Marley and Us

Five Animal Welfare League of Arlington dogs got to meet a Hollywood star today, Brownie, the yellow Labrador starring in Marley and Me. The movie is an adaptation of the bestselling book of the same name by John Grogan. It’s the story of a very badly behaved dog and the people who love him anyway. Of course, Brownie, the acting dog, is very well behaved.

Our dogs got their brush with stardom on the Ellipse in front of the White House at a publicity event for the new movie being released in December. The American Humane Association and the movie’s producers are promoting pet adoptions in 15 cities after being inspired by president-elect Obama’s stated desire to adopt a dog for his daughters. The event showcased four area shelters and some of the hundreds of dogs in the metro area that need homes.

We hope that publicity about this event will encourage more people to consider adopting dogs, cats, rabbit, birds, ferrets, and other companion animals from shelters rather than buying pets.

"Howl-oween" Helps Homeless Animals

a.k.a. spot The Pet's Shop and photographer Brian McGahren held a holiday fundraiser for the League on Saturday, October 25. Customers brought their best animal friends (in costume) and had their photos made for a contribution of $5.00. a.k.a. spot then matched the amount raised from photos to give a $400 donation to the League.

We send a big thank you to Lucy McCausland of a.k.a. spot for sponsoring this great event and for donating to help homeless animals in our community.

Friends for Life

We recently received two stories from adopters about the "friends for life" that they found at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. These stories illustrate ideal outcomes of our work: animals that found loving, permanent homes for their entire lives. We salute these and all of our adopters who make a loving commitment for their companions' lifetime.

I wanted to take a moment to write the Animal Welfare League of Arlington and thank you for your hard work. In 1995, I adopted a young dog from your shelter. Yesterday, at the age of 14, we put our shep-chow-mix, Shelby to sleep.

About Shelby: I named her after (red-head) Julia Roberts character in Steel Magnolia's. She was a great dog: incredibly obedient (a Canine Good Citizen), smart, athletic, and protective. She taught me a lot about patience. As a mixed-breed, she had few health problems. When I was a teacher for students with special needs, she came to school with me every Friday and was loved by students and staff -- she even made the yearbook.

I wasn't always a good owner but she was always a good dog.

Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for letting a wet-behind-the-ears 23 year old adopt a pet. Below is a pic of Shelby with my husband.

Lauren

Butch Carpenter-Peters, beloved companion of Ernest Carpenter, died October 9, 2008, by injection at All Creatures Animal Hospital in Naples, Fla. He had been ill for several weeks and treated unsuccessfully for several maladies.

Butch, a mix of poodle and cocker spaniel, was born April 11, 1997, in Fredericksburg, Va. His first “owners” named him Nickelodeon, or Nikki, but gave him up to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington after a few months because of inability to train him. It was at that point in his life, on Sept. 11, 1997, at exactly age five months, that he was adopted by partners Ernest Carpenter and William Peters, who renamed him “Butch,” to better suit his more active, Type A personality.

For many years, Butch resided in the Lake Barcroft area of Falls Church, Va., with the Carpenter-Peters household, making many neighborhood friends there and officiating as greeter at the household’s frequent pool parties and other gatherings. In 2000, he was joined in the household by Brittany, a Tibetan terrier, with whom he became life-long friends. Brittany, too, was adopted from the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.

In 2005, with breakup of the Carpenter-Peters household, Butch moved to Florida with Mr. Carpenter, who retired in Naples. Brittany remained in northern Virginia with Mr. Peters. In early 2008, Brittany visited Butch for three months in Naples, and in late May and early June Butch visited Brittany in Virginia. That was the last time they saw each other.

In early September, Butch became mildly ill but his condition worsened throughout the month. After frequent visits to the veterinarian and a number of medications, Butch lost his vitality but never his appetite. His last food was a small bowl of vanilla ice cream, his favorite but rare treat. Butch will be sorely missed by his many friends in Naples and the Washington, D.C., area.

