A dog belonging to Robin Starr, chief executive officer of the Richmond SPCA, died last week after being left alone for about four hours in her car.
This morning, Starr and her husband, Ed, cried while recounting the story of what happened last Wednesday morning in an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch at the SPCA's offices.
Ed Starr said that last Wednesday, as his wife prepared for work, he put the couple's 16-year-old dog into her Volvo station wagon. She often took the dog -- a deaf and blind mutt named Louie -- to work with her, according to the couple. He was her favorite dog, she said.
Robin Starr arrived at work about 8 a.m. without realizing that the dog was in the car, they said. Ed Starr said he forgot to tell her Louie was in her car.
"I just forgot . . . and didn’t think about it until I got this frantic phone call from Robin. I knew immediately what I had done," he said today.
About noon, Robin Starr went to her car to go get lunch, and that's when she noticed Louie in the car. She took the dog inside to the SPCA clinic, then to an emergency veterinary clinic in Carytown. The dog died about midnight of kidney failure, the Starrs said.
“At 16, he just laid down where you put him and didn’t make a peep,” she said. “He never made a peep in the car; he’d just lay there in the back.”
According to the National Weather Service, last Wednesday's temperature in Richmond was 79 degrees at 8 a.m. and had reached 91 by noon.
Tamsen Kingry, the SPCA's chief operating officer, said this morning that "the SPCA board of directors does not waiver in its support" of Robin Starr. She has been CEO of the Richmond SPCA since 1997. Starr said she does not plan to resign.
Robin Starr has been an outspoken critic of Michael Vick and his role in a Virginia dogfighting operation, and of several local residents who were charged with animal neglect that led to animal deaths.
For more on this story, see tomorrow's Richmond Times-Dispatch.
-- Jeremy Slayton
Nexgenrulz
08-26-2009, 06:07 PM
An unfortunate tragedy. It still doesn't change the fact that Vick intentionally murdered innocent dogs. He is a piece of shit who should have never been allowed to play in the NFL again!
GymBrat98
08-26-2009, 06:37 PM
I'm a animal lover, and always have been. That was sad that she forgot about her dog in the car.
Now about MV, if his incarceration made him realize the error of his ways, that's a good thing. Being famous, he can help many more animals get placed for adoption. I persosnally don't want to see someone loose their lively hood, when good can come from it. Especially when he has served his time. There are people like Bernard Law who have done far worst imo, and he never served any jail time!
SOBAY310
08-26-2009, 06:42 PM
I have to echo what brat is saying. Michael Vick screwed up. He served his time, now he is going to go do community work that will end up saving more dogs than he killed.
This story wasn't posted to defend M. Vick, it was a terrible ironic tragedy. Just another reminder to always be aware of your surroudings. You just never know.
oblioman
08-26-2009, 09:40 PM
me thinks it would be a nice gesture on MV's part to buy her a puppy.
GLOW
08-27-2009, 01:32 AM
A similar incident happened near where I grew up, except it was a baby instead of a dog. Mother and father both thought the other brought the baby back into the house but it was still sitting out there in the car. Very sad story. :( Like SOBAY said, you need to always be aware.
kamspy
08-27-2009, 04:38 AM
:lol:
At least the ones Mike killed were wild animals in need of being put down from fighting wounds.
This jackass killed a perfectly good, domesticated dog.
sjt1985
08-27-2009, 07:46 AM
Why is it that I read about stuff like this every summer. It happens with animals as well as people (kids) being left in hot cars for extended periods of time. Where are people's brains?
Why do some people (not just on this forum) think that starting a post with "I'm an animal lover", they can say whatever they want? That's like Charles Manson saying "I like celebrities" and then saying it's okay to kill them. Or maybe it's okay to kill them as long as you 'do your time' afterwards. Just cause you gave us that disclaimer doesn't mean it's true. And you can't compare punishment of 'Person A' with punishment of 'Person B'.
eck979
08-27-2009, 08:15 AM
:lol:
in need of being put down from fighting wounds.
I'm not so sure that all of the dogs Vick and his boys killed had mortal wounds from fighting.
