Volunteer Spotlight

Nancy is a Cat Companion volunteer who helps keep our cats happy and healthy during their stay with us. There is no time limit at the shelter and some of our cats may be here for quite a while until they find the right home, so it's especially important for them to have human contact and TLC.

"I love all animals", said Nancy, " and love all the different kind of cats and different personalities. Today I was playing with a cat who was just like a dog - she loved to catch and retrieve balls"! Nancy adopted her cat, Toby, from the League two years ago, so she became a volunteer to help other shelter cats. "My friends ask how I can volunteer, that it must be sad to see the cats at the shelter, but I tell them by volunteering, I can make sure the cats are loved and cared for until they are adopted", said Nancy.

Smoke inhalation from a building fire can be life threatening. Rescue personnel arrive at the scene equipped with oxygen masks to aid people in recovery — and now, in Alexandria, they can help animals too!

Last fall, a Fire Department staff member asked our Community Outreach Coordinator if we had ever heard of oxygen masks for pets, and conveying what a great idea she thought it was. We wholeheartedly agreed, and said we’d love to be a part of making these masks available to emergency personnel in Alexandria. Putting out a call for donations specific to this project (and committing ourselves to covering any shortfall), once again, our donors came through!

The Chico Project of Greater Washington, founded by Michael Horlick and his wife Liz Saint Rain, works to provide local fire departments - whether volunteer or professional - with animal resuscitation masks so when injured pets are encountered during house fires, the teams on scene have the means to provide them with oxygen as a supplemental means of life support. Each set contains three mask sizes, to fit a wide range of pets.

Our huge thanks to the following donors who helped make this possible for City pets: Cindy Kohler, Mary Jo and Charles Bush, and Peg Mercer.

To learn more about the Chico Project visit their website at www.pet-projects.org.

The League would like to honor or remember six special pets with birthdays in July.

Georgie Burns – July 1
Baxter – July 1
Max – July 7
Bella Cake – July 15
Bosco Cake – July 15
Tony – July 24

Any pet can join our Birthday Club! To help celebrate that special day, each Birthday Club pet receives a birthday card, recognition in our E-Newsletter and in the Shelter's display case. Best of all, lifetime membership is only $10 and proceeds help the League find homes for Shelter animals so that they can also enjoy the good life with a family that cares. To enroll, click here.

A tiny mewing came from the box. We peeked in and saw a miniature bundle of black and white fur. The man holding the box told us that the kitten had been lodged in the walls of an apartment. She had been crying all night and was finally discovered by taking part of the wall apart. The little girl in the home had named her Jelly.

When she came to us, Jelly was only about 10 days old. She was immediately put in to foster care to receive the round-the-clock care that these orphans require. A few days later, a nursing mother cat came into our shelter and was kind enough to take Jelly in to nurse along with her own kittens.

Now ready for adoption, Jelly is a sweet, jovial kitten with a tremendous purr. She is quite active and may enjoy an equally active four-legged buddy in a new home. Come meet her, and the other cats waiting for adoption, at the Vola Lawson Animal Shelter!

Visit www.alexandriaanimals.org to view more animals available for adoption or stop by the Vola Lawson Animal Shelter, located at 4101 Eisenhower Ave., for a personal visit with Jelly or her adoptable animal friends.

We are looking for volunteers to add to three of our core committees: IT, Special Events and Development. If you would be interested in lending your professional background and skills to one of these areas, please contact Lisabeth Adams at 703-838-4774 ext. 206.

To be added to our email list, please send an email to staff@alexandriaanimals.org.

ACO Corman enjoyed his recent visit to Hammond Middle School during their Career Day, and bringing in a few "tools of the trade" to demonstrate how they're used in his job. The students enjoyed seeing how snake tongs were used, how a humane trap was set, and how the very familiar control-pole, also mistakenly called a "rabies-pole", was used. Officer Corman demonstrated how he uses the tools to safely and humanely capture various animals, and he told some very exciting and humorous stories from his own experiences.

The students seemed very excited and interested in having an Animal Control Officer speak to them in their classrooms. Most students had seen police officers and fire fighters, but had not had the opportunity to speak to an Animal Control Officer and learn first-hand what they did. Officer Corman was quick to dispel the old image of the dogcatcher by emphasizing that the job involves much more than driving around all day looking for stray dogs.

ACO Fitzgerald says that one of the most enjoyable parts of his job is community outreach. Not long ago, while driving through one of the Alexandria neighborhoods, he was flagged down by an elderly resident. She had lost her long-time dog companion, and when she saw Animal Control coming, stopped them just to talk. Knowing that our officers care so much for animals, she knew he would be someone that would understand her grief. Officer Fitzgerald listened to her stories and then told her about the grief therapy group that meets at the Vola Lawson Animal Shelter each month, encouraging her to consider attending.

ACO Daghita was called out to the home of a resident whose dog had apparently nipped another dog being walked past her fence. The owner of the dog who was nipped was nearly hysterical and screaming for the police to be called. The other dog’s owner had been trying unsuccessfully to calm her down and to determine how her dog could have been bitten anyone when he was confined by the fence. Officer Daghita arrived on the scene, listened to both parties and quickly calmed the owner of the injured dog. Later on, the owner of the dog that had nipped called the League expressing her thanks, and to convey that the arrival of Officer Daghita was integral in resolving a situation that was quickly escalating.

If you are interested in having an Animal Control Officer or other staff speak to your school, camp or similar group, please contact the League’s Director of Development, Lisabeth Adams, at 703-838-4774 ext. 206 for more information.

The owner wanted Animal Control or the Fire Department (who was also called to the scene) to dig a trench from the side and get to the puppy that way. Officer Gordon knew that being down in the water, the puppy just didn’t have that long. Using a long pole that is part of Animal Control’s equipment to net birds in high ceilings, he and Fire Department personnel used duct tape to attach a rope system they were hoping could be inserted into the shaft and lasso the puppy. The first attempt missed, but the second try caught the puppy, pulling it up the long shaft to safety and into the arms of his grateful owner. Officer Gordon was thrilled to report that after being taken to the animal hospital and kept overnight for observation, the puppy is back home and doing well. Kudos to Animal Control and the Fire Department for their creative problem-solving, resulting in the dramatic and successful rescue of this tiny little pup.

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