Ernie

After 14 Months, Karen Finds a Home

If you've visited our cat room in the past 14 months, you probably saw Karen, a black and white cat in one of our kitty "apartments." We tried to keep her separate from other cats because she really didn't like them. She could be affectionate, but on her own terms. She didn't particularly like to be picked up. Over those 14 months hundreds of other cats were adopted, but Karen remained with us. Our kids' camp children had even written "Adopt Karen" in chalk on our sidewalk. We were beginning to think there was no one out there for her.

But last weekend a miracle occurred. A woman came in looking for an independent, adult cat. One of our tireless cat room volunteers, CarolAnne, showed her Karen. She explained Karen's temperament and behavior, and the woman was not put off. After Karen settled down in the visiting room, she jumped up on the bench where the woman was sitting. Then she climbed in her lap and licked her face! CarolAnne was amazed. The woman loved Karen's independent nature and decided to adopt her.

The next day CarolAnne couldn't wait to find out how Karen was doing in her new home so she called the adopter. She reported that Karen had made herself completely comfortable in her new surroundings and was at that moment sitting in her lap. Everyone at the shelter is overjoyed. We knew Karen would be a great companion for the right person. We are so thankful for our adopters who open their hearts and their homes to animals that need them so much.

Local Radio Highlights Animal Shelters

This morning I turned on my car radio to WAMU 88.5 and was thrilled to hear a story about local animal shelters. The reporter interviewed representatives from the Washington Humane Society and Montgomery County Animal Services about the tremendous influx of cats and dogs in the spring and summer months and the shortage of people interested in adopting them.

The interviews pointed up the sadness and frustration that shelter workers experience when animals keep pouring in (up to 100 cats per day in Washington) and there aren’t enough homes for them. It’s great to hear the news media presenting an animal story from the shelter workers’ point of view. These are the people on the front lines of animal welfare who must cope with the consequences of their community’s failure to spay and neuter their pets.

We in Arlington are fortunate to have animals coming into the shelter in much smaller numbers than in Washington, but summer crowding is always a problem. We currently have 54 cats available for adoption, some of which have been with us for months. If any WAMU listeners are inspired to adopt a pet from a local animal shelter or to spay and neuter their current pets, then the story was a huge benefit to animal welfare in our community.

Adopt-a-Cat Month in Arlington

We’re all excited about the challenge we have set for ourselves this month: find permanent, loving homes for 100 cats! June marks the beginning of the season when kittens are brought in to the League in droves, and we still receive plenty of adult cats. Our cat room gets very full, and many of our adult cats don’t get visitors’ attention because of all the cute kittens. So we’re creating incentives to find adopters for all of them!

On June 7 the League will host the Saturday Scoop. Visitors that day will get free ice cream and a 20% discount on any retail purchase. Also, anyone who finalizes the adoption of an adult cat will get 50% off the normal cat adoption fee on this day only. So come in, get some ice cream, and take a look at our adult cats that are waiting so patiently for someone to give them a loving home.

Also, all month cat adopters’ names will be put in a bowl, and at the end of June we will draw names to receive terrific prizes, including a pair of Nationals’ tickets. So June is a great time to find a new love: one that will be forever grateful that you opened your heart and your home.

One great example is Misty pictured above. She is approaching an anniversary. She has been with us for almost a full year. Why has she been overlooked by all our visitors? She is quiet and a little shy, but very friendly when she gets to know you. We hope that someone with a kind heart will want to take Misty home this month.

Wildlife Aid Brigade to the Rescue

On Sunday, May 17, volunteers rescued a mother and four baby ducks in the launch of a pilot program called the Wildlife Aid Brigade. The project involves volunteers interested in directly helping wild animals. It was created by Sue Lunson Farinato, a Maryland wildlife rehabilitator, to protect wild animals and to assist animal shelters with the wildlife calls that they receive every day.

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington is the first shelter in the metro region to implement the new program. So far one AWLA volunteer has completed the wildlife training and two more are in progress.

On Sunday afternoon a caller from a pool at a large high-rise apartment complex in Arlington reported that a mallard female and her ducklings were unable to get out of the pool. Our Wildlife Aid Brigade volunteer, Tracy Coppola, accompanied by Sue Farinato, responded. Sue described the rescue:

The staff at the apartment complex was very helpful and accommodated our every request. We rigged up a raft in the corner, covered it with towels and waited for the babies to find it. They were getting tired, and mother kept hopping in and out of the pool. Finally she got out of the pool near the raft and the ducklings hopped onto the raft then out of the pool.

Meanwhile I had contacted Lee Prouty, one of the WAB instructors very experienced in waterfowl rescue. She called a Virginia rehabber, Jim Snyder, who came out to assist us. We could not leave the mother and babies there, because the pool ourtyard was entirely surrounded by a 3' wall. The mother could not have led the babies to food, and there was nothing but concrete inside the courtyard. Jim arrived and we came up with a plan for capturing them.

Extremely careful work allowed us to get within a few feet of the mother, and Jim netted her. Tracy and I caught the babies, and they all were put in the same carrier for transport to Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary, only a short distance away. …. While we can't actually relocate most species, waterfowl is one which we can!

This rescue demonstrates the time, care, and knowledge required to help wildlife in our urban environment. We hope more volunteers will join this exciting program.

Rabid Fox in Arlington

A gray fox ran up to a woman in her south Arlington yard and bit her on May 9. A neighbor drove the fox away by throwing an oil can at it. Police, emergency medical technicians, and animal control responded. When animal control officers arrived, the fox was under an emergency vehicle biting the mud flaps. Officers netted the fox and brought it back to the shelter and euthanized it. It was sent for testing at the Virginia state laboratory, and on May 13 the lab reported that the fox tested positive for rabies.

The woman who was bitten is receiving anti-rabies treatment and is expected to have no long-term effects from the bite. The Arlington County Public Health Division sent an alert to local Civic Associations to identify any other people or animals who may have been exposed. While a rabid fox attack is extremely rare in Arlington, it illustrates the importance of keeping our distance from wildlife.

“Rabies is endemic in our area. People need to be aware that there are wild animals, including foxes, in many of our neighborhoods,” said Richard Cole, chief of the County’s Environmental Health Bureau.

We receive calls every day from Arlington residents concerned about wildlife. As more and more land is built over, wild animals are forced to live closer to human beings. Wild animals play an important role in our environment: for example, bats eat mosquitoes and foxes eat insects, rats, and mice. Also, observing our native species is an exciting way to connect with our natural world.


Residents can take steps to discourage wildlife from living in their yards: remove attractions, such as garbage or pet food, and keep your yard free of debris that could serve as habitat. Neighbors can work together to make their community less inviting to wildlife. If your neighbor is leaving pet food outdoors or intentionally feeding wildlife, educate them about the danger of coming into close contact with some wildlife. Even bird seed that falls on the ground can attract mice and rats, and these attract foxes. We can also take the essential step of keeping our dogs and cats current on rabies vaccinations.

The likelihood of encountering a rabid animal is extremely rare, but there are cases of rabies every year. Animals that test positive most often are raccoons and feral cats. We haven’t had a rabid fox in Arlington in years. The great majority of wildlife seen in Arlington is healthy, but signs of illness include having trouble walking, walking in circles, and staggering. If you see an animal exhibiting these signs of illness, call the League immediately at 703-931-9241.

Farewell to Brutus

Last week we experienced the most difficult part of pet companionship: loss. Our shelter mascot, Brutus, died last Friday. Brutus was a handsome and supremely confident Ragdoll cat. He was surrendered to the shelter in August 2001 because his owner was moving. His name at the time was Brutella because when he was a kitten his owner thought he was a female. Of course, he was a neutered male so we thought the name Brutus was much more appropriate.

We had been without a mascot for two years since our long-time shelter cat, Wilson, had died. A former staff member campaigned for Brutus to become Wilson’s successor, and he certainly proved himself worthy. At first he spent his days at our front desk greeting (or not) all our visitors. But he proved to be somewhat moody and was not always as welcoming as one might want. Therefore, we decided that Brutus would be better off spending his time in our offices.

He kept a strict eye on all our activities and helped out sitting on papers and keyboards. His most important job, however, was that of dog behavior evaluator. All the shelter dogs would meet Brutus before being made available for adoption so that we could see how they reacted to a cat. These encounters helped us inform potential adopters about whether their prospective dog would do well with cats.

