Animal Shelter Closed Over Coronavirus Still Serving Arlington

ARLINGTON, VA — Even though the Arlington County animal shelter is currently closed to the public due to the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, it's still performing many vital functions for the residents of Arlington and their pets.

When the shelter closed its doors to the public, it sent all of its volunteers home, many with pets to foster.

"The good thing is that we were able to put so many animals into foster homes that there's really not that many in the shelter," said Chelsea Jones, communications specialist for the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, which operates the county's shelter located at 650 S. Arlington Mill Drive. "So, with the staff that are there, those animals are getting so much one-on-one attention every day.""

Members of the shelter's animal care, front desk, and animal control teams are are in the building every day caring for the animals, answering phones, and assisting the public when needed.

Currently, the shelter is not offering the majority of its services, including adoptions, but it is responding to animal-related emergencies.

"We will accept animals, if a person truly is in a situation where they can no longer keep their pet," Jones said. "But we are asking people, if possible, if they need to surrender an animal, to hold onto them for a few more weeks until things die down, hopefully, a little bit."

If a person is in a situation where they can't hold onto their pet for a couple of weeks and they need to surrender it, they can call the shelter at 703-931-9241 or send an email to mail@awla.org to schedule a drop off appointment.

"We prefer, if possible, the pet stays with their family," Jones said. "If it's a situation where maybe someone has been let go from their job and they can't afford to feed their pet, we can help with pet food or emergency vet care."

In a case where someone is facing a true emergency, AWLA can provide emergency housing for their pet for up to two weeks. "We definitely have options for people that are potentially struggling right now," Jones said.

The shelter also operates a pet food and supply pantry, which is open to anyone in Arlington.

There is a great need right now for donations from the public to keep things going. People can make monetary donations on AWLA's website or purchase something from AWLA's wish list on Amazon.

According to Jones, many people are taking advantage of the food pantry right now, and AWLA is encouraging people to donate gift cards from Amazon or Dogma, the pet food and supply store in Shirlington. The shelter will use the cards to purchase food and other items, which they can deliver to residents in need.

For pet owners who are stuck at home practicing socials distancing due to COVID-19, Jones had the following advice: "Number one, make sure that you do have an emergency preparedness kit for your pets, just in case you get really sick and you can't take your dog for a walk or, if you're hospitalized, making sure you have a plan for your pets. Make sure you have their vaccine records in one place, and that you have someone on hand that can care for them."

According to Jones, the AWLA directors and board will be getting together on March 31 to reassess when to reopen.