As a matter of fact I'm quite sure that's not the case for a lot of them.
sawzalot
08-27-2009, 08:46 AM
Why is it that I read about stuff like this every summer. It happens with animals as well as people (kids) being left in hot cars for extended periods of time. Where are people's brains?
Why do some people (not just on this forum) think that starting a post with "I'm an animal lover", they can say whatever they want? That's like Charles Manson saying "I like celebrities" and then saying it's okay to kill them. Or maybe it's okay to kill them as long as you 'do your time' afterwards. Just cause you gave us that disclaimer doesn't mean it's true. And you can't compare punishment of 'Person A' with punishment of 'Person B'.The only person in this thread that started out their post with "I'm an animal lover" was Gymbratt and she is an animal lover as we all know.I don't think that she said quote-" whatever she wants about it being allright to kill animals as long as you do your time ", she is just conveying an opinion that a lot of people have about punishment for crimes and moving on with your life afterwards.This is why we have a justice system in place to punish people for their misdoings and allowing them to re-start their life after.It just so happens that Mike Vick is a football player-I'll use that term loosely-and not working in some other field.The fact the his job puts him back in the limelight is what pisses people off but I as an avid Eagles fan can assure you that the guy is laying low in all football related media the only public appearance that he has made is in his attempts to reconcile with the animal world(spca and peta functions).So with that being said I don't feel he is seeking the glory and fame he is just trying to perform in the field of employment that he is accustomed to.The comparison to C.Manson is way off the wall, one instance is human life and the other we are talking about dogs very far apart and completely ridiculous comparison. I do also feel as though he served his punishment and has the right to move on in any positive direction that is afforded to him and no I am not an animal lover, heck I dont even like people.
sjt1985
08-27-2009, 09:33 AM
one instance is human life and the other we are talking about dogs very far apart and completely ridiculous comparison. I do also feel as though he served his punishment and has the right to move on in any positive direction that is afforded to him and no I am not an animal lover, heck I dont even like people.
I share similar sentiment toward people that you do - don't like em. I don't understand where people got this 'human life is more important than animal life'. Do people say this because we are people? Is it because we are smarter that we have more of a right to live? Is it because we are stronger that we have a right to torture? That's the same type of thinking that was abolished since the civil war. It was no longer right to torture another person just because they were "not as smart" or different than you. Dogs are different than people, not as smart, but they still feel pain.
It reminds me a lot of the movie "Gladiator" when people were captured and made to fight eachother till the death. Have we as humans not evolved much since then? :what:
oblioman
08-27-2009, 04:24 PM
I share similar sentiment toward people that you do - don't like em. I don't understand where people got this 'human life is more important than animal life'. Do people say this because we are people? Is it because we are smarter that we have more of a right to live? Is it because we are stronger that we have a right to torture? That's the same type of thinking that was abolished since the civil war. It was no longer right to torture another person just because they were "not as smart" or different than you. Dogs are different than people, not as smart, but they still feel pain.
It reminds me a lot of the movie "Gladiator" when people were captured and made to fight eachother till the death. Have we as humans not evolved much since then? :what:
Evolution is learning, adapting, and changing over time. Some people have come to the end of their evolutionary tree. To bad it was at the root. :hithere:
GymBrat98
08-27-2009, 05:34 PM
Why is it that I read about stuff like this every summer. It happens with animals as well as people (kids) being left in hot cars for extended periods of time. Where are people's brains?
Why do some people (not just on this forum) think that starting a post with "I'm an animal lover", they can say whatever they want? That's like Charles Manson saying "I like celebrities" and then saying it's okay to kill them. Or maybe it's okay to kill them as long as you 'do your time' afterwards. Just cause you gave us that disclaimer doesn't mean it's true. And you can't compare punishment of 'Person A' with punishment of 'Person B'.
I could GAF what you think of my post newbie. If that's what you got out of what I said, so be it!
You will now be on ignore!:rolleyes:
tcarcio
08-27-2009, 05:45 PM
That's sad. How do you not know your dog is in the car unless the dog was asleep on the floor in the back. They must feel horrible.
Cygnus
08-31-2009, 11:10 AM
The Starrs should be jailed immediately, rite? :rolleyes: :what:
