Tommie the pit bull died from his burn injuries on Feb. 15. (Photo courtesy Richmond Animal Care and Control)
The death of Tommie, the brindle pit bull who was tied to a fence in Abner Clay Park and set on fire in February, was the worst case of animal abuse Christie Chipps Peters, director of Richmond Animal Care and Control, had ever seen.
“I had to take a minute,” she recalls of her reaction to Tommie’s condition when he was brought to RACC for medical treatment. “I never cry in front of people, and I had to go outside.”
Peters was not the only one Tommie touched as he fought to survive, eventually succumbing to his injuries on Feb. 15. Thanks in part to RACC’s social media efforts, the death galvanized Richmonders and received national attention. In July, Virginia enacted an animal cruelty law, dubbed “Tommie’s Law” in his honor, increasing the penalty for “cruelly or unnecessarily beating, maiming, mutilating, or killing a dog or cat” to a felony.
Now, 10 months after his death, the RACC Foundation continues Tommie’s legacy with the establishment of the Tommie Fund, which will help offset the costs of emergency veterinary services at municipal shelters and public animal control agencies across Virginia. The fund was established after sales of the foundation’s #TeamTommie T-shirts brought in close to $100,000. The foundation also ran a two-week fundraiser in November, and T-shirt sales continue, with all proceeds going to the fund.
Peters says that any tax-funded shelter with a veterinary budget of less than $150,000 is eligible to apply for a grant. The fund can only be used for medical treatment and not for day-to-day operations. “We want to help the people who are making euthanasia decisions instead of treatment decisions because they don’t have the money,” she says. “The point is to try to help save lives.” Grant amounts will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
When asked why Tommie’s story has resonated with so many, Peters says, “I can’t pinpoint it. Maybe it was the way we told the story. We shared everything, and the public is not used to seeing that happen. We told the story from start to finish, and people just felt such a part of it. It was so horrific and mind-blowing that someone could do this to a dog.
“So many people came out and helped and gave us money and sent thank-you notes. It was a torrential tornado of good that came from such a horrible event. I don’t know why it was this dog and this situation, but we are really lucky that we were able to try to save him … and continue to have money to help save other animals’ lives from his story.”
A Toast to Tommie
Tommie’s Beer from Three Notch’d Brewing Co. debuted in October. It's named in honor of the pit bull Tommie, and a portion of the proceeds from each sale of this limited-edition hazelnut brown ale will support Richmond Animal Care and Control’s mission to provide care to local animals in need.
Photo courtesy Three Notch'd Brewing
“Tommie’s Beer went way above our initial expectations in terms of public reception,” Head Brewer Willey Broaddus says by email. “It was already one of the most asked about beers before it even released.”
The beer has been so popular that Three Notch’d brewed an additional 20 barrels of it after the original seven quickly sold out. “We’ve had people calling from all over the country,” says Katie Wittman, general manager. In less than a month, the beer had raised more than $1,500 for RACC, she says.
“Every beer tells a story,” Broaddus says, “and there’s no doubt that this beer tells a story that we wanted to share with everyone.”
