Washington Post Says Charities Strike Out

John Kelly's column in today's Washington Post takes on charities that share the names of their donors with other charities. The man mentioned in Kelly's column was deluged with mail from hundreds of charities. This would certainly turn anyone off of donating. He quotes Charity Navigator, a charity-rating Web site, as saying that charities selling or renting their donor lists to other charities is "common."

To set the record straight for anyone who is (rightfully) concerned about this:
The Animal Welfare League of Arlington never sells or rents information about our donors. You can read all about it in our Privacy Policy, but the bottom line is:
we don't share our donor information. Period.

A Reason to be Thankful

Top: Madge with her adopter. Bottom: Madge when she arrived at the shelter.


Whenever an adopter comes in to visit at the shelter, we are thrilled to see one of our "graduates." Today the visiting graduate made us especially excited. Madge came to us last May from an owner who could not care for her. She had bald patches due to mange and an ulcer on one eye. After extensive medical treatment paid for by our Woody and Mickey Health Pet Fund, Madge found a new home in August. She is in great health and as happy and wiggly as can be. Her adopter is crazy about her and very proud to show her off.

We are so thankful to the donors that make the Healthy Pet Fund possible and to adopters who open their hearts and homes to animals that need them.

Pet-Friendly Sheltering Exercise

Today we had the honor to participate in a pet-friendly sheltering exercise sponsored by Fairfax County and the Northern Virginia Regional Commission. The exercise was a drill designed to test the pet-friendly sheltering model first established in this area by the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.

The exercise took place at the Prince William County Fairgrounds and involved participants from Prince William County, the City of Manassas, the City of Falls Church, Fairfax County, and the City of Alexandria. Animal Welfare League of Arlington staff served as evaluators. We also brought along our disaster trailer so that our supplies could be used in the exercise.

The exercise went very smoothly. All the participating (stuffed) dogs, cats, and other animals were successfully registered and housed. Each jurisdiction that participated took home valuable lessons. The best part of the experience was the cooperation among so many different sheltering groups. It definitely bodes well for Northern Virginia pets if there should be a real disaster.

Adopt a Senior Pet Month

If it's November, it must be Adopt a Senior Pet Month. This program, recognized by animal shelters across the country, tries to bring attention to the thousands of older pets that find themselves homeless every year. We've reduced adoption fees to encourage potential adopters to consider an older pet.

My dog is 12 years old, and I'm enjoying the benefits of having an older pet. She still enjoys her walks, but they don't need to be nearly as long as they were in her younger days. She is quiet and calm in the house and is content to sleep on the sofa while we're at work. She doesn't jump all over people who come to visit, but approaches them calmly for a head scratch. She occasionally enjoys a chew toy, but doesn't bother other household things.

I'm sure people with older cats have the same feelings about the pleasures of sharing a home with a mature pet. For people who have busy lives (everyone in this area!), older pets are perfect. Come meet a perfect companion at the League!

Busy Weekend for Pets

Wow! Lots of activities this weekend promoted pet adoptions! First, the League's third annual Barks 'n Beer Festival brought out League friends and their dogs on Saturday. They enjoyed free hotdogs and root beer, contests, prizes, reduced price retail items, and doggie baths and nail trims. Despite the wet weather, lots of people and dogs enjoyed the afternoon. And whether related to the event or not, nine cats found new adoptive homes!


Then on Sunday, Oct. 25, we joined some other rescue groups at the Caring Hands Animal Hospital Open House. Link, a Brittany Spaniel, was one of our shelter dogs that visited with people at the open house. We hope he made an impression on someone who will decide to adopt him.

Bungalow in Shirlington Helps Animals

Today Peter Mirguet of The Bungalow in Shirlington delivered a check to the League for almost $5,000. This donation represents the proceeds from Bungalow's Cause for Paws on July 25. The popular Shirlington spot hosted this special event to spotlight the League's mission of promoting animal welfare and finding loving homes for companion animals.

League volunteers and staff handed out information and showed off pets for adoption. Bungalow held a raffle and silent auction for great prizes and donated all tips received during the event. Speaking for all the homeless animals that enter the League's doors, we thank Peter and all the staff at Bungalow for their generosity.

North Carolina Puppies Get New Homes

This past May Dr. Laura Chadwick, a veterinarian with the Asheville (North Carolina) Humane Society, contacted us to see if we could take some of the many dogs (primarily puppies) currently at her shelter. We agreed and Dr. Chadwick has transported 15 dogs to us since then. Fourteen of them have already been adopted, including "Butter" pictured above. The fifteenth, a beagle named Bugler, is currently available for adoption.

To read more about our transfer program with shelter partners, read the latest issue of Pawpourri.

