Friday, July 29, 2011

Positive Changes at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington

After ten months on the job, I am happy to report some very positive changes that have taken place for the animals at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. First and foremost, euthanasias have decreased by 60% over the previous fiscal year. Our positive outcome rate for dogs has increased from 80% to 91%; for cats from 70% to 85%; and for small companion animals from 79% to 97%. Our fiscal year statistics are posted on our Web site.

We have successfully treated 21 cats for ringworm and found them new homes and have adopted 45 adult cats for no adoption fee. Free adoptions of adult cats have helped reduce the time adult cats stay in the shelter and have helped prevent overcrowding which leads to disease.

Although we have had many dogs with behavioral challenges, our adoptions team and volunteers have worked with them diligently on behavior modification and have given them extended periods of exercise to help them be more comfortable and relaxed in the shelter. Wonderful people have contributed their professional expertise in training and photography to help make all of our dogs more appealing to potential adopters. And as always our adoptions staff gives follow-up support to adopters whenever needed. We continue to develop positive relationships with local rescue groups. Our recently formed Pit Crew, consisting of shelter volunteers with a staff liaison, actively promotes a positive image of the breed to help raise our adoption of pit bulls.

Through a generous donation from two dedicated volunteers, we created a Very Important Pet (VIP) Lounge in our front office to bring attention to animals that have not gained attention from potential adopters. Dogs that do not show well in our kennel receive extra socialization and are seen in a more home-like environment in the Lounge. You may also sometimes find one of our bunnies enjoying the spacious play area in the VIP Lounge.

Our Trap-Neuter-Return program for helping community cats avoids the euthanasia of healthy cats while preventing an increase in the number of feral cats in our community. We hold information workshops regularly to educate residents on the program.

These positive changes have been a group effort among staff, volunteers, board members, and donors. Every one of you can surely take pride in the part you have played in these improvements. Thank you so much for your help and support. I hope you will continue to be a part of our work in the months ahead as we continue to strive toward giving every animal in our care the best possible experience and ultimately save more lives.

Sincerely,

Neil Trent
Executive Director
Animal Welfare League of Arlington
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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for such positive changes and for the much-lowered euthanasia rate!! I hate to think of ANY healthy loving cat, dog or bunny being killed for lack of adopters or space!!I noticed the changes when I walked in to your shelter the other day. I hope you also consider Off-Site Adoptions as well as promotions such as the very successful ones (Catapalooza - 78% of cats/kittens adopted), Holday Party, and a more recent one (where 100 cats/kittens were adopted) that the Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL) puts on every so often. And THANK YOU for your Feral Cat Program!!!!!

Wilbur said...

Congratulations. This is simply outstanding.

The situation at the shelter was unacceptable. To see this type of improvement - especially for Arlington - especially for a community where 100s of dogs are being adopted through other organizations - this type of improvement is welcome.

I hope that you have good records and I hope someone is able to audit them.

I hope that Arlington will declare itself essentially a no kill shelter. According to your stats, ZERO healthy dogs were euthanized, ZERO rehabilitatable dogs were euthanized, and only two manageable dogs were euthanized. That is outstanding. If a dog can be adopted, it should be maintained and adopted.

The supply of homes for rescue dogs in this area far exceeds the supply of dogs needing adoption. This fact is established by the numerous local adoption events adopting out dogs rescued from outside the area. We need that type of enthusiasm in getting these dogs connected with homes.

What plans does the shelter have for expanding adoption events, bring the dogs out to the people who are looking for dogs?

Animal Welfare League of Arlington said...

Thank you for the positive feedback. As far as your question about getting animals out more into the community, we have three events this month: the Arlington County Fair, the Cause for Paws, and Wags 'n Whiskers.

Cindy said...

Good job!

I think you would see donations increase substantially if you went to a no kill shelter. I have adopted multiple cats over the years from your shelter and they all lived long lives (last one was Lily recently). Although I have given goods over the years to the shelter, I only make financial donations to no kill shelters and rescue groups.

I also wish more education would be done about dispelling myths on black cats. Altough they are my favorites, they tend to be the least adopted and you always have a lot of older black cats.

Faris said...

Good work but please look into becoming a No Kill shelter. I would donate on a monthly basis if this were the case.

Thank you

Animal Welfare League of Arlington said...

Thank you for your comment. Please read this article published on examiner.com for a good analysis of this issue. http://www.examiner.com/article/renown-expert-discusses-euthanasia-by-injection-and-compassion-fatigue