Community Corner

Alexandria Animal Report: A Tale of Two Possums, Dogs on the Loose

Plus news about raccoons, a goose and a groundhog.

Animal Control officers in Alexandria deal with a variety of calls every week. Here's a glance at some recent incidents in the city courtesy of Patrick Egan of the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.

Playing Possum: On Saturday, officers responded to a call about an opossum sitting in front of a business, not moving, near the 200 block of Swamp Fox Road in Alexandria. Officers safely returned the opossum to the wild.

The next day, officers responded to another call about an opossum, this time, in the 800 block of Beverly Drive in Alexandria, where an opossum was sitting in a resident's window well. Officers safely returned the opossum to the wild.

Find out what's happening in Old Town Alexandriawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Aggressive Dogs: On Saturday, officers responded to a call about an unrestrained dog in the 100 block of S. Jenkins St. An investigation revealed a dog had broken free of its restraint in the yard and had aggressively approached another citizen and her dog. Officers spoke to the owner of the animal and provided a notice to comply and education on the City tethering ordinance.

Officers responded to the report of a citizen being bitten while jogging near the 100 block of Jones Point. The citizen and dog in question were located. The citizen was found not to be injured. The dog was reported to be exhibiting aggressive behavior. The owner of the dog was provided information on contacting a behaviorist.

Find out what's happening in Old Town Alexandriawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Also: 

  • Officers responded to a dead raccoon along a bike path near the 4500 block of Holmes Run Parkway. The raccoon was properly removed from the scene.
  • Near the 4700 block of Eisenhower Avenue, officers responded to a raccoon trapped in a dumpster. The raccoon was safely returned to the wild. 
  • Officers responded to a sick/injured groundhog in the 2600 block of Duke Street.  The groundhog was taken to the animal shelter where it was determined that its condition was too severe and not treatable. The animal was humanely euthanized.
  • Officers responded to a goose that had been hit by a car near the 3600 block of Eisenhower Avenue. The goose was taken to the animal shelter where it was determined that its injuries were too severe and not treatable. The animal was humanely euthanized.

For more information about Alexandria Animal Control, visit the AWLA website.


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