Dr. Chadwick recently sent the following note to our adoptions manager:

I can't thank you and your staff enough for helping place some of our Asheville dogs. I know you have plenty of animals to help already, so your willingness to go out of your way for a few more means so much to us (and of course to the doggies!). I hope one day our community will be able to find homes for most of the pets that need our help. Until then, we are so grateful to you and the AWLA.

Sincerely,
Laura Chadwick, DVM

Sick Kittens Improve

Our assistant animal care manager just sent the staff an update on some of our shelter animals:

Just a quick note and picture of four of the "20 kittens" that all came in sick just a few weeks ago. The kittens were found in a colony of feral cats in another county and brought to the League. Almost all of them had severe upper respiratory infection with discharge from eyes and nose and severe congestion. Four of the kittens turned out to be too sick to save and had to be euthanized. One is still being treated at a local veterinary hospital.

All the remaining ones except for these are in foster homes! These four were not well enough to go to a foster home so they are here at the shelter. We're hoping that all of them will be well enough to be available for adoption later this summer. They are getting healthier and more adventurous by the minute...the only problem is they don't understand the concept of sleeping INSIDE their beds instead of on top of them. Thank you to all that helped with the oftentimes insurmountable task of caring for such a large group of "sickies"- because of you these kittens will have a chance at a happy, healthy life!!!!

Bunnies Have Their Day

On May 31, the Animal Welfare League of Arlington’s education room was transformed into a spa, and 21 rabbits enjoyed an afternoon of luxurious pampering at "Bunny Spa Day" sponsored by Friends of Rabbits. Expert rabbit groomers volunteered their services to brush, comb, primp, and trim nails. Then it was on to the ultimate in rabbit relaxation with head-to-toe treatment by bunny massage therapist, Aileen Hudspeth. In her hands even the biggest, friskiest rabbits were quickly entranced in total bunny bliss. Some of the shelter residents were treated to a grooming session as well.

To finish a perfect day, rabbit guardians were able to pick out some special toys and treats for their long-eared friends to enjoy at home. A good time was had by all, and at the end of the day Friends of Rabbits presented the League with a check for $578 to help pay for spay and neuter of shelter rabbits. If you are thinking of adopting a bunny of your own to love and spoil, the shelter always has many looking for wonderful homes.

Free Cat Adoptions

Saturday, June 20, we are staying open until 8:00 pm to try to get some of our 56 available cats adopted. It's almost summer and like most other animal shelters, we are inundated with cats and kittens. So anyone who wants to adopt a cat should come in on Saturday. We have kittens and adults. All cats that are at least five years old can be adopted for free on Saturday only. It's not that we don't value our mature cats, we just want to do whatever it takes to find them loving homes.

With a Little Help from Our Friends

Yesterday I was reminded that there are so many people in our community that want to help homeless animals. Robin Burkett of Pawprints Photography has sponsored many of the League's events, but she wanted to do something more for the animals. She volunteered to come to the shelter and take photos of our dogs available for adoption. Although we try to take good photos, we're certainly not going to turn down the chance to have a professional put our animals in their best light.

We are also lucky to have another photographer, Allison DeSilva, who comes in weekly to photograph our cats and sometimes other animals. When people lend their expertise to help animals that need homes, everyone wins.

Robin arrived at 8:30 and we took dogs outside in our backyard one at a time for their photo shoot. I learned that making really weird noises is a good way to get a dog to look at the camera. We even had a bonded pair to work with. It's really hard to get a good photo of two dogs together! But Robin did it!

After working her magic on the photos at her office, Robin e-mailed them to me and I got them up on the Web site. They are fabulous! Thank you so much, Robin. She even posted the photos on her own blog.

With help from friends like these, we can do a better job of letting people know about the animals here at the shelter that are just waiting for them to come in and adopt.

Kittens Need Foster Homes

Kitten season has definitely begun. We have 44 kittens and cats in 11 different volunteer foster homes. These are kittens that are younger than seven weeks and/or weigh less than 2.5 pounds. Only two of these litters are with a nursing mother cat. The others must be fed, taught, and cleaned by a gentle human being. When these kittens are thriving and weigh 2.5 pounds, their foster parents return them to the shelter. They are spayed/neutered and then made available for adoption.

It takes a special person to become a foster parent. You have to devote yourself to these helpless creatures for several weeks and then you must let go. Our foster parents become very attached and after returning kittens and cats to the shelter some check daily to see if their kittens have been adopted. Our foster parents report that although their job is difficult, with some sleepless nights and many messes to clean up, it is very rewarding.

We also have three dogs in three foster homes while they recover from necessary medical treatment. So if you're not a cat person, we still need you.

If you think foster parenting is for you, please complete the volunteer foster application and send it to foster@awla.org.

Best Friends Praises League Policy

Best Friends Animal Society noticed our story on pit bulls in our latest issue of Pawpourri. In the story we explain that the League Board of Directors changed a 20-year-old policy preventing the adoption of pit bulls. The Best Friends online network has a section devoted to ending breed-specific bans.

