The Paw Prints Chronicle
A Letter From the President
We’ve always had dogs in the home since the day I was born. We also got our first cat when I was 16, and more cats kept coming home with me after that. My mom, Florence, would find every excuse in the world for them not to go back with me to school or even off to my new coaching jobs around the country. Mom loved them all in the same smothering way she loves me – feeding them way too many treats, giving them a hundred different blankets, beds, and toys to make sure they were
comfortable, and extolling to anyone she could about how wonderful they were.
After Mom faced the loss of her previous dog, Rusty, I knew we had to fill that hole left in our family by that precious mutt. Enter Hattie, an oopsie mutt from a backyard breeder that was being surrendered to a shelter. We have no idea what her
actual breed is, but all we knew was that she was full of energy, love, and kisses. Hattie has been Mom’s constant companion ever since.
Recently, Mom was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and had a fall that required her to be hospitalized and in a rehab facility for a month and a half. Unfortunately, that meant no Hattie by her side. Mom’s consistent plea throughout her stay
was to be able to go home to see her dog. Once she was able to go home, Mom picked up right where she left off, often telling me stories about Hattie’s adventures.
A couple of weeks after her return home, it was suggested that Mom’s treatment be stopped; her body was too weak to handle it’s harshness anymore. Mom was moved to hospice care where she quickly passed away with Hattie at her side.
Hattie now spends her days as my father’s constantcompanion, probably just how Mom would havewanted it. We love you so much, Mama. I promise we will takethe best care of Hattie.
Sincerely,
Heidi Freitager, President
A Thank You to Our Volunteers
As a small, rural shelter, we have evolved, expanded, and continued to save adoptable pets because of you who donate your time, talents, money, homes, and lives to keep Nelson SPCA thriving. Thank you for all you give!
Nelson SPCA exists on the foundation of the kind and generous people who support the shelter. Over the years:
- You have donated your old towels, and fostered wiggly puppies.
- You have covered the desk, answered the phone, and served cold beverages at Fridays After Five.
- You have cleaned cat boxes, set feral traps, and painted murals on the kennel room walls.
- You have reached the public on a local radio show and walked dogs every Thursday for countless years.
- You have fed orphaned kittens every 2 hours, and you have helped load the cats for transport.
- You have managed our investments and returned pets to their families at the Spay/Neuter drop-off.
- You have taken in owner-surrenders, and comforted grieving pet lovers who have suffered a loss.
- You have sponsored kennel construction and made posters for events.
- You have donated items for silent auctions and passed out dollops of wet cat food in the afternoons.
- You’ve monitored the upkeep of our vans and driven animals to the emergency vet.
- You have provided training to dogs and volunteers alike.
- You have coordinated school kids and comforted our animals when their time comes.
- You have wielded a hammer and purchased storage sheds.
- You have installed our appliances, replaced lightbulbs, changed the air filters, and spread mulch in the yard.
- You have sponsored new fencing and well-worn building maintenance and hauled litter and food from Lovingston Farm Supply.
- You have administered vaccines and dispatched hair balls.
- You have hosted the SPCA’s Holiday Party, and catered events.
- You have donated plants for our property and landscaping talent for our facilities and served on our Board of Directors.
- You have walked dogs in parades and cared for felines at Pet Supplies Plus.
- You have manned the Thrift Store, sorting donations and displaying merchandise, and composed animal bios for the website.
- You have spent countless hours caring and written generous checks.
- You have given wonderful, loving, safe and happy homes to the animals, as well as funded anything else we desperately need for the animals at Nelson SPCA.
As a small, rural shelter, we have evolved, expanded,and continued to save adoptable pets because of you who donate your time, talents, money, homes, andlives to keep Almost Home thriving. Thank you for all you give to Nelson SPCA.
— From the HS/SPCA of Nelson County Board of Directors
Celebrating 20 Years…A Look Back At Our Roots
By Bette Grahame
As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of our Almost Home Pet Adoption Center, I would like to reflect on the journey from our humble beginnings to where we stand today.
1979
In 1979, a small group of concerned residents joined together to convince the county supervisors that an animal shelter was badly needed in the county. Up until that time, unclaimed strays were tied to trees at a site in Shipman and shot to death.
This group of ordinary people with extraordinary hearts, was committed to ending these inhumane practices. The group was officially incorporated as the Humane Society of Nelson County on June 11, 1981. In 1986 SPCA was officially added to the title.
1983
In 1983, local veterinarian and member of the Humane Society Board, Dr. Steuart Ligon, submitted plans for an animal shelter to be located at the county landfill in Arrington. The highschool building trades class constructed the small building which consisted of four concrete runs. This became the county’s animal control facility. The grand opening was held on October 21,1984.
1985
I moved to the county in the fall of 1985. In March of 1987, a friend invited me to go to a Humane Society meeting and we both became active members serving on the board. Before long, I was elected president, thus beginning a long journey for me and the Humane Society.
1991
In 1991, the county contracted the HS/SPCA to manage the Animal Control Facility. The HS/SPCA began making many improvements over the next few years. A small building was brought in to serve as the office and another one as a storage area.
Fencing was put in by volunteers for outside exercise yards. Local landscaper, Susan Gardner, donated her service to landscape the shelter with trees and shrubs she solicited from local nurseries. The Nelson County Home Builders Association erected a 12 by 24 building with materials paid for by the HS/SPCA to house puppies and cats. The HS/SPCA contributed 10,000 dollars for state-of-the-art modular kennels.
