Program:
Our Shelter and Dog and Cat Adoptions
- Budget:
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$300,000
- Category:
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Animal-Related
- Population Served:
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Adults
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Children and Youth (infants - 19 years.)
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Other Named Groups
Program Description:
Adoptions
In 2010, we placed 1,285 animals. These adoptees comprised 678 dogs and 607 cats. The fundamental Meet Your Match program, which pairs animals and people according to personality and lifestyle, remains a hallmark of the League's rehoming efforts.
Collaboration with Other Shelters and Humane Organizations
Shelter Animal Relief Effort (ShARE) program. The League receives adoptable animals who would otherwise be euthanized from overflowing, under-resourced shelters throughout the eastern and southern United States. In 2010, the League received 619 dogs and 221 cats from shelter partners. For the second year, it participated in PetSmart Charities’ Rescue Waggin’ Program, which uses specially equipped trucks to transport animals from shelters as far as 10 hours away or more from Washington to the shelter.
Major rescues for the League in 2010 included 70 severely neglected dogs from a hoarding situation in Mississippi, 30 dogs from Kuwait when the only animal shelter in the country burned down, 30 animals from a North Carolina medical research laboratory under investigation for abuse, and 10 pit bulls from a suspected dog fighting ring in Ohio.
Program Long-Term Success:
In the next few years, we plan to adopt out more than 2,000 animals per year.
Program Short-Term Success:
We plan to reach the 2,000 mark for adoptions in 2010.
Program Success Monitored by:
The League's Chief Operating Officer oversees all aspects of adoption, from the intake and assessment of new cats and dogs to the adoption process and follow-up.
In the past year, the average length of time an animal spends in our facility has been reduced to 21 days for puppies, down from 40 days: 27 days for dogs, down from 40 days; and, 45 days for cats and kittens,down from 115 days.
Program Success Examples:
Lionheart, Esq. was rescued on October 6, 2009 from a puppy mill raid in Lamar, Arkansas. He was discovered in a “pen” outside a barn that housed 85 other small-breed dogs. He had no shelter, food, or water: his area was made up of scrap metal and pieces of chain link fence placed together. He was found standing in several inches of mud, standing urine and feces. There was a dog carrier in the corner of his “pen” that had several inches of excrement at the bottom, which was his only source of shelter. His only known source of food was trash that blew by, and the only source of water was runoff that pooled in the mud in his pen.
When Lionheart was brought to the League, he was emaciated, covered in matts, fleas, ticks, urine and excrement, he could barely breathe and was wheezing loudly. He was rushed into the Medical Center, where veterinarians at first thought he was suffering from chronic heart failure and anemia. After several rounds of testing, it was determined that Lion’s heart condition was caused by his anemia; he was treated with antibiotics and a normal diet and his heart improved and strengthened. His coat was shaved off to free him of the mats that caused his skin to stretch and tear, and he gained 15 pounds in three weeks from being fed on a routine schedule.
Lion was adopted by an employee of the League, who along with the League’s staff, fell in love with his courageous attitude and incredibly sweet and calm demeanor. He was taken to an ear, nose and throat specialist where it was discovered that Lion’s throat, nose and airways had been crushed by blunt force trauma earlier in his life. After two extensive surgeries, Lion’s nose, throat and airways have been improved, and he now runs, plays, and enjoys chasing after squirrels. His coat has grown in and he continues to prove to everyone he meets that he is a resilient, amazing dog who holds no grudges from the horrendous life he once had. His new mom said Lion is never fearful, always happy, and is the sweetest dog you will ever meet.
Program:
Medical Center
- Budget:
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$1,487,146
- Category:
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Animal-Related
- Population Served:
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Poor/Economically Disadvantaged, Indigent, General
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Aging/Elderly/Senior Citizens
Program Description:
Re-designed and expanded in 2006, the Medical Center programs include:
- Care for Pets of Low-Income Residents: In 1996, the League extended its scope of services to include low-cost veterinary care by opening its Medical Center to exclusively serve the pets of low-income guardians of the District. The Medical Center provides a full range of services discounted as much as 85%, ranging from physical exams, laboratory tests, radiology, vaccinations, treatment of medical problems, dental disease, and conditions requiring surgery. In 2010, the Medical Center provided care to 6,912 pets of 3,058 guardians. The Medical Center holds weekly clinics at which pets from any local jurisdiction can receive low cost vaccinations and micro-chips. In 2010, these vaccination clinics provided care to 2,210 animals.
- Combating Pet Overpopulation: To combat the animal overpopulation crisis, the League performs low-cost spay and neuter clinics for dogs and cats of residents living in the metropolitan area. In 2010, the Medical Center performed over 2,755 spay/neuters.
- Care for Shelter Residents: The Medical Center also provides comprehensive veterinary care to the shelter residents, many of whom come to WARL with serious health issues resulting from life in puppy mills or the impacts of natural disasters. In 2009, the Medical Center cared for 1,254 dogs and cats in the shelter.
Program Long-Term Success:
A long-term success goal is to be able to treat every patient that walks through our doors and to never turn away a client (either because she does not meet our financial requirements, or we do not have enough staff to see every patient on a particular day).