Brutus, of course, was no ordinary cat and did not react the way an ordinary cat might. He never ran. He would stand his ground while facing the (leashed) dog and dare it to annoy him. Some dogs weren’t even worthy of notice, so he would turn his back to them. Most dogs needed only a scowl from Brutus to back off, but the pushy ones were met with a smack from his hefty paw. I once saw an unfortunate puppy stick his nose in Brutus’ food dish. In a split second Brutus had bitten him on the top of the head, and the puppy ran squealing away.

Brutus did play favorites among our staff. Lisa was his prime source of food, and he followed her wherever she went. Ann, Alice, and Rita were his executive assistants charged with brushing his long fur and arranging his favorite cat beds. When none of the four were available, he visited with others of us who could provide less desirable attention.

During his seven years with us (he was about seven years old in 2001), Brutus had several health problems that were carefully treated and monitored. So it was shocking when we found him unable to stand last Thursday morning. We took him to his veterinarian at Caring Hands Animal Hospital, and after examining him he referred us to SouthPaws Veterinary Referral Center. But Brutus continued to decline. On Friday morning, in consultation with the veterinarian at South Paws, we decided to have him humanely euthanized.

We weren’t prepared for Brutus’s death, and even if we had been it wouldn’t make it any easier to walk in the shelter offices in the morning and not see him. Like any well loved companion, Brutus made his mark on all of us. It will be a long time before we look at his large gold chair and not imagine him lounging in it.

Many, many animals pass through our shelter and make lasting impressions on staff and volunteers, but one that we will think of for years to come is Brutus, the Ragdoll cat.

A Flood of Homeless Kittens

It starts as a trickle and quickly becomes a flood. Homeless kittens, that is, come flooding into animal shelters every spring, and it doesn’t stop until fall. At the Arlington animal shelter the trickle has begun. We have 26 unweaned kittens in six different volunteer foster homes already. We receive kittens from many sources: owners who haven’t neutered their cats and many, many stray kittens rescued by good Samaritans. Some come in with a mother cat, but most do not. Some can’t eat solid food yet and must be bottle fed. Some have never experienced human contact and must be handled and socialized. Most of these tiny kittens would not survive without the special care (sometimes round the clock) of foster caretakers.

Once these kittens are eight weeks old and weigh at least two pounds, their foster parents bring them back to the shelter for adoption. All of them are spayed or neutered before going to their forever homes so that they do not perpetuate the cycle of increasing numbers of homeless cats.

Our foster caretakers have room in their hearts and in their homes for defenseless creatures that need their care to survive. Although they may have a hard time letting go of their “babies” when it’s time for adoption, foster parents love to see their kittens going to loving, permanent homes.

And we can't forget the adult cats in our shelter. Some of which have been waiting for months for the right person to give them love and security in a permanent home. In the summer when there are many adorable kittens for adoptions, these adult cats are often overlooked. They need homes just as much as the kittens do.

Finding a Friend

We are all romantics at the shelter. We love to see people fall in love (especially with animals). It makes our hearts glad and we get a warm feeling all over when someone walks into our shelter and makes a connection with one of our animals. We love to see happy people adopt a new best friend.

What’s really nice is hearing from people after their adoption(s). We often get letters like the one from OC girl that show how besotted with love people are with their new animal companion. Our staff and volunteers work hard to help visitors find the right companion, and success stories like this one make our day!

German Shepherd Rescued

One of our current shelter residents is Nicky, a young German shepherd mix that has had quite an eventful life so far. He started coming in to our shelter in 2006 when he was only a puppy. He kept running loose and being brought in as a stray. We returned him to his owner four times before the owner decided that he couldn’t take care of Nicky and decided to surrender the dog to us to find him a new home. That was in November 2007. That same month one of our volunteer visiting veterinarians examined Nicky and found problems with both his knee caps.

The malady is called LUXATING PATELLA. The patella is the knee cap which glides up and down when the knee joint is bent and protects the knee joint. It also guides the action of the quadriceps muscle in the lower leg. A normal dog knee will have two bony ridges that form a fairly deep groove in which the patella is supposed to slide up and down. If this groove is shallow,
either because of malformation or trauma, the knee cap will jump out of the groove and move sideways instead of up and down.

