‘Laundry List’ Does Include Laundry — and Hugging Bunnies How does the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) manage to show dozens of dogs and cats to potential adopters, create special treats for the animals, answer the phone, keep up with mountains of laundry and so many other tasks every week? The secret: Volunteers! A recent calculation determined that the …
Volunteering to Help Animals in Their Final Days
The foster team at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria helps kittens in their first minutes of life. They assist dogs who need a supportive friend so they can show their best self and care for animals recovering from major surgery — and so much more. The staff and volunteers who make up this team dedicate themselves to the needs …
The Beagle Bugle: Summer 2021
Squeak All About It ALEXANDRIA, VA – It’s hard for me to see anything but sunshine when I hear all the latest news around the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA). Maybe it’s my optimistic personality getting the best of me, but how can our recent headlines not make you smile? Reporting from our Trends Editor, Lula, brought to light …
The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria’s 75th Year
On June 28, 1946, a group of 26 Alexandrians came together out of concern for animals in the community to form the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. 75 years later, the AWLA continues to be a resource for the animals and people of our community, and we couldn’t have come this far without you. While we’re looking forward to all …
Animals Across the Country Find Homes in Alexandria
Life wasn’t full of hope for an eight-year-old shepherd mix known as Henry. Arriving as a stray at a shelter in Hardy County, W.Va., Henry had suffered from neglect most of his life. He tested positive for Lyme disease and severe anemia caused by worms, he had a baseball-sized tumor on his abdomen, dental disease and his nails were so …
From the Desk of Stella Hanly: Building Families with Open Adoptions
For 75 years, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria has been a resource to our community. From housing homeless animals to reuniting owners with lost pets, assisting wildlife in need, creating families and helping them stay together, the AWLA has been here for you. Read more about our journey below from AWLA from AWLA Executive Director Stella Hanly. Have you …
Competition Brings Community Spirit
In November of each year the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria’s annual photo calendar goes on sale, a calendar 6 months in the making. Rewind to earlier in the year, May, and you would find pets posing for photos and families selecting the best shots to give their best friend a shot at the title of Alexandria’s Animal of the …
Giving Alexandria’s Wildlife a Second Chance
It’s the time of year when Alexandria’s wildlife comes to life — foraging, making nests and raising their young. That translates into action-packed days for Animal Welfare League of Alexandria’s (AWLA) Animal Services Officer and wildlife specialist Megan Lawrence. A recent call concerned a common wildlife issue: squirrels. “A tree had been cut down In Del Ray, and in the trunk …
Happy Tails for National Pet Week
We can’t imagine celebrating our pets just one week a year here at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, but we’ll still pounce on any opportunity to share about the many animals who meet their new best friends through the work we do. So for National Pet Week, we’re taking a look at a few of our most recent alumni …
A Little Dog’s Rough Road to Love
For a silver-colored wire-haired terrier mix named Trixie, life just keeps getting better: She was adopted and brought to the home of Susan Senn and her husband, Jim Senn soon started taking her out for “walkabouts” in their spacious backyard. Trixie then figured out that those intimidating stairs in the house were just right for flying up and down. And, she learned that good …