2009 ANNUAL REPORT - Washington Animal Rescue League

This, the first annual report of the Washington Animal Rescue League, while focusing
on our accomplishments in 2009, also marks a time of transition as a
new chairman assumes leadership of the League.
Looking back on my 20 years of leadership, I see a time of great growth and
evolution. e Medical Center, inspired by Dr. Paul Kiernan’s vision and opened
in 1996, became a first-class veterinary hospital that cares for shelter animals
and the pets whose low-income guardians cannot afford to have them treated anywhere else.
In the same year, the shelter underwent the first of two major renovations, an expansion
that allowed the League to hold more animals. A second renovation in 2006 made the League
a truly state-of-the-art facility and a model for other shelters around the country. As a result,
the number of animals we rescue and place in good homes has grown significantly; in 2009,
we adopted out a record number of 1,407 dogs and cats, not to mention the thousands who
were treated in our Medical Center.
e proud heritage of the League, which began in 1914 and which we have attempted to
advance during my tenure, will be carried on by Roger Marmet, our chairman-elect, who inherits
a very capable, committed and creative board of directors and a highly professional staff.
Messages from
the Chairman and
Chairman-Elect
David Brown
Chairman
As I assume the chairmanship of the board, I am particularly grateful to David
Brown for his guidance and vision. His leadership of our board and our mission
leave us with one of the most innovative and impactful animal welfare
organizations in the world.
Approaching our second century of providing quality care where it is
most needed, we will continue to seek out and treat more victims of abuse
and neglect, expand our efforts to provide medical care to animals whose caretakers cannot
otherwise afford it, and build on our legacy of rescuing and rehabilitating dogs and cats so they
can find new homes and loving caregivers.
We welcome your partnership in this crucial work. In no other endeavor are the opportunities
for change as large or the rewards for saving lives as great.
Roger Marmet
Chairman-Elect
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