Animal Welfare League Of Alexandria

I walked into the shelter in hopes of finding a pet that would fit best with me and my lifestyle. And thankfully I did. His name is Kurt and is a German Shepard-​Lab Mix. We knew that he was the one because upon our visiting time with him he was the most attentive to us. I am so grateful for the shelter for allowing us to take home our now best friend and big little baby. Yay for adoptions!

all of the employees and volunteers that we interacted with were very nice and caring. Explained the adopter process to us and answered all of our questions and concerns. Would not give up Eva Marley for anything.

We decided a few months ago to rescue a dog, as we had just bought a house with a lot of space and a very nice large fenced-​in yard. This was the first place we visited, and that’s where we met Eve.
Eve (now Kugel) is an insanely hyper, perfectly house trained, human obsessed Dutch Shepard/​Pit mix. When we went into the shelter I wanted a small lap dog (since all dogs think they’re lap dogs, right?) but as soon as my husband met Kugel, pressing herself against her cage in the hopes someone might just brush past her, he’d fallen in love. He couldn’t have picked a better animal.
The people at the shelter were very helpful, and introduced us to several dogs before we met Kugel, but she was the one. There was some question about her ‘guarding food’ but the trainers came in to explain that just meant that she’d whined and Unilocaled at them once when they took away her food bowl as part of her entrance exam. She was very thin having lived in a stressful shelter environment for several months and the vets had just put her on medication a few days before. We were given a month’s worth of the medication as well as paperwork for a free wellness exam, which we did with a vet down the street and found the experience to be perfect. Kugel is also chipped, thanks to the shelter, which is a great relief to us.
These are good people keeping up a clean place and trying very hard to take care of a lot of animals. Don’t shop — adopt!

I tried to turn over a precious kitten to this place yesterday and was treated like I was a leper. Instead of showing any care and concern for the poor animal. I got questioned about where I found it, where I live, etc. A place that is supposed to be concerned about the care of all animals should certainly have more compassion. No one cared what city I lived in when I adopted an animal from AWLA. So what the animal was found in Fairfax County. I live in Alexandria and a relative who doesn’t have a car found the kitty so I picked them up and brought them to AWLA thinking they would certainly be able to find the kitty a home. Boy was I wrong. The two ladies who were working at the front desk yesterday were more concerned about my zip code than the little kitten. I will never go to this place again and will send my donations to a place that actually practices what they preach.

Called there to report my missing cat & although I was disappointed that she hadn’t been turned in there, the woman on the phone was so friendly & caring that it really helped me remain calm during an extremely stressful time. She gave me the number to the fairfax shelter & gave me some tips on how to find my pet. I would definitely adopt from this shelter if/​when I’m ready to take in another pet. P. S. I found my cat!!!

my husband and I adopted a dog from this shelter 7 months ago. last week, we finally decided that it was time to get our dog a new friend :) my husband stopped by the shelter to meet a puppy, who ended up being way too shy for our dog. while he was looking at the other available dogs, he noticed two lab puppies that weren’t available yet because they hadn’t been spayed/​neutered/​microchipped yet. the stuff was very accommodating in keeping my husband updated on what was going on over the next few days with the puppies. they also ended up letting him bring our dog in to meet the new puppy, plus adopt the puppy in the same day, which they usually don’t do in one day. since day one, the staff has always been very accommodating. they truly love the animals that come to their shelter and I am constantly referring them to people! they are amazing!

Amazing, compassionate, clean, great volunteers, beautiful animals that need good homes! We adopted two sweet cats from here and the adoption process went smoothly each time! Highly recommend adopting your next cat, dog, turtle, hamster, rabbit… They have it all!!!

I have had two experiences with this animal shelter. A year ago, I adopted my guinea pig, Peggy, from them. And today, I surrendered a stray cat. Both experiences were 5 star experiences.
With the guinea pig adoption, one of the ladies that works there spent some time introducing my guinea pig with the one I wanted to adopt. She had a lot of good information.
With the surrender today, the staff was sensitive and kind to me. I was expecting something completely different, but was blown away by their compassion and understanding.
I had already known that, if I ever needed to adopt again, I would be using The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. Today just confirmed that my last experience was not a one off.

