Arlington Animal Watch

Animal News in Arlington, Virginia

12-5-11
900 block N Frederick Street

A large black German Shepherd was reported to animal control as running at large. An officer captured the male dog and scanned it for a microchip. A chip was on the dog, however, it was registered to an owner in South Carolina. Shelter staff searched for the owner's name in a local directory and found the person in Arlington. Staff contacted the owner and reunited him with his pet. The League would like to remind owners to keep their pets' microchip registration information up-to-date.

11-11-11
3600 block N. Monroe Street

At 3:00 a.m., animal control was called to a home where two fighting bucks had crashed through a glass patio window. The deer had immediately fled leaving blood in the room. The animal control officer searched for the animals to determine if they were seriously injured, however, he could not find the deer.

10-28-11
2400 block S. Dinwiddie

A man brought a kitten to the shelter which he found near a feral cat colony. The cat was severely injured with a partially missing nose and skin peeled off the left side of its face. He could only breathe from his mouth. The black cat was immediately taken to an emergency vet for evaluation and treatment. Currently, the cat is healing well in a foster home.

10-29-11
800 block S. Greenbrier Street

While responding to a call, Arlington firefighters rescued a kitten that had run under and then into their fire truck. The orange tabby was covered in grease when they brought it to the League. Shelter staff cleaned him up and gave him a physical exam and vaccinations. After the League’s staff veterinarian pronounced him stable, the cat went to a foster home for a couple of weeks until he was big enough to be placed for adoption. The kitten was named Axel by the firefighter who rescued him.

9-28-11
2600 block Clarendon Blvd

At about 5:00 a.m., Animal Control received a report of a male dog found at Starbucks where it was being held. Shortly afterwards, the shelter received a lost report of a dog matching the description of the found animal. The League put the two parties in touch with each other to return the 13 year old lab mix. The owner said she visits the coffee shop several times each week and brings the dog with her.

9-16-11
Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary
George Washington Parkway

Following a call from the Park Police and several limousine drivers, Animal Control responded to reports of roosters running loose in the park. The officer was able to net one bird but couldn't catch the others. Subsequent visits were unsuccessful. Finally, the officer brought a large dog crate to the park and left straw and chicken feed inside. Over the next week, he revisited the site to replenish the food in the hope that the roosters would become comfortable with the crate. Ultimately, on a rainy day, he captured the four remaining birds. They were huddled in the crate, and the officer quietly approached and shut the gate. The birds were transferred to a rural location that would give them a permanent home.

9-9-11
4200 block Campbell Ave.

A man surrendered a baby duck to the shelter that his landlord would not permit to live in his apartment. The man’s daughter purchased the duck online as a gift for her father. The League transferred the duck to a shelter outside the beltway for placement in a rural area.

8/27/11-8/29/11
2650 S. Arlington Mill Dr.

With many trees and branches blown down from tropical storm Irene, shelter workers and animal control officers were overwhelmed with calls and walk-ins about wildlife. The phones rang off the hook and the shelter took in more than 20 wild animals the day of and the two days following the storm. The majority of the animals brought into the shelter or picked up by animal control officers were baby squirrels that were too young to be own their own and whose nests were destroyed by strong winds and rain. They were transferred to a local animal hospital to be cared for until a wildlife rehabilitator was found on Monday and they were picked up by a volunteer to be transferred to a wildlife rehabilitator. In addition to the nearly 20 animals that the shelter took in, the League saw additional 10-15 animals that were old enough and healthy enough to be on their own and were returned to their original location by concerned citizens after examination by a shelter staff member. Animal control would like to thank the wildlife rehabilitators for taking in and caring for these young animals until they are healthy and old enough to be released as well as the many concerned citizens that brought in animals in need of assistance.

4/28/11
2000 block S. Lincoln St.

A man brought an orange and white kitten to the shelter that he found in his window well. The cat had a broken leg and was taken to the vet for treatment. Then the six week old kitten was sent to a foster home until her injury was healed. She returned to the shelter and was adopted on June 10.

3/18/11
3700 block Lacey Blvd. Falls Church

On the way to visit overnight with a friend, a woman saw a dog nearby on the street wearing a blue collar. When she left the next morning the white Lhasa Apso was still there so she took it to the shelter. No microchip was found and there was no lost report. The Arlington shelter gave the dog’s description to the Fairfax shelter and held the dog for the ten day stray period. After receiving its shots and microchip and being neutered, the Lhasa Apso was adopted upon release from his stray date.