Program Short-Term Success:
In 2010, about 30 dedicated and specially trained volunteers regularly worked in the Center (helping at the weekly low-cost vaccination clinics is especially popular among volunteers) and at least ten highly qualified specialist veterinarians—orthopedists, ophthalmologists, cardiologists, neurologists, and others—regularly take our cases. Supplies and equipment are often donated to the clinic. In 2010, two major pieces were donated: a digital dental radiograph machine and a radiosurgery machine for opening and closing incisions precisely. The Medical Center has been featured in numerous local and national media reports on television and radio and in print. This, in turn, has increased the number and amount of monetary donations the League receives in support of its work.
Program Success Monitored by:
The Medical Center keeps careful statistics on the number of clients and animals utilizing its services: free spay/neuter clinics, low-cost vaccination clinics, regular appointments, treatments by volunteer veterinary specialists, appointments for animals in the custody of other welfare groups, etc. Although the recession is reportedly easing somewhat in the area, the demand for these services continues to rise. We believe this is due to expanded awareness of our services through word of mouth as more people benefit from the League’s help in a number of ways, most notably from the services offered through Project Rescue.
Program Success Examples:
Margo was a black, short-haired kitten who was brought in by a good Samaritan who found her lying in the street the morning after a rainstorm. She had a severely low body temperature and had maggots (fly eggs) all over her fur. (We affectionately refer to her in the clinic as "Maggot"). Our head tech warmed her up immediately, saving her life until the director of the hospital could get in to see her. We placed a catheter in her femur (she was too tiny and dehydrated to find a vein), gave her dextrose, warm fluids and antibiotics, and got rid of her maggots. Her condition stabilized and we treated her for an upper respiratory infection. She is a happy, strong young cat today and is in a home. Margo was very near death and almost certainly would not have survived if she had been brought to another shelter.
Program:
Humane Education
- Budget:
-
$100,000
- Category:
-
Education
- Population Served:
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Children Only (5 - 14 years)
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Poor/Economically Disadvantaged, Indigent, General
Program Description:
Humane Education: The League’s Humane Education programs engage elementary and middle school children in Washington, D.C. with the organization’s work. The staff visit schools and bring groups of children to the shelter. The League also provides age appropriate books with humane themes to classrooms, school libraries and students, so that a message of compassion, responsibility and action can be obtained through literacy. The Humane Education staff and volunteers work closely with Washington, DC Animal Control officers to also teach children the importance of public health issues like spaying and neutering. In 2010, special programs included a photography workshop and summer camps that emphasized learning about animals, building compassion, and creative expression. More than 700 students participated in 2010 programming with about 300 of them coming to the shelter for a tour or service learning project.
The Washington Animal Rescue League's education program is generously supported by Friendship Hospital for Animals.
Program Long-Term Success:
Humane Education promotes critical thinking skills and encourages students to make kind, compassionate, and responsible decisions that result in the development of a greater sense of empathy, justice and respect for self and others.
Program Short-Term Success:
- To acquaint children with the role of the Washington Animal Rescue League in the community as an animal adoption/rehabilitation center and a full service medical center that provides humane, quality healthcare;
- To provide children with knowledge and experiences that will enable them to develop humane attitudes and values that will guide their relationships with animals, peers and others as they mature into kind, thoughtful and responsible adults;
- To foster a sense of empathy that creates an environment of kindness and respect for all life;
- To provide opportunities for students to develop safe friendships with dogs in a familiar, comfortable school setting;
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To provide children with opportunities to visit the League’s animal shelter and medical center;
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To improve literacy through the sharing of thought provoking picture books, poetry and essays that feature companion animals.
Program Success Monitored by:
Program success is measured through teacher comments and student reflections.
Teacher comments
I (we) did not know there were so many animals who need homes. I truly loved the way Ms. Duel came to the school and not only shared her dog and other animals, but the people she brought in with her were very knowledgeable.
During our lessons involving animals we talked about what we could do to change certain situations, and if you were that animal, how would you like people to treat you.
The most beneficial part of the program is that the students got to find out more about caring for animals. Many of them are really interested. I referenced some of the activities that Ms. Duel did in my lessons.
Student comments
“The thing that I learned is that you have to spay or neuter (animals). I saw a man kicking a dog in El Salvador.” – Johana, age 9
“I learned having too many animals is a big responsibility. I like seeing Officers Taylor (and Holmes) and how they shared news with us.” Amaya, age 10
“I learned how to take care of animals. Be gentle with them. I enjoyed seeing the cats and dogs.” Marta, age 9
“I learned that dogs and cats, or some other animals, are a huge responsibility. I enjoyed the dogs doing tricks and Mr. Taylor and Mr. Holmes’ visit.” Jermaine, age 10
Program Success Examples:
A student who participated in the photo project at Whittier is a very angry child who has had to deal with a lot of personal trauma. She was thrilled to come to the League and wrote in her journal, “Today was Grrrreat because I got to go in the cat room twice. I love cats and I made a new friend, her name is Maddy.” Rain Young, our artist in residence, knows the child and is going to bring her to our first Animals & Art Caring Kids Camp. Keeping Sherricka involved with the League, giving her opportunities to interact with animals, especially cats, will give her something to look forward to.