adoption

Pets Displaced by Hurricane Harvey Arrive at Animal Welfare League For Adoption

By Chris Teale
1/8

Dogs displaced from Houston by Hurricane Harvey arrived yesterday (Monday) at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington to find new homes.

National animal rescue nonprofit Best Friends Society brought 15 adoptable dogs to AWLA (2650 S. Arlington Mill Drive) on its “Bobs From Skechers Roving Rescue Bus,” sponsored by the shoe brand. More dogs are also being taken to Atlanta and New York for adoption.

“Best Friends Animal Society has been on the ground taking care of pets displaced by Hurricane Harvey since August and opened the Pet Reunion Pavilion at the NRG Arena to reunite them with their owners,” a press release on the project reads. “Two months later, while some pets have been reunited or fostered/adopted to new homes, many are still in our care.”

Courtesy photos

Animal Welfare League to Open Area’s First Kitten Nursery

By Brooke Giles

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington announced it is opening the first neonatal kitten nursery in the D.C. area.

The “Kitten Academy” will help foster hundreds of kittens that are less than three weeks old, the age when a kitten is the most vulnerable. The academy will open thanks to a donation of $25,000 from Falls Church residents Ted and Willa Lutz.

According to AWLA, kittens in shelters have to overcome exposure to disease and the lack of a nursing mother before reaching an age when they can be adopted. As a result, many shelters are forced to euthanize the kittens.

Shelters can also struggle to accommodate all the neonatal kittens that arrive, especially during “Kitten Season” when many cats give birth. The season typically lasts from spring until fall, and reaches its peak in late spring.

AWLA will hold a Kitten Care Workshop on Wednesday, June 14 to train those interested in taking care of the kittens. The workshop will teach life-saving techniques and how to properly bottle feed them.

Photo via Animal Welfare League of Arlington.

Call for Families to Foster, Adopt Children

By Katie Pyzyk

Arlington County needs families to foster and adopt children, and it’s holding an information session tomorrow for those who might be interested in opening up their homes.

The children in need of foster care come from a variety of cultural backgrounds and can no longer live in their homes because of abuse, neglect or severe family issues. Fostering is a temporary arrangement, but in some cases it can lead to adoption.

Families willing to take in teenagers, sibling groups and children with special needs are in particularly high demand.

The county has the following qualifications for becoming a foster parent:

  • Able to accept a child who needs a lot of patience, understanding and love
    Over the age of 21
  • Married or single
  • With or without biological children
  • Employed inside or outside the home
  • Living in a house or apartment in Arlington County or the surrounding Virginia area

Staff with Child and Family Services will hold an information session from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The location will be sent to those who RSVP to [email protected].

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Hanukkah celebration in Clarendon 12/28/16

Struggling Skyline Sold — Vornado has taken its properties in Skyline off of its balance sheet after the 2.6 million-square-foot, half-vacant complex sold at a foreclosure auction last week. The cancelled Columbia Pike streetcar project would have run to Skyline, with Fairfax County set to pay 20 percent of the project’s cost. [Washington Business Journal]

More on ‘Pop-Up’ Hotel — The inauguration will be the big test for WhyHotel, the “pop-up” hotel in the new Bartlett apartment building in Pentagon City. Developer Vornado sees this as an experiment that could yield temporary revenue while a building is leased up. Arlington County planning commissioner Erik Gutshall says the county could benefit from additional tax revenue and a more lively streetscape. [Washington Post]

Arlington = NYE Destination? — Travelers coming to the D.C. area for New Year’s Eve should consider staying in Arlington due to its proximity to the District and lower hotel rates, says an article on “last minute deals for New Year’s Eve hotels.” [Travel + Leisure]

Transracial Adoption in Arlington — Arlington is “a fantastic community in which to raise a transracially blended family,” says the father of (now grown) adopted children from Vietnam, Sri Lanka and India. [Arlington Magazine]

Clarendon Post Office Murals — A local man has written a 44-page book on the artist who painted seven New Deal-era murals in the Clarendon post office. [Washington Post]

Reporting Issues to the County — Arlington County is reminding residents that they can report out-of-sync traffic signals, crosswalks with broken buttons and other non-emergency service requests via an online form. [Twitter]

Another AWLA Viral Cat Dancing Video

By ARLnow.com

Last year, two kittens rescued by the Animal Welfare League of Arlington became Internet sensations thanks to a viral video of them dancing to the hit song “Turn Down for What.”

This year, another AWLA kitten is getting some Internet love. Winnie, a foster kitten, stars in a video of her “dancing” to the tune of Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ pop hit “Uptown Funk.”

Since the video was uploaded to YouTube in May, it has received more than 600,000 views.

The AWLA wasn’t able to provide much information about Winnie, but did confirm that she was a foster kitten and has apparently since been adopted.

“Our foster coordinator recognizes the video kitten as one we had in the spring,” said league COO Susan Sherman.