2/11/11
W Braddock/ Beauregard

A man picked up a dog running loose in his neighborhood and brought it to the shelter. The frightened Boston Terrier had no collar or microchip and there was no lost report for the dog. Two days later the shelter received a call from the owner who had seen his dog online. The man lived in Elkins West Virginia and was visiting his family. He had been carrying a TV into the house with his dog on a leash and the dog slipped out of the collar.

2/7/11
900 block N. Randolph St.

An office worker in an apartment building heard howling outside her window and found an orange and white cat, huddled and shaking under some bushes. The male cat was very thin but friendly. The woman took it to the shelter where no lost report was found for the cat. After its stray date passed, the cat was neutered and put up for adoption.

1/31/11
6300 block Nicholson St. Falls Church

A man was walking in his neighborhood when he found a dog tied to a lamppost. Seeing no owner, he brought the dog to his home. The next day he took the female pit bull to the shelter. No identification was found on the dog and there was no lost report. On February 2 the shelter received a call from the dog’s owner to report his pet’s loss. The man picked up his dog on February 3.

1-6-11
Bolling Air Force Base

A dwarf white rabbit was spotted hopping in the grass next to a parking garage for several hours. Leaving work for the day, an employee picked up the very tame rabbit and put it in a box provided by base security. The employee was particularly concerned about the forecast for snow that evening. The rabbit was brought to the shelter where it was checked against lost reports and put on view for adoption should the owner not claim it.

1-14-10
4500 Block Lee Hwy

At about 7:00 pm, a beagle without identification dashed into a wine store. The storekeeper contacted animal control who came to pick up the dog. The following day, the owners called to claim their dog that had traveled 8 blocks from its home, crossing over Rt. 66.

1-11-11
4700 Block N 21st St.

A woman called Animal Control to report that a stray cat was hiding under her couch. The person said that she believed the cat had been there at least 24 hrs because occasionally she heard a bell but couldn’t identify the source. When the homeowner was sitting on the couch at one point the cat suddenly ran out but then returned to its hiding place. The Animal Control officer was able to successful extract the frightened animal and take it to the shelter. The cat’s owners later called the League to report the loss and were reunited with their pet. It was not determined how the cat made its way into the finder’s home.

1-2-11
Wilson Blvd. & George Mason Dr.

A citizen called the League to report that a Miniature Pincher had followed him into a chicken restaurant and no owner appeared to be in the area. Restaurant employees fed the dog chicken until Animal Control arrived and brought the dog back to the shelter. A microchip was found but it had not been registered. Shortly thereafter, the owner called and was reunited with his dog. The League reminds owners of the importance in registering their animals' microchip and of keeping the information updated.

1-3-11
4500 Block S Four Mile Run Dr.

While waiting for a bus, a citizen noticed a hawk sitting on the grass nearby. Animal Control easily picked up the juvenile Red Tailed Hawk which was dazed but showed no injuries. The bird was taken to a rehabilitator where it will be examined and ultimately released.

1-3-11
Madison County, VA

While driving home at night through farm country in Madison County, a college student nearly struck a dog running across the road. Getting out of the car she found it was a 3 month old puppy. The woman asked around the area and no one recognized the dog. It was brought to the Arlington Animal Shelter, scanned for a microchip and none was found. The healthy female dog has been made available for adoption.

1-7-11
4800 Block Arlington Blvd.

A caller contacted Animal Control to report finding a large brown dog with a collar but no identification. At the same moment, the dog's owners were on the other line calling to report having lost the dog. Both parties were given each other's information for the dog to be directly returned to its owner.

12-3-10
2600 block Arlington Mill Dr.

An animal control officer was just stepping out of his truck at the shelter when he witnessed a bird fly into the side of the shelter building. The officer approached the bird, a juvenile Coopers Hawk, hoping it would fly away on its own. The stunned bird could not fly but ran from the officer down the side of the building. With the help of another staff member, the hawk was netted, evaluated and taken to a raptor wildlife rehabilitator. In a follow-up phone call on 12-7, the hawk was recovering well and it appears it will be released soon.