When the patella luxates from the groove of the femur, it usually cannot return to its normal position until the quadriceps (muscle in lower leg) relaxes and increases in length. This explains why the affected dog may be forced to hold his leg up for a few minutes or so after the initial incident. While the muscles are contracted and the patella is luxated from its correct position, the joint is held in the flexed or bent position. The dog will feel pain caused by the knee cap sliding across the bony ridges of the femur. Once out of position, the animal feels no discomfort and continues his activity.

If not corrected, the groove will become even shallower and the dog will become progressively lamer. Arthritis will prematurely affect the joint, causing a permanently swollen knee with poor mobility. Surgerymay be required and is the treatment of choice, but is not necessary in every dog with this condition.

A grade 2 luxating patella, which is what Nicky had, means there is frequent patellar luxation, which, in some cases, becomes more or less permanent. We kept him on medications for pain and inflammation.

Nicky had been available for adoption for since last November, but no adopter wanted to take on the expense of surgery. The League decided to use our Woody and Mickey Healthy Pet Fund to get the surgery that Nicky needed. We investigated several options and worked out a reasonable cost with the Washington Animal Rescue League Medical Center for the surgery.

On February 29 Nicky received his needed knee surgery. After surgery he spent a week of cage rest at Ballston Animal Hospital where he could be checked regularly by a veterinarian. Then he came back to the shelter. But he needed very special treatment for his recovery.

Nicky needs STRICT CONFINEMENT which means he must be kept in a crate for 30 days and ONLY taken out to eliminate. He is staying in a large dog crate in our Kennel Manager’s office. Assigned staff and volunteers walk him directly outside for bathroom trips and bring him immediately inside once he is done. At first they used a sling under his tummy to help keep weight off his leg.

Nicky had his sutures removed on March 14. After suture removal, we began passive physical therapy including limb flexation and extension for one minute 3-4 times a day.

After the 30 day strict confinement, Nicky will need an additional four weeks of confinement with low impact, non-acrobatic activity and slow progressive leash walks to build muscle and stamina.

Through his entire ordeal Nicky has remained happy, friendly, and eager to please. Our biggest problem at first was keeping him still when he saw anyone that he recognized. He would wag his tail and try to stand up if he saw one of his favorite volunteers. He tolerates the physical therapy without complaint.

I am happy to report that he is now available for adoption again. He is still in his crate in an office, and we will escort interested applicants to meet him there. We hope someone will respond to his sweet personality and take him home to complete his recovery. He’ll make a wonderful companion.

Lost and Found

One of our daily routines at the League is trying to match lost and found pet reports. We not only try to find the owners of strays that are brought in to the shelter, we also take lost and found reports from the public by phone at 703-931-9241 and on our Web site .

A distraught cat owner called the shelter on January 16, 2008, to report that her cat had gotten lost the day before. She described him as an orange tabby with a white chest and said he was predominantly an outdoor cat. He was following the owner on a walk when he was distracted by a bird or other small animal at the intersection of North 14th Street and George Mason Drive. The caller also mentioned that her cat was not wearing a collar but was microchipped and had a crooked tail. She also sent in a digital photo that was attached to her lost report.

A few hours later a young woman called to report that she had found a male cat the previous day and had kept it in her house. Several elements in the two reports were strikingly similar: the color of the cat, the location lost, and especially the description of a crooked tail. We put both parties in contact, and the happy owner reclaimed her cat.

Later we received the following note from the cat owner:

Dear Animal Welfare League,
My family and I would like to thank you for helping us to locate our sweet cat, Jake, on January 16. We reported him lost and that same day a responsible local teenager contacted you that she had found [a cat]. Needless to say, we had a very happy 6 year old son to welcome Jake home.

What helped resolve this situation so quickly was the prompt and precise information gathered from both callers. If you lose or find a pet, please call the League (or the appropriate animal control office in your jurisdiction) as soon as possible and be specific about the animal’s distinctive features. We also recommend keeping cats indoors with collars and identification tags for their own health and safety.

Spay Day in Arlington

Today some of our staff arrived at 6:00am to check-in low-income clients who had registered their pets for low-cost neutering surgery through our Spay Day USA program. To do our share of the national Spay Day USA program run by the Humane Society of the United States, the League offered spays and neuters for cats and dogs for only $25. We also offered a microchip and registration for free for these pets.

