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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51 Spay Day Surgeries

Thanks to the generous support of donors to our Hantke Memorial Spay/Neuter Fund we have subsidized surgeries for 51 cats and dogs for Spay Day 2010. Low-income pet parents paid only $25 for the surgery and the Hantke Fund paid the remainder. The Washington Metropolitan Spay/Neuter Center and Fairfax Animal Hospital performed the surgeries at very low cost for us. We plan to do four more surgeries on Friday at Arlington Animal Hospital.

While Spay Day brings attention to the need for low-cost surgery in February each year, the League offers reduced cost spay and neuter year-round. The best way to solve the pet overpopulation problem is prevention!

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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!

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.