When it ended, I was treated to a lecture by the shelter director about everything I had just done wrong, right down to the tone of my voice. The shelter director then assured the county administrator that he had everything well in hand. It didn’t matter that our county of fewer than 45,000 residents had killed more dogs the previous year than five of Virginia’s major metropolitan areas combined—our shelter was just fine, because it had passed state inspection for the past seven years in a row.

When the proverbial poo really hit the fan, though, is when I suggested on social media that the residents of Tazewell County should take responsibility for their role in this problem. I stuck to the facts at first, simply presented evidence—evidence that was seldom flattering to our community, but nonetheless true.

I illustrated my points with photos of dogs locked in hot cars outside Walmart on 85-degree afternoons, of dogs riding unsecured in pickup beds on the four-lane, of dogs tethered by heavy chains unable to reach shelter or water.


I called attention to a dog with no front paws (after a severe case of frostbite) who was left outside in the snow with no shelter.
I showed evidence of a foundered pony with hooves curled like skis that the county veterinarian said needed no care, of a dog impounded at the shelter for 22 days with a metal prong from a broken collar embedded in his neck, of abandoned and neglected dogs and cats by the dozens.

Did this provoke outrage in the community? You bet it did. Against me.

I’ve been threatened with bodily harm. Called every name in the book. Told by my contracts attorney that the Commonwealth Attorney was processing felony charges against me, although the nature of them was never specified. (To my knowledge, I’ve never committed a felony of any type.)

I was asked by the local Sheriff’s Office to submit to a polygraph test after reporting the dog with the embedded collar, despite the fact that I had extensive veterinary documentation as well as video and photographic evidence of the wound itself. County officials have been witnessed telling people in our community not to donate to my organization, because we are “fraudulent.” We have never been officially accused of any crime or malfeasance, nor have we ever failed an inspection of our property or animals.

LET ME DUMP MY PROBLEMS ON YOU BECAUSE THE WORLD OWES ME

Several days ago, at 8:15 in the morning, I was awakened by the dogs. When I looked out to see what had them so upset, I saw a pickup sitting in the parking area. By the time I got from the bedroom to the front door, a man was coming down my steps on the side of the house.

“I left you a box full of kittens up there,” he said glibly, as pleased with himself as if he’d just donated a hundred dollars.

I blinked in surprise. “You left a box of kittens on my porch?”

“Yeah, I did.”

First of all, it is illegal in Virginia to dump any animal, even on the grounds of shelter property. A person-to-person exchange has to occur. But my private property is not a shelter. I run a home-based rescue. Huge difference. There is no sign or marking on the property to indicate we are a rescue, shelter, pound, or business of any kind. Secondly, this man had crossed a closed gate and climbed 22 steps to leave a box of live kittens on a side porch where they may have never been discovered, at 8:15 in the morning, well before reasonable business hours.

I had what is commonly known in the Southern United States as a hissy fit. No, I was not polite, nor was I professional. And I make no apology for that whatsoever.

I got it all on video, including an admission by the man that he crossed a closed gate and entered private property. I took photos of both men as they were leaving as well as the tag number of the truck. Then I filed a police report and indicated that I wanted to press charges. I had made the man take the kittens with him, since my rescue does not meet the minimum standards of quarantine for cat intakes (that requires a separate ventilation system since most cat diseases are airborne) and because we are so seriously underfunded that most days I don’t even know where the next bag of dog food is going to come from. There is no way we could take on the extra responsibility of kittens who may or may not be sick, who would all require vaccines, deworming, and sterilization. . .and for whom we have absolutely no outlet for. They would live here until they died of old age, because out-of-state rescues won’t take cats and you can’t even pay people to take them as pets around here.

Keep in mind that the last time my organization rescued a litter of puppies who needed urgent medical care (photo at left) and posted on Facebook for emergency donations, the Sheriff’s Office called me the next day and said they received a complaint that we didn’t have enough money to obtain proper veterinary care for the animals, and that the puppies should be seized. I felt pressured to prove we’d gotten emergency care for the puppies, not only for the Sheriff's Office, but for the public. Easy enough to do, but am I alone in thinking the complaint was petty and spiteful, and absolutely absurd?

The Sheriff’s Department declined to press charges against the man for dumping the kittens, or for trespass. Since he took the kittens with him, a good lawyer would probably get him out of a dumping charge. Fine. Still, he clearly trespassed on private property, and admitted on video to crossing a closed gate. But since it was my property he trespassed on, maybe the deputy who took the report knew the Commonwealth Attorney would not support the case if it went to court. It’s common knowledge that I supported his opponent in the last election.

IT GETS WORSE

The story doesn't end there. On Facebook, I took a beatdown for posting about the incident, and for refusing to take the kittens--even though I have twelve healthy cats here who don’t deserve exposure to diseases I can’t protect them from, and even though I can’t afford to take on the responsibility of more animals at this time. The very people condemning me for turning the kittens away are most likely the same crowd who made sure I got a call from the Sheriff’s Office over that box full of maggot-infested puppies. Which proves to me that no one is concerned at all about the animals, only with destroying all the work I’ve put into this very "real," state-reporting, 501c3 nonprofit rescue over the past five years.

If it were just words, I probably wouldn't feel so much concern. But it's our livelihood, too, and the efforts by this community to withhold support and sponsorship is gradually starving us out.

