Luan Dean—the Director of Mission Advancement at SPCA Tampa Bay—explains the scope of her duties at the organization, which began in 1940, while describing the work undertaken there in the earliest days, some 70 years ago. 
Dean also briefly traces SPCA Tampa Bay’s evolution and change in those ensuing decades, including relocating from St. Petersburg to Largo, a significant widening out of services and programs offered, and operating on 10-acre parcel of land. As an offshoot of this discussion, she describes in some detail the new veterinary hospital that SPCA Tampa Bay is just on the cusp of opening in St. Petersburg (projected period for it to be functioning is early October) that will be full-service, providing a range of veterinary care, equipped with a full staff, including several veterinarians, vet techs and other. Dean says the new facility will include a high-volume spay-neuter clinic, noting that it’s quite possible for a veterinarian to perform 35 such procedures per day. She addresses the various means through which SPCA Tampa Bay underwrites its programs and services 
(the 10-acre piece of land was donated by a supporter), including the Annual Pet Walk, the organization’s biggest fundraiser–the 26th edition of which is slated for Oct. 8 at Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg. Dean speaks to the way SPCA Tampa Bay and its reputation have rebounded from a place some years ago, when there were questions and controversy surrounding the facility’s status as a “no-kill” shelter—spurred by criticism (and queries about allegedly fudged numbers) when it came to the number of animals taken in by the SPCA relative to how many were adopted out, and how many were euthanized. (http://spcatampabay.org)
ALSO: I spoke briefly with Alana Rogers, of Pig Advocates League (PAL), to receive an important update about the so-called “Polk Pigs”—the 120+ pigs that were sized in early August from Darlynn’s Darlins, a Polk City rescue sanctuary, when the proprietors were charged with 138 counts of animal neglect and three counts of felony animal abuse. The judge ruled that the pigs would not be returned to those proprietors, and have temporarily been relocated to a sanctuary in Gainesville, FL—but PAL needs all kinds of help, to help these pigs: volunteers, the use of livestock trailers (or trucks and vans), new homes for the pigs, donations to help feed and care for them, etc. The email to donate or inquire about helping the pigs is: [email protected] (www.pigadvocates.com, www.facebook.com/PigAdvocates/?fref=ts)
COMEDY CORNER: Nick DiPaolo’s “Animal Activists” (www.nickdip.com)
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: The Rolling Stone’s “Monkey Man”
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