A good place, but not no-​kill. Be aware of that. Don’t think you can relinquish your family pet there and have it not be put down.
From their web page:
«DOES THE AWLA OPERATE A NO-​KILL SHELTER?
The AWLA has, since its inception, operated as an „open admission“ shelter. „Open admission“ means that the AWLA accepts any animal who comes through the door. This is in contrast with so-​called „No-​Kill“ or „Limited Admission“ shelters or groups, which limit their intake only to those animals for which there is space or that meet their adoption criteria (i.e., no major health issues; no aggression/​behavior issues; already spayed/​neutered; etc.) and refuse to accept animals above that capacity or their „adoption criteria.“»

There weren’t a lot of cats to see when i went there — I was a little disappointed. However, they were nice and gave out treats for you to give to the kitties. It was also pretty clean there — goes along with their rule of washing hands in between handling each cat. They have a nice adopt it forward program, where someone may have already paid for the adoption fee for the cat your’re considering. I was surprised to see some of the kitties did have this — maybe that’s why they were all gone? They also had a large variety of dogs — really interesting mixes — like a lab/​daschund — he was so funny looking! Each dog has a door to the outside from his crate area. They had bunnies, guinea pigs, finches, etc. The adoption fee seemed to be around $ 120 for the cats I saw — not sure about the dogs and other animals.

These guys are some of the best, most helpful people in all of NoVA. I’ve interacted with them twice so far: once because I almost had to surrender a pet, and once because I wanted to inquire about low-​cost neutering options. I called and they answered all of my (arbitrary) questions patiently. I also came down and they helped me through the whole process.
I do have to note that if you’re considering surrendering a pet here, they are a no-​kill shelter. I understand that they do take in a lot of pets, and they do not turn any away due to pre-​existing medical conditions. They’ll give them all the necessary shots, etc. once in their care. It really is quite an amazing place!
They do not do any vaccinations or procedures here for the public, however. They are more than willing to make referrals, though, and majority of the times can give you a cheaper price than what you’d get on your own. As for getting my cat neutered, I came down and they had a big binder full of 30+ places that can do it. It had a bunch of necessary and important information highlighted, such as cost and additional fees, necessary shots/​vaccinations, required age, etc. They will then give you a voucher to use.
Plus they have great hours! I generally am not able to make these kinds of visits because I finish work late, but they are open until 7 PM most days, making it easier for me to get to, unlike those other places that close at 5 PM and weekends… And they have a big private lot so it’s easy to find a space.
Anyway, if you’re thinking about anything that has to do with care of your furry friend, please check AWLA out! They really are passionate about animals and you can definitely tell. You don’t even have to go down there. Feel free to give them a call to get more information like I did, and you won’t be disappointed!

Great place. Everyone cares a lot about the animals.

I can’t give this place a better rating. The entire adoption process was smooth, quick, and easy. Found our future pup and 24 hours later we took her home. All her shots had been updated, she was fixed, and eager to go home. The shelter staff was friendly, attentive, and very willing to provide any and all information necessary for a pain free adoption. The facility was clean and easy to navigate. If you are in the NoVA area and looking for your future pet, definitely take a trip to Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.

I will start by saying that this shelter is very clean, well organized, and run by a team of people that truly love animals. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and have a passion for helping families find the right pet.
I adopted a dog from this shelter in Nov 2013, and very shortly after, the dog viciously attacked my son. Not the shelters fault, by any means, but they went above and beyond to help us through an extremely emotional time. Katie, the adoptions manager, is amazing.
My family decided that enough time had passed since «the incident», and we began our search for a pet again. Katie and the team at the shelter not only communicated with us by email and phone, but they actually hand picked a few dogs they felt would be a great fit for our family. Just yesterday, we adopted a puppy that is already an amazing addition to our pack.
I highly recommend this animal shelter to anyone in the northern Virginia area!

I picked up my kitty three weeks ago and I recommend this shelter to everyone! All the volunteers were really friendly and very organized. The adoption process was very quick and they encourage physically sitting with the animal before adoption which I found a lot of other shelters frowning upon. They run great deals on adoption, spay/​neuter, and microchip fees. I got her for a grand total of $ 20. They also give you a free bag of good upon pick up.

When my husband and I decided we wanted to get a dog we started visiting quite a few shelters and met with several different rescue groups trying to figure out what type of dog would be best suited to bring home to our two cats. I have to say, I have had some great experiences throughout this process! I actually feel that Northern Virginia is lucky to have so many different groups available to choose from! But my experience with the AWLA was hands down my favorite, and resulted in us bringing home a hound/​pit mix by the name of Rusty. :)
The place itself is large, clean and inviting. The staff is absolutely wonderful! We had never been there, so stopped at the front desk to ask some questions, were greeted promptly, courteously and given the resources we needed. We saw Rusty (I had actually seen him online prior and was very excited to meet him), filled out their paperwork, and were given time to play with him. The caretaker we spoke with was kind and patient and seemed to really love all the animals. She asked if we wanted to put him on hold for 24 hours, so we did, went shopping and came back the next morning ready to take him home. The check out process was just as easy as the initial stage, we met with a counselor who asked some questions, gave us some information and paid the adoption fee (which is $ 20.14 for the month of January btw), and then it was time to go home with our sweet boy!
I really couldn’t be happier with the place or the process.
Thank you AWLA for such a great experience!
Although I have to say, I am a little sad no one would get back to me about the «charm school» classes they offer as a part of their adoption process.

