Suit Against Animal Welfare League of Arlington

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Info@awlawatch.org

LOCAL ANIMAL ADVOCATE WINS LAWSUIT AGAINST ANIMAL WELFARE LEAGUE OF ARLINGTON (AWLA)

Judge Rules under Virginia Animal Code in Favor of Plaintiff

Arlington—On June 4, Arlington County Circuit Court Judge Kendrick ruled that Virginia Animal Code 3.2-6557 is “crystal clear”—animal shelters must provide the information stipulated in the code when requested by the public. Arlington County homeowner Deborah Marson requested the Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA) to provide her with the intake/disposition records in Fall 2008. When AWLA refused to release the information, Ms. Marson filed her lawsuit. Eight months after the original request, the court ruled that AWLA must provide the records within 10 days.

Ms. Marson states, “Attorneys Cheryl Leahy and Julia Ovando did an outstanding job. This ruling will assist other Virginia animal welfare advocates requesting information from their local shelters. When the public requests information stipulated by statute, they must comply with Virginia Animal Code.”

Ms. Marson plans to use the records to verify the information provided in the AWLA’s Annual Report, which she believes to be inaccurate. For example, the Annual Report states the average number of dogs is 27, but the number of available dogs at the shelter appears to be significantly less. AWLA is planning a $900,000 building expansion, including building more dog runs. The low utilization of the current available runs observed by members of the public makes the dog run expansion appear unnecessary and not a good use of tax and donor dollars. Ms. Marson and others would prefer the $900,000 to be used to create improved, alternative living spaces for the animals to specifically help those who cannot handle the stress of the existing, traditional dog and cat areas.
AWLA provides animal control and sheltering services to Arlington County through a contract overseen by the Department of Human Services. AWLA receives more than $1.2 million annually from Arlington County taxpayer’s money.

AWLA Watch is a citizen advocacy group formed by local animal welfare advocates to observe the Animal Welfare League of Arlington and report findings. If you would like to join AWLA Watch, please contact info@awlawatch.org. The Website http://awlawatch.org is coming soon; visit the Website for current information on issues related to the AWLA and this lawsuit.

###