Community Corner

Alexandria Animal Control Report: Raccoon Can't Part with its Wheels

A glance at some recent incidents in Alexandria.

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.

Raccoon under the hood — Apparently it’s even difficult to get raccoons to part with their cars and use transit.

On July 13, an Animal Control officer was dispatched to a car dealership in the 3400 block of Duke Street to deal with a raccoon that had camped out under the hood of an SUV.

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

The animal had settled in the engine, underneath the heat shield and on top of the transmission.

Despite numerous efforts from dealership employees to coax the raccoon out of the vehicle, the mammal showed no interest in leaving the gas-guzzler.

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

After examining the scene, the Animal Control officer activated the SUV’s alarm, which startled the raccoon out of the engine. The animal retreated into a nearby storm drain.

Perhaps it found a Metro train down there?

Dog in hot car — On July 16, an Animal Control officer responded to the 4600 block of Duke Street after an Alexandria police officer noticed a brown pit bull in a car parked in a shopping center lot.

The outside temperature was recorded at 86 degrees and the canine was panting heavily.

Both officers waited for the owner of the dog to return. The owner was issued a $200 citation.  

Alexandria Animal Control reminds the public that the temperature inside a vehicle, even in as much as 70-degree heat outdoors, can quickly climb to dangerous levels. A pet can suffer serious injury or death in such situations.

Animal Control is authorized to issue a fine of $200 and confiscate such an animal if the owner cannot be located.

Dog Days adoption event — Find a photogenic four-legged friend at AWLA’s Dog Days adoption event presented by the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association and part of Kathleen Ewing’s Dog Days Dog Show.

Adoptable dogs will be available from 1-4 p.m. Aug. 3 at the Athenaeum in Old Town. Admission is free. More information is available on the AWLA website.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from West End Alexandria