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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Why Don't More Cats Wear Collars?

A recent study reported in Animal Sheltering Magazine (March/April 2011) cites an earlier study in Ohio in which only 17% of cat owners said their cats wear some form of visual identification and only 3% have microchips. No wonder it is so difficult to return lost cats to their owners!

The study also says that nationally only 2% of stray cats entering animal shelters are reunited with their owners. The League's record is much better: we reunite 19% of stray cats with owners. We would of course like to make that percentage much higher. The League microchips all our cats prior to adoption, and our adoption contract requires that adopters ensure that their cats always wear elastic safety collars and identification tags.

The focus of the study was to find out what percentage of pet cats would wear collars for six months and still have functioning microchips. 538 cats were microchipped and given collars. At the end of six months, 73% of cats were still wearing their collars and had functioning microchips. The study also found that owners who felt more positively about their cats wearing collars were more likely to have cats who succeeded in wearing them longer.

Many more lost cats could get back home if their owners were diligent about keeping collars with identification on them. Even indoor cats (all pet cats should be indoors) need to wear identification in case they get outside by accident. It happens all the time: we get calls almost daily about indoor cats that have accidentally gotten outside and are not wearing identification.

So cat lovers, please microchip your pet cats and make sure that they always wear elastic safety collars with identification.

An Orange Kitten and the Ringworm Saga of 2010

This is the story of a little orange cat with a few patches of missing fur. She came to the shelter in July 2010 as a stray at about two months old. We named her Mia Bella. She had an upper respiratory infection and some fur loss in patches. We began treating her for her cold, and in early August a test confirmed that she had ringworm.

Ringworm is not caused by a worm. It is an infection of the skin caused by a fungus. Ringworm is contagious. It spreads when you have skin-to-skin contact with a person or animal that has it. It can also spread on things like towels and clothing. So we began weekly lime dips and systemic treatment with intraconazole. Then another cat came in with patchy fur loss, and another. Finally, we had 21 cats with confirmed ringworm that were all undergoing weekly dipping, weekly testing, and systemic treatment. The cats also had to be quarantined from all other animals and people. So we converted our cat sick bay room and previous dog receiving room into ringworm quarantine 1 and 2.


Animal care technicians have to wear protective clothing including hair and shoe covers to go in these rooms to clean and care for the quarantined cats. Of course, this is in addition to caring for the 60-80 other cats in the shelter. We also began completely stripping, cleaning, and disinfecting the rooms with a bleach solution once a week. Sometimes animal care staff came in late at night to disinfect after everyone else was gone. Even with precautions, a few staff members caught the fungus themselves. We also instituted some new cleaning protocols in our other cat areas to reduce the possibility of contamination.


After five months of treatment and a set-back with a serious jaw infection that required surgery, Mia Bella finally was healthy enough for adoption. She moved out of quarantine into our main cat room and was soon adopted into a loving home. To date, nine of our 21 quarantined cats have fully recovered and eight of those have been adopted. We expect to have a few more weeks of treatment before all the cats are ready for adoption and we can close the chapter on the ringworm saga of 2010.


Our animal care technicians have risked infection, bleach fume overload, and exhaustion to save these cats and make them healthy. Administrative staff have helped out with regular cleaning so that animal care technicians could focus on the extra cleaning that the ringworm requires. We all hope we never see ringworm again, but if and when we do, we certainly know how to handle it.

League Adoption Featured in novadog Magazine

Read about an adoption success story in the Spring 2010 issue of novadog magazine. Shadow came to the League in March 2009 because his owner could no longer care for him. He was five years old, thin, and had a chronic skin condition that caused patches of fur to fall out. After we shaved down his fur, began treating the skin condition, and neutered him, he became available for adoption. But few potential adopters took interest in him.

Finally, at the end of June 2009, an experienced chow chow owner saw Shadow on our Web site. She came in to meet him and fell in love with his mellow personality. Since July 2009 Shadow has enjoyed a stable and loving home.

Thanks to novadog for promoting shelter adoptions!

