Scotlund Haisley Led Efforts to Create One of Nation's Most Extraordinary Shelters at the Washington Animal Rescue League
WASHINGTON - The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has hired Scotlund Haisley to be its senior director of Disaster Services. He begins his employment on January 14, 2008.
Haisley's 18-year career in the field of animal welfare is marked by a remarkable set of experiences and accomplishments across the country and abroad. For the past six and a half years, he has served as the executive director of The Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL) in Washington. During his tenure there, he played a leading role in animal rescue efforts following the Katrina disaster and led the re-design of WARL's shelter to make it what most in the field regard as the most humane animal care facility in the world.
"Scotlund Haisley is one of the most talented people working in the animal protection field," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS, in announcing the hire. "In taking over this challenging position, he'll be able to put his full set of skills and experience to work in assisting animals in crisis – whether it is a natural disaster, or human-made crisis, such as a hoarding, puppy mill or animal fighting case."
Haisley will lead a team of 18 disaster experts who, along with thousands of trained volunteers, serves as The HSUS' strike team for disaster response. The organization expanded that section after Hurricane Katrina, in order to have a greater capacity to rescue animals in crisis. In the past year, The HSUS has assisted 12,000 animals affected by natural disasters such as hurricanes, the California wildfires and Midwestern floods, and large-scale cruelty cases. They also trained more than 700 individuals in animal emergency response and sheltering.
"Since the early 1990's, when I decided to make animal protection my life's work, I have always been looking for ever better ways to help more and more animals in need," said Haisley. "I am grateful that I had the opportunity to improve the prospects for animals in the nation's capital, and I am honored that The Humane Society of the United States has asked me to do the same thing on a national level. The need is great everywhere, but in my experience, the power of compassion is always equal to that need."
The Washington Animal Rescue League has named Dr. Gary Weitzman, DVM, MPH, interim executive director. Weitzman, a veterinarian, is WARL's medical director and in charge of its Medical Center. He has been with WARL since 2004. Prior to that, he owned and operated a private veterinary hospital in San Francisco.
While at WARL, Haisley worked with the staff to transform its shelter into one that sets the global standard for animal care and rehabilitation. Under his leadership, WARL expanded the first-class Medical Center, which provides subsidized veterinary care to those who could not otherwise afford it, and developed numerous unique and innovative programs. Prominent among these is ShARE (Shelter Animal Relief Effort), which rescues animals at risk of euthanasia due to space or other constraints from shelters across the country, bringing them to WARL for rehabilitation and adoption.
Haisley assembled one of the best veterinary and shelter teams in the country at WARL. Through the extraordinary talents of its dedicated employees, WARL has become a strong leader in the animal sheltering world, caring for animals from the Washington metropolitan area and elsewhere up and down the Eastern Seaboard.
"While it is never easy to say goodbye to such a friend as Scotlund, we know that our loss will be for the greater good of animals everywhere," said WARL President Gigi Castleman. "We wish Scotlund the best and will continue to support his visionary approach to animal welfare as he takes on a nationally focused assignment. At the same time, we are confident that Gary Weitzman will enable WARL to continue to set the gold standard for excellence in medical treatment, compassionate care, and responsible adoption of animals."
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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization – backed by 10 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty -- On the web at humanesociety.org .
The Washington Animal Rescue League is a non-profit organization with a mission to find permanent, loving homes for adoptable homeless animals while providing them quality care. A recent $4 million renovation makes it a unique shelter, painstakingly designed from the animals' point of view and one of the most humane animal shelters in the world. Since 1996, the League has also operated a full-service, low-cost Medical Center for the companion animals of low-income area residents, making it the only facility of its kind in the mid-Atlantic region. The Medical Center also treats companion animals of its adopters and offers free spaying and neutering to anyone living within the Beltway. Founded in 1914, WARL is the oldest animal shelter in the metropolitan area. The League is located at 71 Oglethorpe Street, NW, Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.warl.org.