There have also been some overt threats, harrassment of the few volunteers we have managed to keep, and physical actions taken against my personal property. Last night, I went outside to find a tire on my vehicle flat, with a puncture in the sidewall. Can I prove someone knifed it? Probably not. Should I report it to law enforcement? Well, seeing as how nothing was done about a man trespassing on my property, that seems a bit futile. This whole region is dangerous and dark. A trip to town (courtesy of my husband and the four fully-inflated tires on his Cherokee) and I found myself immersed in a conversation with a store clerk who tells me someone is tossing poisoned tins of cat food into her yard. Every day, I have to tell someone that I cannot take the pet they’re attempting to “get rid of.” Every day. And now this punctured tire—I think I’ve reached my limit.

This is a community that desperately needs help, but will accept no responsibility. A community that resents any implication that the sea of unwanted animals, or the epidemic of opiod abuse, or the poverty, or the high school dropout rate of one in four is in any way a result of its own cultural dysfunction. I don’t know how to keep moving forward with positive contributions when the air is so saturated with hostility, and the corruption in local government goes all the way to the top.

I can think of nothing anyone reading this can do to help. But I know that what goes into the blockchain is permanent, and can’t be deleted like Facebook posts. My author website contained a blog post about felony animal cruelty at a shelter in a neighboring county, and it was hacked a couple months ago. The Go Daddy database was purged of all files in my account at the server level. Someone with considerable skill meant for that blog post to disappear, and disappear it did. I don’t think they can do the same thing with Steemit. So let’s just consider this permanent documentation, and a heck of a good opportunity for me to vent.

In case anyone thinks I’m out in left field with all of this, please know that when the Sheriff’s Office asked me to take that polygraph, it was Michelle Welch herself, head of the Virginia State Attorney General’s Office Animal Law Unit, who advised me to refuse. Not because I was guilty of anything, but because the request itself was entirely inappropriate given the circumstances. I do have connections in Virginia, and friends. Just not here in Tazewell County.

God help us all.

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I relate ! on a much lesser level though!

I live in a holler where 3 roads converge. On a regular basis animals are left down in here. I don't know why people think this is a good idea. Coyotes and other animals and ... they usually end up in very bad shape. The animals don't just hop out of the car and then run right to our door. Well, some dogs will but not many.

Fortunately we have a better situation here with the shelter. And, because we live where we live, I have animal control on speed dial. But the last time someone dumped a dog was a Friday afternoon and the shelter didn't open until Tuesday and we don't have a decent way to quarantine one more animal!

So my husband had an idea but we didn't really have a lot of hope. We made a box that said "Free Dog or Pound Dog." Staked the box and the dog down out near the road.

How little hope did we have? We were too busy trying to plan out the what if's of providing shelter for 4 night stay to notice the dog was gone within 30 minutes. Our lead and collar left with him but we really, really didn't mind. Small expense.

The area is so saturated with animals that I really didn't expect anyone to even be able to take in another dog.

One of the biggest hugest problems is that people super often end up with animals because the animal arrives at their doorstep. They have to take it to the shelter or they have to be able to afford to feed and shelter it and keep vermin off of them ... most people around here can barely afford to feed themselves. They can hardly stand the idea of the poor animal at the shelter so they feed it as best they can ... but then babies happen and it all gets out of hand. There's simply no way to afford the expense of vets and etc. They may not be able to take perfect care but it's better than seeing and animal put down.

And vets can't be expected to work for free ... cause legals.

This is not to say there aren't cases of extreme neglect.

Another thing about the Appalachian people is that they are fiercely proud. Last thing they want is to face anyone anyone and admit a need.

And we've been warned not to advertise them in the craigslist etc because dog fights are still a thing here.

I don't envy you your work!

Oh wow @rhondak! How can 'people' act like this to animals? It beggars belief.

You perform a fantastic service for your local community even though some don't see it that way. I hope Steemit can help you and the shelter gain much needed funds for such a worthy cause.

Resteemed for visibility

Bless you, @GMuxx . Thank you.

That is one of the primary reasons I'm so serious about cultivating an audience and following--wouldn't it be great PR for Steemit if we could add "supplies resources for animal rescue" to its growing list of benevolent achievements? :-)

Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by rhondak from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, and someguy123. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows and creating a social network. Please find us in the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.

If you like what we're doing please upvote this comment so we can continue to build the community account that's supporting all members.

It's wonderful what you are doing. It's hard to believe what people do to defenseless animals.

Yes, it really is hard to grasp how cruel people can be, to animals and other people, too.

I had to lock down my FB after stating my opinions openly about tax payer property being used to promote one religion over others. I went to Tazewell High School, I graduated from it, and moved on. Believe it or not, going to Tazewell High school was seen as "moving up in the world" when I left Berwind, WV. I, for one, can attest to what Rhonda has posted here based on my own experiences of the area.

I left.

I will go back, my parents are still there, but I won't put them in danger so I'll keep blocking, I'll keep my opinions to myself on most things to do with the place, but I'll keep fighting, quietly and in the ways that I can. Rhonda is not joking, she's not "bigging it up" as they'd say there. I don't doubt a single word that she says because I'm FROM the place. Support her if you can, she needs it living there. She really does.

You absolutely did the right thing by getting out and staying out. One day I may do the same thing. I just worry about the animals.

What you're doing is so admirable. I don't know how you can do this work when I can barely stand to look at the pictures you've posted. Reading this halfway through made me sick, but I had to force myself to finish-- that's the least I can do, right? Please please keep doing what you're doing. You have my upvote.

Thank you. It has definitely taken its toll on me.

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