Sherman said the organization, through its foster program, helps to rescue hundreds of kittens over the course of the summer. More kittens like Winnie, along with adult cats, are currently available for adoption.

“Kittens go to foster care when they are too young and sometimes too unsocial (feral) for adoption,” she said. “Once they reach two pounds in weight and are socialized to people, they come back to the shelter for adoption. We currently have nine kittens up for adoption and 24 in foster care who will be available in the next few weeks. Every summer our foster families help 200-300 kittens.”

Pet Adoption Event Coming to Market Common Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Dog up for adoption at Taste of Arlington 2012Market Common Clarendon (2700 Clarendon Blvd) will be holding a pet adoption day on Saturday in conjunction with two animal rescue groups.

The event is being held at the shopping center from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on March 28. It will be followed by a “Yappy Hour” at Zaika restaurant from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

The pet adoption day is scheduled to be the only D.C. area stop this year for the North Shore Animal League “Tour of Life” bus. New York-based North Shore bills itself as the world’s largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization. Beyond that, it’s perhaps best known nationally as the animal shelter publicly supported by Beth Stern and her husband, Sirius XM host and America’s Got Talent judge Howard Stern.

North Shore Animal League is partnering with Arlington-based Homeward Trails Animal Rescue for the event.

“The Tour of Life bus… will park on the Community Loop and house approximately 50 animals ready for adoption,” according to a Market Common spokeswoman. “The Loop will be transformed into an interactive dog park, where Arlington residents will have the opportunity to bring their pets to mingle with other animals, as well as have the opportunity to adopt from and donate to Homeward Trails.”

Ten percent of the proceeds from the Yappy Hour will be donated to Homeward Trails.

Foster Parents Needed

By ARLnow.com

Arlington logoArlington County is asking for more people to sign up to be foster parents, and it’s holding an information session next week for those who might be interested.

There are currently about 90 children in Arlington in need of the temporary living arrangement foster families provide. These children are unable to live in their homes for a variety of reasons, such as abuse, neglect or severe family problems. Children may need to stay with a foster family for just a few days or months, or for years.

“We know that it takes a special set of skills to parent a child that’s not your own or has been abused or neglected,” said Alissa Green, Arlington County Resource Family Coordinator.

A particular need exists for families with diverse cultural backgrounds.

“The children who are in care, much like Arlington itself, is a very diverse group. But we have a limited number of minority foster parents,” said Green. “We don’t match children with families based on race, but we like to try to match them culturally, if possible.”

Families willing to take in sibling groups and teenagers also are in high demand. More than 50 percent of Arlington’s foster children are age 13 or older.

The goal is to get foster children back with their families as soon as it’s safely possible. However, sometimes that isn’t the best option and the foster children may be adopted. All parents who qualify to foster in Arlington also are qualified to adopt a child, should the occasion arise.

“Our goal is to find a permanent plan for these kids as soon as possible,” said Green.

The fostering information session will be next Saturday (November 8) from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. at 2100 Washington Blvd. Anyone interested in attending is asked to RSVP by calling 703-228-1550, or by emailing Erica Serrano at [email protected]. Potential foster parents can fill out paperwork at the session, and the next step is to schedule formal training.

Cat Shot With Dozens of BBs Adopted

By Ethan Rothstein
1/10

Arrow, the cat found that was found in Ballston shot with more than 30 BBs, including at least 20 that remain lodged in his head, was adopted today at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.

Bluemont resident Anne Hancock took Arrow — who the shelter estimates is 6 years old — home after an emotional goodbye with AWLA staff. Arrow was brought to AWLA Jan. 18 by someone who found him wandering near Ballston Common Mall.

He came in with an upper respiratory infection and when he was given an X-Ray, veterinarians were shocked to find his body riddled with BBs and buckshot. One eye had to be removed, and he’s blind in his other eye.

Hancock’s daughter and grandson volunteer with AWLA — in fact, her daughter transported Arrow from the shelter to the vet — and they told her about the cat who, despite being horrifically abused, was so friendly and gentle around people.

“He seemed to be a special cat,” Hancock said. “He’s affectionate, sweet and very, very dear.”

Hancock will take him to a home with two other cats — cats that she said have been lonely since her third cat, which was similar in age and color to Arrow, died from cancer a few months ago.

Hancock was one of about 15 who expressed interest in adopting Arrow after ARLnow.com and other news outlets reported on him last month, AWLA Adoptions and Rescue Coordinator Amy Laferrera said. Frequently, animals that have been abused take longer to find homes, but Arrow was quickly in demand.

“We were shocked at how, all of a sudden, there was this huge outpouring of support,” LaFerrera said. “People not only wanted to adopt him but they wanted to donate and help the shelter any way they could.”

Arrow quickly became a favorite around the shelter, coming to humans who called for him or made noises to let him know they were nearby. Hancock picked him up at 2:00 p.m. today, and Arrow spent all morning saying goodbye to the staff at the shelter.