We are subsidizing the costs not covered by the $25 fee from our Hantke Memorial Spay-Neuter Fund. We use this fund to offer low-cost neutering all year round.



This morning people showed up with 15 cats and eight dogs for surgery. They signed permission forms, paid $25 for each pet, and loaded them into crates in our transport van. Two League staffers drove the pets to the National Capital Area Spay Neuter Center. The Washington Humane Society and their partners created the center to provide low-cost surgeries for cats and dogs in the metro area.

Another staffer will drive downtown to pick up the animals this evening. The owners will retrieve their pets from the League in Arlington tonight. We will give them post-operative instructions for the care of their pets along with pain medication needed for three days.

On Friday we will repeat the entire process for 25 more pets of low-to-moderate-income people. This effort means that almost 50 cats and dogs in our community will NOT contribute to the pet overpopulation problem. They will NOT create litters upon litters that may end up homeless. They WILL be more likely to remain in their homes because they will not have the behavior or medical problems that can occur with unneutered pets.

We think Spay Day is a win-win situation for our community: the pets and the people.

After a Year, Paula Finds a Home

Shelter staff got the following message from CarolAnne, a faithful cat-room volunteer:

I’m sure most of you have heard that Paula, the cat, FINALLY got adopted on February 16 (one week short of being at the League for one year!). I worked with her adopter, Clair, and I can tell you, it is a wonderful adoption! Clair came in to see me several times and spent time with a few cats, including Paula, but she decided Paula was the cat for her. She has a 13 year old male cat, who lost his sibling in November. We discussed personalities and introductions and Clair thought Paula would fit right in. She really “gets” Paula and thinks her personality is great. I really felt Clair was the right person for Paula, too.

Well, it is working out beautifully! She actually introduced them the first night [we don't recommend this], after confining Paula and deciding both cats wanted to meet each other. They went nose-to-nose, sniffed each other and went on their ways. Clair came in to see me on Monday and said Paula (who she calls “Wild Woman”, not because of her personality, but because she is so very playful and entertaining) is just loving her new home. She’s inspected every room and she loves all the windows and watching the birds and squirrels (which was a favorite past-time of hers at the shelter). When she left to come over to the shelter, Clair said both cats were sleeping on the same bed within three feet of each other. And this was after Paula was home less than 48 hours!! There have been no problems whatsoever. It just goes to show you, that if we wait long enough (and it was sooo long), the purr-fect person will come in.

I can’t tell you how thrilled I was to see her, not only go home, but to the RIGHT home.

Meaningful Ways to Celebrate Milestones in Your Life

Two friends of animals recently found creative ways to celebrate important occasions in their lives and benefit homeless animals by raising funds for the League.

Kevin Marsh used our personal giving page to honor his friend Nan Tucker’s retirement. You can create a page to memoriolize a beloved person or pet, or to celebrate a birthday, wedding anniversary, or any special occasion. Kevin filled out an easy form and then e-mailed notices to Nan’s co-workers and clients asking them to send her a message and make a donation to the League in her honor. To date the celebration has raised $1,100 for animal welfare!

Erin and Chris

Another person who cares for animals combined fundraising with her love of bringing people together for celebrations. Erin Mumma has a long history of volunteering and donating to worthy causes. For several years she hosted large birthday parties for herself and then realized that she could bring friends and family together to celebrate and support something more than just her birthday. So she started hosting charity fundraising parties.

Her first fundraiser benefited the American Red Cross – Arlington Chapter, and she raised $1,000! Shortly after that she met her boyfriend Chris, who, amazingly, has the exact same birthday as Erin. They hosted the next year’s party together and raised funds for Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation.

For their party in January 2008, they chose the League as their cause. Being the proud owners of a rescue dog in Arlington, they wanted to benefit all the animals in our community. They raised more than $1,200 this year for the League!