1996
In June of 1996, the HS/SPCA began participating in a puppy rescue program, transporting puppies to the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, Massachusetts. This program continues and has expanded to dogs and cats. Local pet stores agreed to help the HS/SPCA by placing cats for adoption in their stores. As a result of all of these initiatives, adoptions went from less than 2% to 40% of shelter animals, but we were still having to humanely euthanize dogs.
1998
In 1998, following the death of longtime animal control officer Joe McFadden, Sherry Blanchett was hired as the new Animal Control Officer and she convinced the county supervisors that there was a dangerous level of rabies in the county and the shelter should be closed to the public.
The county terminated its contract with the HS/SPCA and closed the facility to the public. The HS/SPCA was permitted to take 30 dogs, 10 puppies and several cats and these were placed in foster homes and taken out for adoption to stores and community events by HS/SPCA volunteers. Many unwanted cats and kittens were also taken in from the public and cared for and transported.
2000
In 2000, Bo and Nancy Newell of Mountain Area Realty purchased two acres of land at the intersection of Route 29 North and Stagebridge Road, as a gift for the site of the HS/SPCA’s no-kill shelter. Lots of fundraising followed:
- 7 Animal House Balls
- Golf Tournament at Wintergreen
- Polo Match at Rita Mae Brown’s farm
- Room Sponsorhip
- Individual contributions
Left – Right Pat Alterneder, Anne Wood, Tedi Wright, Carolyn Lafon, Raychel Shepler, Bette Grahame, Peyton Coyner
2003
On April 17, 2003, former Nelson County resident, Lindsey Karl of Karl- Cannon Architecture Works donated her services to design the new HS/SPCA no-kill facility. Al Stacey of Gaia Homes was hired as General Contractor and donated his profits back to HS/SPCA.
Another critical piece of the puzzle fell into place when Bo Newell, Peyton Coyner, and Mike Sherwood all past HS/SPCA board members, loaned the HS/SPCA money for the construction. Further generosity was provided by Jim Klemic’s company Axel Demolition who donated the bricks for the building. Better Living in Charlottesville donated the cabinets for the shelter, and the Monroe Institute donated a sound system and hemi-sync CDs for the dog rooms.
Meg Smith donated her time and labor to construct outside dog runs utilizing the T- Kennels removed from the former animal control facility. Betsy Greenleaf donated her services to design landscaping with trees and shrubs she and her family and friends planted.
Area artists donated their time and talent to paint murals in the dog rooms making it look like the dogs were in homes, to send the message that dogs belong in a home with a family and not on a chain in the backyard. This heartfelt concept matched perfectly with the name Almost Home Pet Adoption Center, which was suggested by Rhon Schlick, the HS/SPCA’s first webmaster.
The complete HS/SPCA of Nelson County Board in 2004 who oversaw the opening of Almost Home Pet Adoption Center
2004
Finally, on April 24, 2004, Almost Home Pet Adoption Center had its grand opening. Initially operated by volunteers for the first two years, and with the support of our generous donors, were able to hire dedicated staff. Since that time, working with Nelson County Animal Control, all non-vicious dogs have been turned over to Almost Home Pet Adoption Center.
2013
In 2013, cooperative efforts between the HS/SPCA and Nelson County Animal Control have made Nelson County a no-kill county, resulting in saving over 22,500 animals.
Thank You Deena!
&
Welcome Heidi — Our New HS/SCPA President!
Following in the footsteps of the inimitable, amazing Bette Grahame, who had the vision and sheer determination to create Almost Home, Deena Hambsch had the unenviable challenge of leading our shelter when Bette retired. Like many great leaders, she didn’t seek the job, the job sought her. It is impossible for us to recount just how much time and effort Deena has put towards our shelter as we transitioned from a volunteer based organization to one with full-time staff, operating procedures, and a thousand other bureaucratic tasks needed to make sure that our staff and volunteers can keep their focus on the animals. It wasn’t easy, but she got us through it and those of us on the board can’t thank her enough.
Now we introduce Heidi Freitager, the organization’s 3rd President in 20 years. Heidi started out bringing home stray cats in high school, and has been committed to animal welfare ever since. She started fostering, and got involved with Almost home back in 2012. She formally joined the HS/SPCA of Nelson County Board of Directors in 2017, and has since also served as Vice President.
In her spare time, Heidi coaches Varsity Softball and runs her own business, and loves spending time with her large family of cats and dogs. We are so grateful to have her at the helm.
News , Notes , and Appreciations
The beginning of 2024 has seen a lot of work on grounds improvements at the shelter. Our dog runs, fencing and kennels are 20 years old and will be updated throughout the rest of this year with plans for ongoing maintenance. Our dedicated staff has been working with our board to improve and standardize some processes that will continue to grow our shelter and secure a bright future. We look forward to the release of our updated website later this year. We are really excited about it.
Supporters like you have made all of the positive changes around the shelter possible. Still, a couple call outs are necessary: Murray Elementary School 1st graders raised $1200 for us. Good job! Also, the Batesminster Dog Show raised and donated $2000 for us. Great Stuff!!!
Dive Deeper with Our Full Newsletter
We’re incredibly thankful for the unwavering support and generosity of our community. Your contributions have made a significant impact on the lives of countless animals, and we are thrilled to share the progress we’ve achieved together.
While we’ve highlighted many accomplishments here, there’s even more to explore in the full PDF newsletter. To dive deeper into the details, including a comprehensive list of the Gifts Received in 2023-2024, we invite you to download the newsletter PDF.
Your continued involvement is the key to our success, and we can’t thank you enough for being part of our journey.