11/30/10 to 12/01/10
2600 Block S. Arlington Mill Drive

A woman surrendered a stray female Persian cat to the shelter after finding it alongside I-395 near the Shirlington ext. The cat was thin and had fleas. Shelter staff cleaned the cat up and put her in the kennel to hold her as a stray. The staff member checked the lost files and did not find any lost report on file for a cat by her description. Later that evening, a staff member noticed that she had blood on her hindquarters. Since it was late and most veterinarian offices were closed, she was transported to an overnight emergency vet clinic for observation. The cat was examined and the examining vet determined that the cat had possible pyometra, and infection of the uterus that requires spay surgery. Since the cat was stable and the cat's owner was not available, the cat was kept overnight at the emergency vet, with the hopes that the cat's owner would come forward to make a decision on the cat's medical treatment. The next morning an owner had not been found and the cat was found to have delivered two stillborn kittens. The cat was transferred to another vet clinic where the vet continued to monitor the cat and recommended spay surgery to stop the bleeding. The League authorized the spay surgery for the cat and the can is now recovering at the shelter where it is being held as a stray.

11/11/10
4600 block of N. Henderson St

A woman called animal control to report that she had confined a thin, crying stray cat that had been hanging around for a few days. Animal control arrived and picked up the cat, a neutered male brown tabby, and brought it back to the shelter to be held as a stray. At the shelter, the cat was scanned and found to have a microchip which was traced to an owner at the 500 block of S. Walter Reed. The owner was contacted and was very surprised to hear where his cat had been found. According to the cat owner, the cat is an indoor cat that had jumped out of a window and disappeared over a month ago. During the time that he was lost, the cat had travelled almost two miles, including crossing Route 50. The cat was reclaimed by his owner the next day.

11/1/10
5600 Block S. 8th St.

Animal control received a call about a stray chicken from a concerned citizen. An animal control officer arrived and captured the bird. It was taken to the shelter to be held as a stray. There were no lost reports on file for any chickens so it was held for the stray period. The bird is scheduled to be transferred to Prince William shelter where it will live as a pet and become part of the shelter's educational farm.

11/2/10-11/3/10
25th ST and N Columbus St.

Animal control received a call to assist a police officer with a dog at large. The police officer had caught the dog and took it to the shelter in the early AM hours, where it was to be held as a stray. The dog, a large adult neutered male Labrador retriever was wearing a collar but did not have ID tags or owner information. The animal control officer searched the lost dog reports and did not find a match for the stray dog. The dog's owner called later that day to report his dog missing and was notified that his dog was at the shelter. He came to the shelter and reclaimed his dog after paying board fees. Animal control recommends putting ID on pets' collars to facilitate their rapid return if they go missing.

10/8/2010
2600 Block S. Arlington Mill Dr.

Three children drove their bikes to the shelter to bring in an injured pigeon they found while playing. The pigeon was a racing pigeon that was banded on both legs. We were able to trace the bands to club that the pigeon belonged to and a member of the club came to the shelter to pick up the pigeon.

June 2, 2010
2600 Block S. Arlington Mill Dr

Animal control received a call about a stray cat on a concerned citizen?s porch. According to the caller, the cat seemed to be very thin and somewhat older. An animal control officer arrived and put the cat in a cage. The officer gave the cat food and it started to eat right away. The cat did not have a collar or microchip and it was transported to the shelter to be held as a stray. The next morning a staff member was comparing a list of stray animals in the shelter to lost animal reports. She found that a lost report of a cat seemed to match the description of a cat picked up by animal control. She called the possible owners and told them that there was a cat here that seemed to match their lost cats description. She referred the man to the lost cats on the shelter?s website so that he could see a picture of the cat in question. The man was surprised to see that it was indeed his cat. He came to the shelter to reclaim his 17 year old, neutered male cat that had been missing since May.

May 10, 2010
2600 Block S. Arlington Mill Dr and 800 Block Bellevue St SE, Washington, DC

A woman surrendered a baby bird after finding it alone in her yard hopping around. Shelter staff told the woman that the bird was a healthy fledgling robin with no injuries and that it should be returned to where she found it, explaining to her that fledgling birds are out of the nest and on the ground for about a week while they are learning how to fly. During that time, the parents are feeding it. The woman could not return the bird because she was on her way to work. Shelter staff agreed to keep the bird and feed it and asked that the woman return on her way home to pick up the bird and take it back to where it came from. The woman agreed and returned to the shelter later that day to pick up the bird and take it back to where it belonged.

