Animal Control's Failure

Are They Even Paying Attention?

Is Virginia Beach Animal Control Guilty of Neglect?

One would think that in suce a high-profile case, Virginia Beach Animal Control would go to great pains to assure that they followed the rules, their own procedure and set an example of how proper animal care should be provided.
But Virginia Beach Animal Control's attitude seems to be "Don't do as we do, just do as we say."

This Problem Just Won't Go Away!

According to the recent news reports, Virginia Beach Animal Control is charging Linda Johnson with "Failure to provide proper care" of her cats. You can read the most recent story from the Virginian Pilot RIGHT HERE.
It's really a recap of past events and where the case is at the present time.

Although Virginia Beach City Officials have, by and large, ignored this issue in the hopes that it would "just go away", several more "problems" have come from this "investigation" that should be known to everyone. 
Virginia Beach Officials are hiding behind voice-mail, administrative staff and probably their desks!
But hiding from the problems will only make them worse,
And here's why:

Is Virginia Beach Animal Providing "Proper Care" of Linda Johnson's Cats?

We think not, but we want you be the judge of that question.
Much of what has been reported here has been considered by City Officials as "mis-information" and we suspect that's because it's not their verson of events.
All we ask of you is fair consideration of the facts that we present.

Mayor Meyra Oberndorf stated in a recent E-Mail that she sent out to many people regarding this matter:
"First, I want to let you know staff has assured me that all of the cats are being professionally cared for at our Animal Control facility. These cats have been under the care of a local veterinarian and all seem to be doing fine."

Fine?
16 of Linda Johnson's cats have been seperated from the rest of her animals and placed in a different room where visitors are required to wear a surgical mask to visit them. It would seem that many of these animals have become sick while under the "care" of Virginia Beach Animal Control.
According to the news accounts, there were fleas and earmites, but these are not conditions that required such measures as seperating them from other animals and the wearing of surgical masks by visitors.
Linda Johnson was treating each and every cat at her own expense for whatever medical condition it suffered from and even officials from Animal Control were quoted in an earlier news report that the cats all appeared to be in good health.
This is contrary to the cases of "collectors" or "hoarders" that appear in news reports where animals are so sick that they are put to sleep at once, but others involved in this case have implied that Linda Johnson was a "collector" when the facts don't support that accusation.
Many of the cats that are seperated now were not sick on the day Virgina Beach Animal Control raided the Johnson home.
They have admitted this!

And then there's "Adora"

Adora is the name of one of Linda Johnson's cats who underwent an operation on March 9th.
Adora had to have one of her eyes removed due to an infection that was not present on the day Virginia Beach Animal Control took her, but they have since failed to "provide proper care" for Adora's condition and as a result, Adora now has only one eye.

The Veterinarian provided to Virginia Beach Animal Control, Dr. Sara Suwalla testified during Linda Johnson's trial that the reason she did not treat Adora's infected eye was because "she growled at me".

If a citizen gave an excuse like this to animal control officials as the reason they did not seek medical attention for a cat with such a severe eye infection, that person would be charged for animal neglect and the animal seized, as Linda Johnson's cats were.

But since it's animal control who is providing the neglectful care, they get a pass for committing the very same crime they accuse others of.





An Eye Infection That Severe Doesn't Happen Overnight!

A cats eyes are very important to it's survival and are larger in proportion to the size of it's skull than many other animals and an eye infection that requires removal of the animal's eye is quite severe.

An infection that severe doesn't just appear out of nowhere and for conditions to reach the point of removing the animals eye, the condition to have been ignored by whomever was caring for it for quite some time.
Linda Johnson's cats have been held at Animal Control since January 25th, 2004

A cat's eye infection requires aggressive treatment and vigilant care, up to three or more treatments per day. Since Adora has lost one of her eyes and since she did not have this condition when she was seized by Virginia Beach Animal Control, it's obvious that Virginia Beach Animal Control has neglected the animals they seized from Linda Johnson.

How Many more of Linda's cats will be made to suffer?

Since Adora has already lost an eye due to a condition that Animal Control did not address, it begs the question if of Linda's cats are getting the care that they need.
How much longer will Animal Control continue to ignore medical problems that these animals might be developing while in their "care"?

Who is being made to suffer, really?

Virginia Beach Animal Control took the word of one person, did no investigation of accusations made against Linda Johnson, they stormed her home and wrecked it, removed her cats and turned her world upside down.
Virginia Beach Taxpayers have had thousands of their tax dollars wasted to satisfy Animal Controls vain attempt to imitate the S.W.A.T. Team.
Next thing you know, they'll be running around in tights with a cape!
The ones that are being made to suffer are the cats.
Linda Johnson was caring for them, Animal Control is not.
Linda Johnson has an emotional investment in them, Animal Control does not.
Linda Johnson is accused of failure to provide proper care to cats most of which were not sick when Animal Control took them, but since the cats have been under the care of Animal Control, more than a few cats have become sick.
One cat has lost it's eye. Where was Animal Control's Vet during all of this time?

Is the wrong party being charged with crimes against animals?
Could be..

Is Virginia Beach Animal Control providing Linda Johnson's cats with proper care?

To quote Dale Bartlett of the Virginia Beach S.P.C.A. from an earlier news report on this matter,
"We think not"