My Nonprofit Reviews
L0vED0gs
Review for Animal Welfare League of Arlington VA, Inc., Arlington, VA, USA
DO NOT BRING YOUR ANIMAL HERE IF YOU WANT THEM TO GET ADOPTED, YOU'RE BETTER OFF JUST PUTTING THEM TO SLEEP! THE ANIMAL LEAGUE OF ARLINGTON WILL KILL YOUR PET, AS SOON AS THEY LEGALLY CAN!
Please try to find another shelter or just spend the money and have them put to sleep your self, that way the animal doesn't have to also suffer before they die. I brought in a stray puppy, because of all the good things I heard about AWLA. They said they wouldn’t know if she was adoptable for at least a week and when I called to check on her a little over a week later, they had already put her to sleep. They claimed she was aggressive, but she was the sweetest, most affectionate dog I have ever met, she was just a bit skiddish. The dog was clearly abused by her first owner and she was living in the woods when I found her, Animal Control said they had been trying to catch her for over the month. I assumed this shelter would at least give her a chance. Now I know why they have so few dogs up for adoption. I beg you to find another shelter to donate to and volunteer for, a shelter that's not so eager to kill. I don’t know where the money they receive from donations is going, but I do know it’s not being used to help dogs in the community. Taking a dog to this shelter was one of the worst decisions I've ever made; please don’t make the same mistake!
More Feedback
How would you describe the help you got from this organization?
None
How likely are you to recommend this organization to a friend?
No
How do you feel you were treated by this organization?
Badly
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2013
Mr. Fox, Every animal that is brought to The Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA) goes through a thorough examination and behavioral assessment. This is to not only ensure the safety of our shelter staff and volunteers, but also to ensure the most humane and viable outcome for the animal. It is a state mandated policy to hold a stray animal without identification for five days, at AWLA if the animal is not claimed it is the League’s prerogative to put the animal on view for adoption if it meets satisfactory medical and behavior assessments. Since the blue female pit bull mix was found in Alexandria, we consulted with the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, who informed us that they had spent over a month trying to catch her. During the month they noted no signs of friendliness or positive temperament. They stated that the dog would not be placed for adoption at their facility. We kept the blue female pit bull mix you brought to the League beyond the stray hold period. Our trained staff worked with her for 11 days, but unfortunately did not see improvement in her behavior. She would fence fight with other shelter dogs and she had an intense fear of people. Her behavior continued to put those who interacted with her at risk. As defined by BADRAP, a well known non-profit pit bull organization dedicated to the rescue, support & education about the breed- a "temperament correct" pit bull is "gregarious and affectionate w/ people including strangers, confident...happy to be touched…good-natured, & well balanced" They also describe "signs of an ill bred, improperly raised or damaged pit bull" would include a dog that is "Aloof, disinterested in people or distrustful...not happy to be touched." We are careful when placing pit bulls and the pit bull your brought in demonstrated several concerning behaviors including aggression to people. To responsibly place this breed up for adoption, we look for dogs whose behavior is consistent w/that of a “temperament correct” pit bull - social with people, no history of aggression, confident, outgoing, etc. For these reasons, the dog was not placed up for adoption and was humanely euthanized. We use donations to help animals every day including blood tests and dental cleanings for older animals to make them more attractive to adopters. We recently received a female pit bull with a severely injured leg. We performed surgery to remove her leg, sent her to a foster home for recovery, and found a loving adopter for her. The League has recently received industry, state and local accolades for exceeding national animal sheltering standards, including a 2013 Compassion Award from the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies for demonstrating strong leadership qualities and accomplishments for reducing the euthanasia of healthy and treatable dogs and cats in the community; as well as a resolution from the Virginia General Assembly in honor of the League’s efforts to reduce the number of animals that need to be euthanized due to lack of homes and shelter space. Please understand at AWLA, we always keep in mind, the best humane outcome for animal while adhering to our responsibility to protect the public. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this situation further you can contact Adoptions at 703/931-9241.
