The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria operates the Vola Lawson Animal Shelter under contract to the City of Alexandria. Our Shelter provides a temporary safe haven for stray and lost animals and animals given up by their owners. The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria welcomes every animal in need. We turn no animal away*. We are defined as an "open admission" shelter.

There are other organizations that call themselves "no kill" shelters, but we find that term can be misleading. These organizations are more accurately defined as "limited admission" shelters, because, generally speaking, they have to restrict the number of animals they take in. They may turn away those animals that arent healthy or behaviorally sound. To operate successfully, they may have to limit their intake to animals that can be quickly adopted.

As an open-admission shelter, we take in ill and injured animals and those that are not immediate candidates for adoption. We receive pets that are no longer wanted, pets from people who can no longer care for them, as well as stray animals.

During their stay at the Shelter, all animals receive necessary veterinary care, nutritious food, exercise and plenty of love and attention from our well-trained and experienced staff. Animals determined to be suitable for adoption are placed in our Adoption program. There is no set time limit for how long an animal can remain in our Adoption program. As long as an animal maintains general good health, a sound temperament and we have space, we'll keep a pet for weeks, sometimes months. We may put some animals who are sick, underage, or who would benefit from behavioral intervention in temporary foster care and return them to the Adoption program at a later time. We may move other sick animals into our Isolation Room for treatment, where they remain available for adoption and can be returned to the Adoption room when they have recovered. We work hard to give second chances to every healthy or rehabilitatable animal, and we do a good job, trying to avoid euthanasia when appropriate and when possible.

But more keep coming in an average of about 60 every week and the reality is that there is not enough space and money to accommodate all of them. We humanely euthanize those animals that are not chosen by new families. We also euthanize aggressive animals that are determined to be a potential threat to the community and those sick or injured animals that are unrehabilitatable given our resource limitations.

There is no charge for giving up an animal, though we will ask if you are able to make a donation to help care for all the animals here at the Shelter. Animals may be given up any time during regular business hours.

* Owners surrendering animals who have bitten within the last 10 days, and are therefore in their rabies quarantine period, will be asked to take that animal to their local jurisdiction so that the quarantine can be followed by the appropriate jurisdiction.