Alexandria Animal Control Report: Turtle Goes to Town

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.

Turtle comes out of its shell — Even reptiles can’t resist the charms of Cameron Station.

On July 2, an Alexandria Animal Control officer responded to a call involving a snapping turtle that was walking past shops and restaurants in the 4900 block of Brenman Park Drive.

The turtle, which has emerged from a nearby lake, gave the officer no trouble. Instead of eluding the officer’s net, the turtle happily walked right into it and was returned to its home.

Dog in hot car — On June 24, an Animal Control officer responded to a call of a dog confined in a car with no running air conditioning in the 4500 block of Duke Street.

The dog’s owner emerged from a nearby store soon after the officer arrived. He was not aware of the Alexandria law against keeping dogs in parked cars with no air conditioning. The owner was issued a warning citation.

Animal Control reminds that keeping an animal inside a parked car when the temperature is 70 degrees or higher is a Class 3 Misdemeanor in Alexandria and carries a $200 fine.

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