In the League policy's first year of implementation we found homes for 13 pit bulls, including Sina pictured above with her new mom. Both the dogs and their new families seem to be happy, and we have taken another step toward finding homes for all adoptable animals in our care.

Adopt an Older Cat

We have a number of cats in the shelter that are 10 years or older. They are healthy and friendly and need good homes. Like Bennett, pictured above, they may not have the bounce and antics of younger cats, but they can be wonderful companions and lap warmers.

To encourage people to adopt these sweet kitties, we're offering a reduced adoption fee of $50 for them. We even have a bonded pair that can be adopted for $75 for both. If you have room in your heart and home for a mature feline friend, please consider bringing one of these deserving kitties into your life.

Cheers for Animals!

On March 13, the brewers of Shirlington's Capitol City Brewing Company showed what good neighbors and animal lovers they are by collecting donations for the Animal Welfare League of Arlington in lieu of tips! In addition to the servers' generosity, the company matched the donations and even added a little extra!

The next week two of our friends at Capital City delivered a check for $750 to help the animals! We'll drink to that!

The Luck of the Arlington Shelter

This St Patty's Day weekend, the residents of the Arlington Animal Shelter are reminded of how lucky they are to have such great supporters! On Friday night, the brewers of Shirlington's Capitol City Brewing Company will be collecting donations for the shelter in lieu of tips! And if that's not generous enough, at the end of the night, all donations will be matched by the Capitol City Brewing Company! 

70 Animals Neutered for $25 Each

Staff wears their Spay Day t-shirts to welcome pet owners on Friday morning.

We have had a fantastic response to our Spay Day offer of spaying/neutering cats and dogs for $25 plus getting a free microchip. Low-income owners of 70 pets in our community have taken advantage of this opportunity to protect their pets' health and prevent unwanted litters!

The League is subsidizing the cost of the surgeries and we are providing the microchips for free. We are lucky to have the National Capital Spay Neuter Center and Fairfax Animal Hospital as our partners in this vital community service. The funds for subsidizing the surgeries comes from our Hantke Memorial Spay Neuter Fund.

Last Friday at 6:30am we loaded up 30 animals in our van and drove them to the Spay Neuter Center. By 9:00pm that night all of the pets had been returned to their owners newly neutered and microchipped. We're doing it again this Friday! We had so much interest in the program that several other pets will be getting the same services at Fairfax Animal Hospital.

While we offer low-cost neutering all year round, this special applies only to our participation in Spay Day. It's great to see so many loved companions getting such a needed service.

Giving Thanks for "Patience"

Every animal that comes in to our shelter has lost its home, but sometimes the story is particularly sad. On October 27, 2008, an Arlington County employee found a cat in a carrier under a pile of household goods in front of an empty house. The worker brought the cat to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. We guessed that the cat’s owner may have been evicted. The cat’s front left paw was tightly wrapped with a cloth bandage. When we unwrapped the bandage we saw that the paw was swollen badly and showed signs of infection. We sent the cat to Caring Hands Animal Hospital where doctors found ulcerations, infection, and dead tissue. They prescribed pain medication and an antibiotic. They thought that they might need to amputate the paw.

After about a week of soaking the paw twice a day and changing the bandage, kennel staff named the cat Patience because of her amazing tolerance of all the uncomfortable treatment that she needed. Then we sent the female orange tabby to Fairfax Animal Hospital where doctors sedated her, removed dead skin and soaked her foot. An X-ray of the paw showed fractures of the bones that run between the fingers and the wrist. Under sedation her left premolars were removed because the roots were exposed.

On November 18 Patience was rechecked at Fairfax Animal Hospital and sent back to us with the following treatment protocol: every 2-3 days, remove bandage and soak paw in dilute Chlorhexidine solution for 10 minutes. With gauze pad, gently scrub off any remaining dead tissue and wipe paw dry. Allow paw to air dry completely, then apply antibiotic ointment, cover with Tefla pad, wrap with cast padding (make wrap supportive/thick to give more support to broken toes), then apply kling gauze, and finally vetwrap. Repeat and change dressing every 2-3 days. Our kennel staff performed all her needed care while also caring for more than 100 other animals every day.

On December 1, Patience went back to the hospital for follow-up x-rays. They showed that the wound was healing. She no longer needed bandages, but still needed her medications and cage rest. During all her time here Patience has resided in our Adoption Manager’s office with a comfy cat bed. Kennel staff brought her medications and treated her there.

Patience’s paw still looks scarred and fragile, but she walks with only a slight limp. Because of the dedication of our staff, the expertise of local veterinarians, and money provided by the Woody and Mickey Healthy Pet Fund, what began as a very sad story has turned into a story of triumph. Patience survived, her paw is healing, and she has remained the most gentle and friendly cat throughout her entire ordeal. Since no owner has come forward to claim her, she is now available for adoption.