“I’m sad, in a good way, to see him go,” Charnita Fox, an animal care manager whose desk was just a few feet from Arrow’s pen. “I knew he was special when he was brought in because he pretty much let us do anything to him. We didn’t believe he was blind at first because he uses his other senses so well.”

After Hancock signed the adoption paperwork, Arrow was brought to AWLA’s front desk in crate to meet his new owner. He meowed a few times when his crate was closed, but when he was let out he quickly explored the desk he was on. Once Hancock picked him up, he settled peacefully into her arms as he was showered with affection. One AWLA staffer, after snapping a few cell phone photos, excused herself, saying “I’m going to go cry now.”

“He’s a special fella,” Hancock said after meeting him. “I feel like I won the lottery.”

Video: Animal Rescue Doc to Premiere in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

A new documentary that focuses on the efforts of the Lucky Dog Animal Rescue organization will hold its premiere at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse (2903 Columbia Pike) later this month.

The Lucky Ones will premiere at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26. Tickets are $10 and the proceeds will be donated to Lucky Dog, which is the subject of the film and was involved in its creation, but did not supply funding, according to adoption coordinator Kristy Buechner.

According to Lucky Dog’s website:

The film centers around our vast network of volunteers and partner facilities. It follows the long journey that many homeless animals take to find their forever homes. It begins in the shelters and on the streets and follows the dogs until they find their forever homes. The film is a documentary not just about the animals but also about the tireless efforts of hundreds of volunteers who touch their lives in that journey.

The Lucky Ones was produced by Alexandria-based Creative Liquid Productions and directed by its founder, Ryan Pratzel, a former producer for Rosslyn-based WJLA. It was filmed on location in South Carolina and Puerto Rico, where Lucky Dog helps to rescue dogs from the streets and shelters, and the D.C. area., where the the organization finds homes for the dogs.

Editor’s Note: The Arlington Pet of the Week feature will return next week.

AWLA Sounds Urgent Call for Cat Adoptions

By ARLnow.com

Cats up for adoption at the Animal Welfare League of ArlingtonThe Animal Welfare League of Arlington is desperately seeking adoptive homes for cats.

The AWLA shelter is at capacity for cats, the organization said Tuesday afternoon. More than 100 cats and kittens are currently at the shelter or in foster care, and another 100 are “expected to arrive throughout the month.”

To help find homes for the shelter’s burgeoning feline population, AWLA is offering a promotional special for cat adoptions in June.

“We have an urgent need for adopters or fosters,” said AWLA Communications Manager Kerry McKeel via email. “Our adult cat adoption fee is normally $100, but AWLA is offering an adoption incentive throughout June — ‘Three Name Your Fee.’ Folks who adopt cats 3 years old and over not only can name their price, but their adoption fee will also include: a certificate for a free exam with a participating veterinarian, spay or neuter surgery, a feline leukemia and feline AIDS test, a distemper vaccination, a personalized I.D. tag, a microchip, an information packet and an emergency sticker.”

Foster homes are also needed for young kittens.

“Our greatest need right now is for fosters who can help to take care of these kittens for a few weeks until they are old enough to be adopted,” said foster care coordinator Sara Emery. “We have a specific need for fosters for kittens who need to be fed every three to four hours around the clock, so retirees, people who work from home or graduate students are in especially high demand.”

Those wanting to find out how to adopt from AWLA can do so on the group’s website. The organization’s press release, after the jump.

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Kitten Season Prompts Need for Foster Homes

By Katie Pyzyk

Cat and kittens (photo via AWLA Facebook page)It’s that time of year again — kitten season.  The Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA) needs people willing to offer foster care for the young animals.

Because of the possibility the vulnerable animals may contract an illness, AWLA cannot keep kittens under the age of eight weeks in its shelter. Young kittens also cannot regulate their own body heat, eat on their own or go to the bathroom on their own. They must be fed every three to four hours and kept warm. AWLA does not have overnight staff, so it is seeking volunteers who can care for the animals around the clock until they are old enough to be adopted.

AWLA Foster Care Coordinator Sara Emery explained that cats can only go into heat a few times each year and only during warm weather, so March usually brings a spike in births. Kittens typically continue being born and brought to the shelter through November, depending on the weather. Twelve kittens have arrived at the shelter in the last week alone and Emery expects around 60 more throughout the summer.

Anyone can fill out an application to foster a kitten. AWLA staff will then interview candidates and examine the home environment to find a good animal-human fit. There is no cost to the person fostering a kitten; all supplies (including litter boxes and toys) are provided and will be replenished as necessary. The average time commitment is about three to four weeks, but will not be longer than eight weeks.

Those who provide foster care will have the opportunity to adopt the kitten at the end of its stay, or suggest someone who may be able to provide a permanent home.

Anyone interested in becoming a part of the kitten foster program should contact Sara Emery at 703-931-9241, extension 245, or by emailing [email protected].

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