My bf and I just adopted a sweet kitten there yesterday. Everyone was super friendly, let us play with the kitten, and take our time deciding. Even though they were a bit busy and short staffed, we didn’t mind waiting– especially as they checked in with us multiple times to let us know they were getting the paperwork ready and such.
Our kitten has a bit of an upper respiratory infection (common with shelter animals), so they gave us the eye drops and instructions to give him the meds he needs. They also answered every question I had about him– where he came from (stray), how his temperament was, what to feed him as a very young kitten, etc. Everyone was super friendly, knowledgeable, and excited for us as we were taking home a new kitty!
The establishment is clean and easy to find. They have a great website as well. I would highly recommend AWL of Alexandria if you’re looking to adopt a furry child :)

My fiancée and I just had a wonderful experience here. After months of searching on Petfinder and visiting AWLA repeatedly, we finally found our girl. What a challenge!
These pups go FAST! The two we wanted to view were adopted right from under us yesterday, but that’s how it goes! We were about to walk out when I noticed a super-​sweet love bug behind the desk! Needless to say, she won us over.
AWLA is very serious about the circumstances in which an animal is about to enter in their potential new home, so that’s why they are so stringent with their rules. I see a few reviews here of people complaining that AWLA didn’t allow them an adoption because they didn’t have vaccinations, and they didn’t think it was fair. Those vaccinations protect your existing pet from something the new pet may bring, as well as protecting the new pet. It’s called being a responsible pet owner.
So, the vetting process is long, but if you’re a good pet owner, you have nothing to worry about. All AWLA wants is to make sure these animals don’t get returned AGAIN.
Anyway, Chelsea and Dahlia were great. We received so much information either verbally or in pamphlet form, its crazy (and we’ve had dogs in the past)! We left with a full backstory on Miss Stella in addition to a vet history, so we can move forward with a better idea of what will work best for her in our home. And yes, she’s probably the only Pit Bull I have ever met that is shy around my cat! Lol! Now THAT is a good fit!
So that’s their process… they may be extra thorough, but they are concerned with protecting the animal in addition to protecting US and our existing pets.

I really have to give AWLA props for being so helpful, courteous and easy to work with.
We’ve adopted animals from there twice and each time was a good experience. The staff were attentive, the screening process was pretty reasonable and the adoption fees are very affordable.
Their staff really care about the animals and the last time we adopted they wanted to be completely sure that we were going to be good parents to our new companion animal.
Just like the other AWLA (in Arlington) you can browser animals available for adoption on their website to save yourself a trip.
Kudos, AWLA. I appreciate what you’re doing for these homeless animals and I’m sure they appreciate it even more!

This is the best animal shelter I’ve EVER stepped foot in, and I looked at different shelters for several months before settling down to choose my life long friend from here.
The staff, the facilities, their knowledge base, and the cleanliness here is unbelievable, I still get all warm and fuzzy thinking about it (although, mass kitten cuddling and puppy snozzling helped with the warm and fuzzies). I couldn’t be happier then or even now. This was truly a cliched match made in heaven.
This place has later hours (till 8pm — either on all or most weeknights) so you can stop by here after work. i suggest going to other shelters to see what I mean, not that some of the other smaller counties (and likely smaller budget) are bad — they just don’t have the means (revenue or staff) to put forth the kind of effort that AWLA does (behavior assessments, a bag of free food, free training lessons, fixing the pet, microchipping!, etc. etc.), and all for well under $ 150.
an aside: my baby door dashed and got out of the house, after I nearly had a heart attack and ran through my neighborhood trying to catch her bawling my eyes out, while worried, I knew that if for whatever reason if I couldn’t find her that night, I felt at ease knowing that AWLA had implanted a microchip in her, so were she to get picked up by the local dog catcher (do we have those anymore?) all of my information would show up, and I would have her back in my arms in no time.
Fortunately, about an hour after unsuccessfully chasing her, she showed up back at the front door with a S eating grin on her face, so, while we didn’t need the use of the microchip, it did help slightly knowing it was there.
COST/​Other dog options: I was shocked — most local rescues charge anywhere up to $ 350 and don’t include anywhere near the amount of services that AWLA does — and most rescues have EXTREME clauses in pet ownership (including that you never actually own the pet and the rescue reserves the right to take the dog from you at any point and time, as well as outright rejecting applicants because they do not have a large single family home with a fenced in back yard) that make the adoption process simply frustrating. AWLA has standards, but they do not create an extreme circumstance that steers owners away from adopting like some agencies may.
I was able to walk away with my life long friend for under a completely reasonable $ 150. It was easily the best $ 150 I have ever, or will ever spend.