Animal Welfare League of Arlington

Since 1944 dedicated to animal welfare, caring for homeless animals, adopting pets to loving homes, low-cost spay-neuter, humane education, preventing animal cruelty and protecting wildlife: 4-star Charity Navigator rating.

How do you help people in my community?

The Animal Welfare League is a precious resource to those who need to surrender an animal.  The League accepts animals from anywhere.  With every stray animal brought to the shelter or found, the League tries to reunite the pet owners and their missing animals.  In 2003, the League handled 2,984 companion animals and 1,558 wildlife!

In 2004, the League returned a dog to an owner in North Carolina.  The dog was surrendered as a stray by an Arlington resident and the League was able to find the owner’s information through the veterinary clinic information that was listed on the rabies tag.  As the owner only spoke Spanish, a bilingual-staff member spoke to the owner several times by telephone. The owner was very surprised (yet relieved) to learn that her dog was safe but so far away from her home.  She believed that her dog had been stolen by someone who had been visiting her neighbors.  At the owner’s request, the dog was returned to a family member who lived in the metro area.  The dog’s owner was very grateful.

The League helps wildlife as well, sometimes just by giving callers information on how to peacefully coexist with wildlife and other times by rescuing sick or injured wildlife.  Our animal control officers care about the animals and take appropriate measures to help an animal in need.

In July of 2004 animal control received a call regarding a cardinal that was caught in a fishing line over a creek in Glen Carlin Park.  Animal control arrived to find the fledgling cardinal dangling from a fishing line approximately 10 ft from the bank of the creek.  The officer removed her shoes and rolled up her pants and walked out to the bird in knee-deep water.  The fledgling had a fishing lure lodged in its mouth, which she removed.  The bird was transported to the shelter where it was examined.  The bird was determined to be ok.  The officer transported the bird back to where it was found.  Since the fledgling would be on the ground a few more days until it learned how to fly, the officer again removed her shoes and waded across the creek to leave the baby bird in an area where it would not be disturbed.

Why do you need my support?

Every gift counts at the League

• $25 buys toys and treats for shelter animals
  
• $50 helps teach a group of six year olds to be kind to all living things
  
• $100 subsidizes the adoption of a cat by a senior citizen
  
• $150 sends an animal  for emergency veterinarian care
  
• $200 evaluates the behavior of four dogs before adoption
  
• $300 spays or neuters two dogs

The League needs your contributions now more than ever to continue to aggressively fight the pet overpopulation problem.  More than 70,000 puppies and kittens are born each day in the United States, while only 10,000 humans are born.  These statistics mean that if every man, woman, and child in the country adopted one animal, there would still always be an enormous surplus of animals. It is estimated that there are approximately 7.5 million animals without homes in the United States. 

How can I be sure that you will use my money wisely and won't waste it?

90 cents of every dollar you give to the shelter goes directly to the animals; only 10% goes to operating costs.  Another option is to donate to one of our two restricted funds.  The Hantke Spay/Neuter fund sponsors free and low-cost spays and neuters.  The Woody and Mickey Healthy Pet Fund helps the League pay for more shelter animals to be treated by a veterinarian in order to become more adoptable.

Can I Volunteer? How?

Yes, please visit our website at www.AWLA.org/volunteer or call 703-931-9241 ext 245.