Animal Welfare League of Alexandria

ANIMAL CARE: In FY25, we cared for 2,386 animals (1201 cats, 981 dogs, 204 small animals), and providing their daily care was our largest expense. Our team of shelter volunteers assisted AWLA staff to provide top-level care for every animal at the shelter. In FY25, shelter volunteers donated 23,094 hours to the AWLA, roughly equivalent to 11 full-time employees. These volunteers performed a range of tasks, including helping with laundry and dishes; walking dogs; staffing events; cleaning animal enclosures; maintaining the yards and landscaping; cleaning carriers; transporting animals to vet appointments; stocking supplies; socializing cats, feeding animals and helping at events. Volunteers also donated their time from home, helping our organization administratively as well as with enrichment activities for animals.To expand our sheltering capability and provide a unique, home-like environment for animals who might not thrive in the shelter (including newborn and sick or injured animals), we also coordinated a team of more than 100 volunteer foster providers to care for 369 animals in their homes in FY25. The AWLA strives to find placement for every animal that can safely and humanely be rehomed, and in FY25, we found placement for 96% of the pets in our care. To achieve this goal, our staff and volunteers went above and beyond to assist animals in our custody, focusing on animals' health, behavior, enrichment and more to provide them with the best care on their way to finding new homes. We also continue to work closely with other regional shelters and rescues in areas that may not have the same resources as ours, transferring animals to our facility to help those organizations with overpopulation and to increase our combined life-saving efforts. In FY25, we brought in 504 animals from several shelters and rescues in Virginia, as well as West Virginia, Maryland, and Florida. Many of the animals that come to us have health issues ranging from fairly minor to extremely serious, including infections, bone breaks/fractures, heart problems, diabetes and other chronic illnesses. Our shelter veterinarian is responsible for examining the animals at the shelter and determining how to best meet each of their medical needs. In FY25, 329 animals with major medical concerns were treated by the AWLA.

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS: In FY25 we expanded our efforts to provide support to pet owners, so no one would need to make the heartbreaking decision to surrender a beloved pet for financial reasons. Through our Community Pet Pantry, we distributed over 65,000 pounds of pet food and supplies supporting more than 3,500 pets, and more than 51,000 meals were provided to the pets of senior/housebound pet owners through our AniMeals program. Our Spay and Neuter Assistance program 523 vouchers for this life-changing surgery, helping to control the population of homeless animals and prevent unexpected litters that might lead to animal surrender. Additionally, 1,742 vaccinations and 380 microchips were provided to pets across the community. And the AWLA's Crisis Care program continued to provide limited-term boarding for pets whose owners are undergoing emergencies like loss of housing or hospital stays. Through these programs, we help countless animals in our community stay where they belong -- in homes where they are loved.