Parakeets Die From Kitchen Fumes

An adopter has sadly notified us that her four parakeets all died on a recent evening while she was cooking. She believes the fumes from a non-stick oven liner are to blame. Although she knew the danger of teflon-coated pans to birds, she did not realize that many other products contain the same "perfluorinated" chemicals (PTFE).

Some Common Sources of PTFE:

Non-stick pots, pans, and other cookware
Stain repellants
Space heaters and heat lamp covers
Non-stick irons and ironing board covers
Hair dryers
Non-stick oven drip pans and broiler pans
Non-stick griddles, woks, waffle makers, electric skillets, tortilla presses
Non-stick hot air corn poppers, coffee makers, bread makers
Non-stick slow cookers, roasters, pizza pans
Ceramic cooking stoves

Source:http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=15+1912&aid=2874

While heartbroken over the deaths of her parakeets, she wants to warn others about this danger. See avianweb.com for more information.

Cairn Terriers Get New Lives

In mid-December an owner brought in two older Cairn terriers (10 and 12 years old) and requested that they be humanely euthanized. Because they were older dogs and the family could no longer care for them, he thought euthanasia was the only choice. We noticed that although older, the dogs seemed in good condition. We explained that we would like to investigate the dogs’ health and possibly place them in an adoptive home, and he was glad for us to try.


Both dogs were slightly overweight, had matted coats, and had severe dental disease. After examinations by one of our volunteer visiting veterinarians, they went to a local animal hospital for blood tests and dental cleanings. Our Woody and Mickey Healthy Pet Fund provided the $600 needed for their treatment. A volunteer groomer gave them baths and new haircuts. They looked like different dogs!


After all their treatments, Skye and Brie went up for adoption as a bonded pair that needed to be adopted together. Probably because of their age, there wasn’t much adoption interest. Fortunately, the Cairn Rescue League, a national nonprofit based in New Hampshire, saw the dogs on Petfinder and contacted us. The rescue group found an available foster home in New Hampshire and even found a driver who would pick them up and take them to their new home.


Six weeks after arriving at the League, Skye and Brie left for their new lives in the northeast. Years ago this rescue probably would not have been possible. Our Healthy Pet Fund allows us to determine older pets’ health with diagnostic tests and to treat them for correctable problems. The growth of rescue groups devoted to specific breeds and types of animals often makes it possible to find homes even for animals with manageable medical or behavioral issues. Our adoption team has devoted a great deal of effort establishing relationships with rescue groups and will continue to work for the best outcome for every animal in our care.

TV Appearance Results in Adoption

Last October an owner surrendered two five-year-old Siberian huskies because of moving. Muska (male) and Sierra (female) turned out to be sweethearts. They needed to be spayed and neutered and Muska had an eye abnormality called entropian. We had the neutering surgery done and at the same time Muska's entropian was repaired thanks to our Woody and Mickey Healthy Pet Fund. We were all so excited when the pair were adopted in mid-November.

But two days after their adoption, the huskies were returned. They had whimpered and cried and had housetraining accidents in their new home. Although this behavior is not that unusual during a period of adjustment, the adopter did not think that he/she could work through it. Everyone here was disappointed but we believed that our lovable pair could do well with someone who could be patient with them.

On November 30 we had the chance to bring animals on Fox 5 TV and we chose to bring Muska and Sierra. Of course, they charmed everyone at the TV studio and showed off their adorable natures on camera. We posted the video on the dogs' detail pages on our Web site and also on Petfinder.

Miles away in Long Island, New York, a man searched Petfinder for a Siberian husky and found Muska and Sierra. He told us that as soon as he saw the video, he thought, "those are my dogs." He contacted us right away about adoption. We don't usually place animals that far away, but no one locally had shown interest in adopting them. The husky lover in New York sent us a reference from his veterinarian (he had owned a husky before) and sent us a video showing us his home.

On December 16 the man and his son drove down from Long Island and had their face-to-face meeting with the dogs and an interview with our adoption manager. They took Muska and Sierra home that day! They have since sent us reports that the dogs have settled into their new home beautifully--and they love all the snow!

Technology has made it a small world, and we're grateful for all the means available now to find that perfect home for a deserving animal.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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