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Shelley Castle Photography for AWLA
Thunder at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.
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AWLA
Thunder showing his true personality with his family.
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Shelley Castle Photography/AWLA
October at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.
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AWLA
Thunder enjoying the lap of luxury at home.
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Shelley Castle Photography/AWLA
Snickers at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.
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AWLA
Snickers with his new family.
by Gina Hardter
Alexandria is a community that loves animals. This fact is plain to see, from the water bowls that line the sidewalks of Alexandria’s downtown business district to the 18 dog parks within city limits to the sheer volume of veterinary clinics and pet care facilities throughout the area.
So when Megan Webb joined the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) as its Executive Director more than six years ago, she knew she had found the perfect community to support expansion of the animal shelter’s capabilities, starting with overhauling how we think about animal care in a shelter environment.
In 2010, the euthanasia rate for all animals who came to the shelter was more than 40 percent. “Most people didn’t realize that nearly one-third of the animals who came to the shelter did not find homes,” Webb recalls. “In such a caring community, I knew we could do better.”To improve each animal’s quality of life during their time at the shelter, the AWLA expanded its volunteer program, from 52 volunteers in 2010 to 118 in 2017, nearly tripling the number of hours volunteers spent at the shelter. This additional level of support means that each dog can be walked at least twice a day and each cat get regular attention in its enclosure and maybe even some enrichment around the shelter. This improved engagement makes adoptable animals happier, healthier and, because of improved “kennel presence,” likely to be adopted more quickly.
Building upon these on-site volunteer efforts, the AWLA also expanded its foster program, which provided additional capacity to house more animals in need, and also created a dedicated team who could support animals with special needs, such as newborn and elderly animals, animals with health issues and those in need of behavioral support. These types of animals may not thrive or be able to receive the level of support they need in the shelter environment, but with the respite and extra TLC provided by foster caregivers, most of them are able to return to the shelter to find their families.
“Our volunteers make such a huge difference to the quality of life of our animals,” Webb confirms. “They put in the hours of a dozen staff members each year and make such a huge impact on making our animals as healthy and happy as they can be while they prepare for adoption.”
The AWLA also streamlined the intake and evaluation process for each animal, reducing the average length of stay, meaning that animals could be adopted more quickly after they came to the shelter and more animals could be adopted each year. The AWLA cared for more than 2,100 wild and domestic animals in 2017, more than any other year in the last decade, by helping animals become available to the public and find their families more quickly.
But change didn’t happen in the shelter alone. Increasing adoptions is only possible when the community is involved, and the AWLA wanted to make sure this animal-loving city knew about what was going on in the shelter. From offering more high-quality photos of adoptable animals provided by our dedicated photography team to expanding outreach via digital networks like Facebook and email, the AWLA shared success stories — and hardships — with supporters, inviting them to visit, to adopt and to be part of the story.
Who Is Adoptable?
Helping animals get adopted was a big part of reducing euthanasia rates, but it wasn’t everything. The AWLA also wanted to make more animals adoptable, and the place to start was in the shelter. Animals come to the AWLA for a variety of reasons, and it was time to start examining commonly held beliefs on “adoptability.” Rather than making a blanket determination about senior animals, cats with litter box issues or dogs who showed aggression in the kennel environment, the AWLA revamped the review process of each animal, on an individual level. A senior animal with chronic illnesses might have many years ahead of him on the right medication, or might be the “hospice” pet that a dedicated owner is looking for. A dog who is stressed in the shelter might show a whole other side in foster care, and if she can be adopted directly from her foster home, those “aggressive” behaviors might never be seen again.
As adoption numbers increased, it also meant the AWLA could take in and find homes for animals not only from Alexandria but also in neighboring communities where shelters may not have the same level of support. These communities may have begun with euthanasia rates as high as 2010 Alexandria, but thanks to the AWLA’s assistance, they are able to reduce those rates, find homes for more animals and re-examine their own shelter practices to expand their local efforts to help more cats and dogs.
Alexandrians Showed Their Support
All of these new practices have real costs, and many citizens did not realize that the funding the AWLA receives from the City only covers a portion of its efforts, including the facility and maintenance, staffing Animal Services, boarding for seized or stray animals for a short “stray hold” period and dog/cat licensing. If Alexandria wanted to affect the care of animals who came through the shelter, they would need to supplement this support, and when they heard this, they did.
Increased donations from the community mean that animals in need of medical care can now get the treatment they need on their path to finding their new families. Dogs and cats with behavioral issues can undergo training until they are deemed “ready” for adoption. These processes are supported by the amazing volunteers and foster caregivers who donate their time to the shelter, but those efforts would mean nothing if the community did not fund the programs through which each animal is helped.
The AWLA is also now able to connect with the community via outreach and humane education, to teach citizens about animal welfare and provide support to animal companions in need before a seizure or surrender might be required. And most of all, this expanded community support means that AWLA can give each animal what they need most of all: time. Time to undergo behavioral or veterinary care, time for a stay in a foster home to recuperate or learn new skills and time for them to find their families through the AWLA, however long it might take.
What Is the End Goal?
In 2017, the euthanasia rate at the AWLA has been reduced to 4 percent, but these new programs and processes will continue and hopefully expand to lower that number even more. Alexandria’s generosity is helping not only its own animals but animals across the region. The AWLA continues to seek ways to connect, to innovate and most of all to help, but that could not be done without this community support. “We could not be more grateful for all the community assistance we receive, from funds to goods, in-kind donations and volunteer time,” Webb says. “You asked us to make a difference to animal welfare in the Alexandria, but our impact is only possible thanks to your support.”