Animal control would like to remind the public that there are many young fledglings on the ground this time of year and that they should be left alone unless they are injured. Fledgling birds are fully-feathered and will hop around on the ground for a week or so, while learning to fly and being cared for by their parents. They are learning to fly and will usually be gone in a few days. The public can help these young animals by keeping their dogs away from that area and keeping their cats inside.

May 8-9, 2010
5800 Block N. Washington Blvd.

Two gentlemen dropped off a stray dog at cafe on May 8. Since it was late in the evening, a staff member took the dog home. The dog had a collar and phone number and the finder of the dog left several messages for the owner. The next morning the staff member brought the dog back to the cafe and contacted animal control to report that they had they stray male husky mix. A shelter employee thought that the dog matched the description of a lost dog that she had taken earlier that morning. She put the finder of the dog in touch with the owner who confirmed by phone that the dog was his by the description of the dog and the collar it was wearing. The phone number on the dog's caller was a number that the owner rarely used. Unfortunately, the dog's owner was out of the area and could not reclaim his dog for several hours. The cafe could not keep the dog at the restaurant for that long. Cafe employees contacted animal control. Animal control arrived and picked up the dog and transported it back to the shelter to be held until the owner could reclaim it. The owner reclaimed his dog later that day. According to the owner, the dog had escaped through a gate that was blown open by the wind.

April 21, 2010
2600 Block S. Arlington Mill Drive

A couple surrendered an adult robin to the League after finding it on the ground, unable to fly. A League staff member examined the bird, which appeared to be thin, but did not find any visible injuries. The bird appeared to be holding its head down when it walked or hopped. The bird did not seem to be able to fly. It was transferred to a wildlife rehabilitator to be cared for until it is able to be released.

April 12, 2010
2400 Block N Quintana St

A woman called animal control after finding baby raccoons in a nest when a tree in her yard was cut down. According to the woman, the mother raccoon ran off when the tree fell. Animal control advised the woman to wait an hour and give mother a chance to reclaim her babies. An hour later the woman called back and since the mother raccoon had not returned, an animal control officer was dispatched to pick up the 2 baby raccoons and bring them back to the shelter. The babies were too young to be on their own so they were transported to a wildlife rehabilitator who will care for them until they are able to be released.

April 8, 2010
2500 Block S. 18th Rd

Animal control responded to a call about an opossum had been hit by a car. When the officer arrived, the opossum appeared to be badly injured. When she was putting the animal in a carrier she noticed a tail coming out of her pouch. The officer transported the animal back to the shelter and upon further examination, removed 8 babies. They were in good health but did not have their eyes open yet. The adult was too badly injured and had to be euthanized. The babies were too young to be on their own so they were transported to a wildlife rehabilitator who will care for them until they are able to be released.

April 8, 2010
2600 Block of Arlington Mill Drive

A woman surrendered a baby squirrel after finding it orphaned near the intersection of Military Rd and 26th Rd. The squirrel was too little to be on its own so it was transferred to a wildlife rehabilitator who will care for it until it is old enough to be released.

April 1, 2010
S. Glebe Rd at Walter Reed

Animal control responded to a call about a dog running at large and found an extra large male Rottweiler. The dog was wearing a collar with an animal shelter ID tag. The officer was able to leash the dog and transport it back to the League. When the officer looked up the tag in the computer system she found that the phone number for the dog's owner was no longer in service. The owner had not yet filed a lost report for the dog. The dog is currently being held as a stray.

March 11, 2010
2600 Block South Arlington Mill Drive

A tree worker brought three baby squirrels to the shelter after finding them in a tree that he cut down near the intersection of Walter Reed Drive and Columbia Pike. Two of the babies were dead upon arrival but the third appeared to be fine. It was too young to be on its own so it was later transported to a wildlife rehabilitator who will care for it until it is able to be released.

March 7, 2010
3400 Block North 14th Street

Animal control recieved a call about a squirrel entangled in a tennis net in an indoor sports facility. An animal control officer tried to free the squirrel, but the squirrel was too entangled in the net so the officer asked permission to cut the net. The sports facility complied and the officer transported the animal to the shelter. Transport to wildlife rehabilitator could not be arranged that night so the squirrel was transported to an animal hospital overnight. The next day, the squirrel was picked up from the animal hospital and transferred to a wildlife rehabilitator to be checked for any injuries and to be cared for until it is healthy enough to be released.