By admin on 1/4/2008
The world can be a cruel place—especially for animals. So many are lost; so many lack the basics for life; so many suffer in silence in every corner of our planet. But I’ve learned that when we take on the mantle of compassion, there is no cry that goes unheard, no wound that can’t be healed, no animal who is beyond hope of rescue.
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By admin on 11/28/2007
Dear Friend of Animals and the League, This year, WARL will find homes for 1,200 animals, a record-breaking number of adoptions and a 150% increase over previous years! When they came to WARL, these animals’ bodies were broken and their spirits were crushed. This holiday season, they are living as beloved family members in new homes. But our shelter is still packed to capacity with new arrivals.
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By admin on 11/9/2007
Forgive me if this is a bit disjointed, but it has been a long night. After spending all day Thursday assisting authorities in Hillsville, Virginia with efforts to rescue nearly 1,000 dogs from a puppy mill there, the WARL team arrived at our shelter at 4:00 a.m. A team of staff and volunteers met them here to feed all the dogs, give them clean water, and make sure they were comfortably housed and at rest. Nine nursing mothers with a total of 35 puppies (some as young as a day old) were immediately placed in foster care with WARL volunteers. |
By admin on 10/17/2007
If you have not yet seen it, I’d like to recommend the article “In DC, a Serene Shelter for Homeless Pets,” which appeared in USA Today on Tuesday. Using The Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL) as an example, the article illustrates the current worldwide trend in progressive animal shelters, away from emergency, barebones housing towards a holistic approach to rehabilitation and adoption of traumatized animals.
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By admin on 10/1/2007
Q: I understand that a team from your organization just returned from New Orleans with some rescued animals. What is the situation like there for animals these days? A: Two years ago the WARL animal rescue team I led was one of the first out-of-state agencies to respond to the hurricane. We set up the first veterinary triage center in New Orleans and rescued over 1,000 animals stranded on rooftops, marooned by flood waters, and trap ...
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By admin on 9/20/2007
Q: For years I've felt drawn to somehow working with animals, but have encountered many roadblocks. I'd like to tell you what I've researched so you can better understand my situation.
Going to school is not feasible because I have to work full-time to support myself. As for pursuing dog training, the only school is an hour away and I cannot relocate. Because I live in an apartment, I cannot foster pets waiting for adoption.
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By admin on 9/11/2007
Q: I would like to know is there anything I can do if I know a dog is being abused. There is nothing worse to me than seeing a helpless animal being beaten -- I can’t stand it! And worst of all, my 4-year-old son was with me as we witnessed this inhuman act on a poor helpless dog! I talked to a person down the street to see if there was anything I could do, but he didn't think it would do any good.... A few years ago I also watched as a man beat his dog in a parking lot, all because the dog got sick in his truck! I called 911, but the officer who came just told me that the man could do whatever he wanted because it is legally his property and he has the right to sh ...
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By admin on 9/11/2007
Q: Do you think animal welfare should encourage or accept any overtures by Michael Vick to speak out against dog fighting? A: I would be happy to hear Michael Vick—or anyone else, for that matter—speak out against dog fighting, providing that the overture is sincere. What I wouldn’t want to see is any leniency granted Michael Vick or his co-defendants in the case. The strongest anti-dog fighting message that we can hope for is a stiff prison sentence and other court mandated penalties. That will speak more loudly about society ...
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By admin on 8/17/2007
Learn all about Scotlund and what inspired him to pursue a career in animal welfare. I’ve always had strong feelings about how animals are treated. I remember an incident from my childhood when a friend and I were playing with a bb gun in his backyard. There was a sparrow in a bush there, and my friend told me to shoot him. Without really thinking about what I was doing, I aimed the gun and pulled the trigger. The sparrow fell out of the bush, but he wasn’t dead. So my friend told me I had to wring his neck to “put him out of his misery.” I did this, too, but the whole episode filled me with remorse and revulsion. It also brought home to me just how vulnerable innocent animals are and just how senseless the violence that we subject the ...
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By admin on 8/17/2007
 Q: What do you see as the biggest issue in animal welfare today? A: The most basic, fundamental issue is how we think about animals. To many people they are still property, as if they had no life of their own. For example, there are still people who see their dog not as a friend and companion, but as a burglar alarm, or a source of puppies to sell, or a fighting machine that might make them some cash. And l ...
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