It was a cool, breezy day on the morning of April 30, the perfect weather for the return of the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria’s Pets & People Community Wellness Events. Held from 10 a.m. to noon, this past Saturday’s event was the first held at Stevenson Park, helping to serve the needs of pets in Alexandria’s West End – alongside the people who love them.
Tents were set up to provide FREE vaccinations and microchips for dogs and cats, bags of shelf-stable food from ALIVE!, pet supplies, information from the Virginia Cooperative Extension, basic grooming, behavioral advice, activities for children and more. Attendees ranged from 2-pound pups to those weighing more than 100, plus cats of all sizes, and owners of all ages and walks of life. By the end of the day, nearly 90 pets had received some form of treatment, with more than 50 receiving vaccinations and/or microchips. All the bags of (human) food had been collected, as well as a majority of the pet supplies. Hundreds of nails were trimmed, and dozens of activity books were colored.
The AWLA’s Pets & People Community Wellness Event were created to follow the One Health model of community wellness, focusing on the interconnection of people, animals and the environment in individual health and welfare. Our next Pets & People Wellness Event will take place on Sat., May 21, at the Ruby Tucker Family Center at 322 Tancil Court in Old Town; alongside the treatments and supplies offered at this weekend’s event, Neighborhood Health will also be in attendance to provide COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters to eligible people 5 years and older. For more information, email community@alexandriaanimals.org.
View just some of the scenes from the April 30 Pets & People Community Wellness Event below.