These family members are important to us. Please take a moment to refresh yourself on local policies and practices regarding pets.

County Animal Control, 4500 West Ox Road, 830-3310, hours M-F 6:00 am to 10:30 pm, Sat and Sun 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, enforces county animal laws, investigates complaints of cruelty to animals, provides 24-hour emergency service for injured and stray animals, quarantines animals which have bitten humans, assists in removing stray animals from streets and issues hunting licenses.

Animal bites should be reported immediately to 830-3310 ((102**). Rabies ((114, (115, (120**) is a very serious illness.

County Animal Shelter, 4500 West Ox Road (directions (106**), 830-1100, hours Tu-F 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, Sat to 5:00 pm. Lost pets are kept here 10 days if they have collars, 6 days if they have lost their collars. Dog licenses may be purchased here in person or by mail.

Viewing animals for adoption (please do your homework first - Sherwood Hall Library has excellent books on selecting the right kind of pet and the responsibilities entailed):

Feline Foundation

Alexandria Animal Shelter, 910 S. Payne Street, Alexandria, 838-4775.

County Animal Shelter, 4500 West Ox Road, 830-1100 (Also adoption recording 830-0824).

Channel 16 carries Adopt-A-Pet program, 324-5930.

Dogs must be vaccinated for rabies, licensed annually from age four months, and kept on leash restraint ((111**) when not on your property. They must not be left in the custody of anyone not able to control them. The County has adopted the "pooper-scooper law" ((121**) requiring cleaning up after the dog anywhere off your own property. Responsible dog ownership entails having your dog spayed or neutered.

Dog licenses ((108**) are issued annually between November 1st and January 31st by the Department of Tax Administration. This can be handled by mail. A copy of a rabies certificate must be shown. For information call the Tax Office (222-8234) or the County Animal Shelter (830-1100), both of which issue licenses. The latter is reported to be considerably faster.

A dog barking constantly is cruel to the animal and to the neighbors.

Cats must be vaccinated for rabies, but are not licensed by the County. Responsible cat ownership entails having your cat spayed or neutered.

Ferrets should also be vaccinated for rabies.

Exotic animals may not be kept as pets in Fairfax County. ((119**.)

Wild animals are not proper pets and by law may not be kept as pets. For advice on wildlife problems ((116**), call the Department of Animal Control at 830-3310. For questions about minor injuries to wildlife animals and orphaned wildlife, call the Volunteer Wildlife Hotline 440-0800.

Acreage requirements apply to keeping more than two dogs and to keeping fowl, horses and livestock. ((118**.) Call Zoning 222-1082.

Fish owners will find useful the recording (714** regarding treatment of Fairfax County water for use in fish tanks.

Volunteers are welcomed by each shelter above, by the local Committee to build a National Pet Memorial in Mount Vernon (Box 211, Mount Vernon, VA 22121), and by the Pets on Wheels Program (324-5411) through which volunteers take their pets to visit residents of nearby nursing homes. In particular, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria has been the focus of a number of Mount Vernon residents' volunteer efforts.

Pet sitting, see Neighborhood Services

Locating lost pets can best be begun by (1) searching the neighborhood, (2) calling the County shelter at 830-1100 (or 830-3310 after hours) to file a "Lost Report," since Animal Wardens take strays to the County shelter, (3) calling the Alexandria City's Animal Welfare League shelter at 838-4775 to file a "Lost Animal Report" (8:00 am to 8:00 pm every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas), (4) calling the shelter of the Animal Welfare League of Arlington at 931-9241 (24 hours) to file a "Lost Dog/Cat/Bird/etc. Report," and (5) checking with the Fort Belvoir veterinary clinic at 805-4336 (after hours, the Military Police at 806-3104 can tell you if they have picked up a stray as it will be in their journal). (6) After you have done the above, visit the County shelter and any other shelters where you think your pet might have been taken. Don't rely on a clerk reading the Lost Report. Go back again to the shelter in a few days. Although the state requires an animal found without identification to be held for a minimum of five days and an animal with identification to be held for a minimum of 10 days, each shelter has rules for how long it will hold a new arrival. If it's six days (the County shelter's minimum) make sure your visits are not more than five days apart. The Fort Belvoir shelter, not governed by state law, has a three-day rule. If your pet is important to you, don't rely on paperwork to find your friend; go look for yourself.

If you find a stray pet, look for its identification and let the owner know right away. Call the animal shelter and file a "Found Report." The shelter can trace dog licenses, many local rabies tags, tatoos, and the microchips that many pet owners use for fail-safe identification. A call to Animal Control will have the stray picked up and taken to the County shelter. If you wish to hold the animal and post local "Found" posters, please discuss this with the animal shelter when you call. Please do not leave up such posters more than a week (see Signs). A conscientious search for the owner would include "Found" reports to each animal shelter listed above under Locating Lost Pets.