Erin says that hosting these parties is a great way to get all of your close friends and family together for a good cause. Each year she finds a venue that will rent some space for a set bar price. She works out a deal with the venue to have a drink special/deal, and everyone pays a cover charge that goes toward the charity donation. They place posters, newsletters, and brochures from the charitable cause all around the bar for people to peruse. They also raffle off door prizes: some are donated items from the honorary charity such as tee shirts, water bottles, etc. While the bulk of the donations are made at the party, they also get a number of donations by mail from those that can’t attend.

What fantastic ways to have fun, celebrate special occasions, and help animals!

Working together for animal rescue

We just had a success story of two groups working together for animal rescue. Odin is a three-year-old Doberman Pinscher whose owner brought him to us at the end of December 2007 because he was moving and could not take Odin with him. We assessed Odin medically and behaviorally, vaccinated him, and had him neutered. He was made available for adoption with the recommendation that he would be best suited to adopters who are fit and experienced, in a household with no young children or cats. He appeared on our Web site, Petfinder.com, PetHarbor.com, 1-800-Save-a-Pet.com, and on our Adopt-a-Pet program on Arlington Cable TV. In five weeks he got three adoption applications, but no one completed their application. In one case, the applicant’s apartment complex did not allow Dobermans.

During his stay at our shelter, DARE (Doberman Assistance, Rescue & Education) contacted our Adoptions Manager about Odin. DARE began looking for a foster home while we continued to accept adoption applications. By February 18, Odin still had no pending applications, so we transferred him to his new foster parent through DARE.

While the great majority of our dogs are adopted directly from the League, we actively seek rescue partners for dogs that prove difficult to place. We require rescue groups to complete a questionnaire and to sign a memorandum of understanding with us. We take our responsibility for the animals in our care very seriously and work with rescue partners that are well run and have high standards of animal care.

Odin’s story is a great example of how shelters and rescue groups can work together cooperatively for the best outcome for the animals in our care.

Ferret Bathtime

It’s ferret bathing time at the shelter. A woman brought in a pure white ferret that she found in a pile of newspapers near a dumpster. Ferrets don’t normally need bathing more than once a month, but since this one was found in a trash heap he needed a good cleaning. After bathing him our staff put him in a basket of towels. He burrowed in the towels for several minutes until he was almost dry.

This little guy, whom we named Bumper, is a young adult. We don’t know if he escaped from his home or if someone left him in the trash. So far no owner has claimed him and he’s now available for adoption. Ferrets are great pets for the right person. They are lively, curious, and funny, but like any companion animal they require your time, energy, and commitment.


In another part of the shelter, we have a visiting chicken. He was nabbed behind a community center when one of our animal control officer went out on a call about three roaming chickens. The other two were nowhere to be found, but this one was trapped in a bush. He has been enjoying fresh water, food, and a comfortable box with hay to rest in. Since no one has claimed him, we will try to find a sanctuary where he can enjoy "the simple life."

Humane Apartment Pet Policies

We received a wonderful e-mail today demonstrating that education and advocacy can effect change.

I recently e-mailed AWLA about my problems with my apartment complex requiring cats to be declawed. I am happy to inform you that this afternoon I received a call from [a decision maker]… who took my concerns to a weekly meeting where she successfully advocated for the elimination of the declawing requirement!
Thank you for your previous reply and your support.

We salute this apartment complex management for making their pet policy more humane. Most humane organizations including the ASPCA, American Humane Association, and the Humane Society of the United States oppose declawing as painful and unnecessary. We try to educate people about other ways to deal with scratching, including behavior modification. If a potential adopter is intent on having a declawed cat, we direct him or her to cats that were already declawed when they came to us.

It breaks our hearts when people bring in their pets to the shelter because of their apartment or condominium restrictions. Also, people are sometimes prevented from adopting an animal because of restrictive and often illogical pet policies. The ASPCA has a model pet policy for apartments that is both humane and responsible. Anyone who is dissatisfied with their apartment’s pet policy could use this as a tool to educate managers about reasonable rules.

Our Community's Generosity

We are reminded on a daily basis how many people in our community support the mission of promoting animal welfare. Last week a wonderful group of girl scouts brought us pet beds that they had sewn by hand for our shelter animals. They got the idea from the Snuggles Project. When they delivered these wonderful gifts, one of our shelter residents, Bella the collie, posed with the girls for a group photo.

