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Adopting a friend

The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria adopts to the surrounding areas up to 45 miles away.

Make friends - Meet the cats, dogs and other animals available for adoption. Our Shelter does animal evaluations to help you choose a new best friend who will fit in well with your family and your life-style. Did not find the cat, dog or other animal friend of your dreams? Put in a request application. We will call you when a likely match comes in.

Apply - Once you have chosen an animal, fill out an adoption application. It is designed to help make sure you and your new best friend are a good match. Staff will review the application with you and schedule a time when one of our adoption counselors can meet with you in your home. All family members should meet the animal, and if you live in an apartment you will be asked to provide permission from your landlord to have an animal.

Enjoy your in-home consultation - A counselor will come to your home to tell you more about the specific animal you are considering adopting and to answer your questions about animal care, nutrition, introducing a new animal to resident animals, training, behavior and much more. The consultation takes about an hour and the animal will not accompany the counselor. Day, evening and weekend appointments are available. When a match is made, you can often pick up your new friend the next day.

Adoption fees

The fee for cats, dogs, large birds and ferrets adopted from the League is $50. Other animals range from $20-35. If the animal is not altered, spay/neuter surgery must be paid for at the time of adoption. The adoption fee does not include the spay/neuter fee for unaltered animals, which will be an additional $50 to $150, depending on the animal and the veterinarian selected. It is the law in Virginia that all dogs and cats adopted from shelters must be spayed or neutered.

Come Visit Us!

The shelter is located at 4101 Eisenhower Avenue, next door to the Cameron Run water park.

From the Capital beltway:

• Take exit 174 the Eisenhower Connector,
• Turn right onto Eisenhower at the bottom of the exit, and the shelter is approximately ? mile ahead on the left.

From the Old Town area:

• Take Duke Street west.
• At the 1600 block of Duke Street turn left onto Holland Lane and then right on Eisenhower.
• The shelter is approximately 3 miles ahead on the right.

From the Landmark Mall area:

• Take Van Dorn Street south to Eisenhower Avenue.
• Take a left onto Eisenhower Avenue.
• The shelter is approximately 2 miles ahead on the left.

Directions Via Metro

• Van Dorn Station on blue line is 1 1/4 miles from the Shelter.
• Exit station.
• Left onto Metro Road.
• Left (East) onto Eisenhower Avenue.
• Approximately 1 mile to Clermont Ave. (Eisenhower Connector)
• Additional 1/4 mile to the Shelter on the left.

• Eisenhower Avenue Station on yellow line is approximately 3 miles from the Shelter.
• Exit station.
• Follow Eisenhower Avenue to the left (West.)
• Shelter will be on the right.