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. The dawn …
Happy Returns: The Importance of Microchips
With the wave of a wand, Spot can go from being a lost animal to a pet who is returning home to his family. It’s not magic. It’s microchipping. As a pet owner, you have probably heard of microchips, even if you aren’t familiar with how helpful they can be. Pet owners often don’t consider their pets’ microchips until a …
‘Fear Free’ Approach Helps Reduce Shelter Animals’ Stress
Toffee, a six-year-old tricolored Chihuahua/rat terrier mix, cowered in the very back of a crate in her kennel at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA). Trembling at every loud noise, Toffee was scared of the world. Animal Care Associate Jennifer Yang decided Toffee needed a change of scenery — and sounds. One day during her lunch break, Yang carried …
It’s a Wild Day in the Neighborhood
Few people complain that they don’t have enough mosquitoes, mice, rats, ticks or lice in their backyards. Fewer still complain about not enough dead fish on the shorelines. But local animal protection officials often receive complaints about the very beings who help to keep these populations under control. A baby raccoon takes shelter at the AWLA. Residents should call the …
Short-term Animal Guests Bring Joy to Those Who Foster Them
Picture this: You’re sitting comfortably on the couch, working on your laptop computer from home, as five tiny kittens purr and cuddle on your lap, vying for your attention. That’s one way to push through a pandemic. For roommates Kathryn Hockman and Aya Takai, the litter of five kittens who came to stay for a few weeks at their apartment …
A Partner for Animals and People
Some know the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) as the place where they adopted their best friend. Others know it as the shelter that helped reunite them with their lost pet. But the AWLA is so much larger than a building. The AWLA is a team of people dedicated to animals — and the people who love them. In …
Two Dogs, One Family Add Up to Joy for Everyone
It’s never too late in life to find love. Even for senior dogs. Mary Carter and her family know all about it. Carter, her husband and their three children — Chloe, 12, Jackie, 10, and Hugo, 4 — had left their California home, traveled the world for most of 2019 and then settled in Baltimore. To keep a promise Carter …
So Many Homes for the Pawlidays
The holidays are often a perfect time for families to welcome a new pet into their home, which means our team at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria always enjoys a busy holiday season of helping animals meet their new best friends. And 2020 was no exception. This December, our friends at Priority Automotive paid the adoption fees of all …
Vaccinations Made Easy at Drive-In Clinics for Pets
At a time when vaccines are top of people’s minds, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) is offering a new way for the community to make sure their pets don’t miss their own critical medical treatments. The AWLA shelter veterinarian and a staff member examine a cat in the shelter’s community room. Starting in September, the AWLA has been …
Feeling Thankful for our Senior Pets
November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month, which gives all of us at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria just one more reason to share why we love our senior pets so much! Whether you love how your senior naps like a pro or how they surprise you with their puppy-like energy, senior pet owners know how special those golden …