Another enterprising animal lover created hand-made holiday cards, sold them, and donated part of the sales to the League. One of our volunteers gratefully accepted the check.

People bring us items from our wishlist almost every day. Cat carriers and dog crates in particular can be used to transport our animals each week for spay or neuter surgery or we can sell the used crates to raise money. Without the kindness and generosity of our community, we could not do nearly as much for our shelter residents.

After Losing Their Owner, Pets Find Shelter

Although our primary goal is adoption, we also shelter animals that are not available for adoption for a variety of reasons. Our safekeeping program provides free sheltering for pets whose owners are experiencing an emergency like a house fire or a health crisis. One recent situation was particularly touching and had a very happy ending.

We received a call from the Arlington Police in late December to pick up a dog and a cat from a home where they had found the owner deceased. One of our Animal Control Officers picked up the pets and brought them to the shelter for safekeeping.

Because the deceased had no will, it took the family some time to get the legal authorization to pick up the pets. (This is a reminder to each of us to make sure that we have a will and that we include our wishes for the care of our pets in it.) We knew the pets would be spending at least a couple of weeks at the shelter. We were concerned about the emotional well being particularly of Rose, a sweet Basset Hound, so we asked one of our kennel volunteers to be her special caregiver. The volunteer took her for long walks and spent extra time with her. At the end of the pets’ stay, the volunteer wrote a report on Rose’s behavior and temperament while she was with us.

While Rose stayed with us, we noticed a health problem and sent a urine sample to a veterinarian who determined that she had a urinary tract infection. We treated her with antibiotics.

A couple of weeks ago the next-of-kin picked up the two pets from us. We received the following e-mail from her:

Just wanted to send thanks again to everyone who helped take care of Rose & Portia after my sister […]’s death, until I was able to come and straighten out their legal situation and pick them up. …

I can’t tell you how happy and thankful [we] were, when we came to pick R & P up last Monday, to see in what good spirits they both were. Alice B [the Animal Control Officer] had already assured me that they were receiving lots of care and attention, but I still thought that they might be depressed or disoriented by all they went through, and then being in a strange place & circumstances. Instead, Rose was dancing around on the leash, obviously very at ease with the guy who brought her out to us, and Portia, though less demonstrative, is clearly doing well too. We also appreciate your attentiveness to Rose that made it possible for you to find out about her urinary tract infection, and start her on medication for it.

[My sister] would be so grateful, too, for all your help and care –

New Year, New Blog

It's a start of the new year at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, and we're starting a new blog about shelter life. There is so much that goes on here that goes beyond intake of animals and adoptions. We will use this space to report on the daily activities that constitute fulfilling our mission of promoting animal welfare.

Right now we have an adorable litter of six kittens that we are holding while their foster mother was out of town. She is picking them up tonight so that they can continue to thrive and get big enough to be adopted.

Another cat is living temporarily in our adoption manager's office because he has some health issues that haven't completely cleared up. He is making himself thoroughly at home and giving our shelter mascot cat Brutus serious competition in the congeniality department.

Rocky, a goofy Labrador-Sharpei mix is recovering from having most of his tail amputated. He is such a happy guy that he whacked his tail against things so much that he severely damaged it, and the vet recommended removing the whacking part. Rocky is recovering beautifully and still wags his very short tail just as much as he did before. He is eight years old and large so maybe that's why no visitors have noticed his charming personality.

Our Education Room is being decorated for a child's birthday party. The five-to-eight-year-old party guests will a tour of the shelter. Sometimes the birthday child asks for gifts for the shelter animals instead of for him or herself.

In winter the number of animals coming into the shelter usually decreases, and our kennel staff gets a much deserved breather from working nonstop to care for over 200 animals each day. In particular, the number of cats coming into the shelter is less in the winter as cats reproduce primarily in the late spring and summer. Instead of having over 100 cats as we do in the summer, today we have 53. In winter older cats have a better chance of catching visitors' attention because our cat room isn't as full of cute kittens.

If anyone thinks that living in urban/suburban Arlington means they won't encounter wildlife, that theory was disproved today when a neighbor e-mailed us a photo of a hawk gripping a pigeon that it had just killed on their back fence.