Reading & ReflectionThe Animal Rescue League1 The Animal Rescue League Shelter & Wildlife Center has a rich history, filled with many triumphs and heartaches, beginning in the early twentieth century. In all the events that have occurred throughout the years,there is one common concern that the Animal Rescue League consistently stands for: the well-being and love of animals.2 The founding of the Animal Rescue League goes back to the year1909. On July 22, five animal loving Pittsburghers had a brilliant idea. With a shared concern for both animal welfare and public health, these men and women came together to form an organization that would devote itself solely to the welfare of animals in the Pittsburgh area. These Pittsburghers sought to return lost dogs and cats to their owners while at the same time giving temporary shelter and food to lost and starving stray dogs and cats.In addition, their organization would secure a merciful and painless death for animals that are old, injured, diseased or dangerous. This group also desired to conduct a refuge farm for horses, dogs and cats. So begins the story of the organization that is now known as the Animal Rescue League of Western Pennsylvania.3 Determined to reduce the suffering of all pets, the founders of the League sought to provide food, shelter and homes for abandoned and stray pets. Te founders, quickly faced with the reality of the situation they were in, realized that not all animals would be placed for adoption. At the same time, they were deeply distressed by the cruel disposal methods used by City officials at that time. Motivated to change the City’s ways, early League founders sought to contract with the City to perform this unpleasant task in the most humane way possible. The City felt that the Animal Rescue League had legitimate reasons in defending their devotion to animals,and on October 30, 1909, the charter for the Animal Rescue League was obtained.4 Finally, at the end of the year in 1909, the five founders (Elizabeth F. Holmes, M.E. Zydeman, A. M. Wadswoth, R. W. Kenney, and Mary Elizabeth Kenney) held the frst ofcial and documented meeting for the Animal Rescue League of Pittsburg (no “h”as the City name was then spelled). They convened downtown at the office of James G. Marks in the Federal Building. The constitution and bylaws were ratified and Mrs.F.F. Nicola was elected chairman of the League. The founders also elected nine other people at this meeting to serve a one-year term for the Animal Rescue League as Directors. As the Animal Rescue League was developing into a successful organization, the next step was to build a shelter to house the animals they longed to rescue.5 The founders’ dream to have a shelter to house animals finally came true in May of 1910 when the Animal Rescue League opened a small city shelter on lower Denniston Avenue in East Liberty. That same year,a generous benefactor donated a 16-acre farm to the League. The farm is located on Verona Road in Rosedale (6 miles east of the League shelter).The League began to remodel a barn for use as a kennel. At the boardmeeting held on June 21 that year, it was revealed that the farm in Rosedale was housing nine dogs and 25 cats while the City shelter had six dogs and two cats. Seven kittens and one dog had been “humanely killed.”The meticulously kept financial records showed revenue for the League in its first six months of existence. Te League’s revenuetotaled $2,103 (including ten cents for the sale of a biscuit). At the end of 1910, The League contracted with Dr. Martin, a local veterinarian, for his services and City operations were moved to larger quarters at Euclid and Kirkwood Streets in East Liberty.6 With the desire to be one of the only groups in Pittsburgh who took animals into their care, the Animal Rescue League secured a contract with the City “for the arrest, care, and disposal of unlicensed dogs found running at large in the streets” in November 1912. After nine long months of negotiation between the City and the Animal Rescue League, this contract was finally obtained. This was the first such contract in the country between a city and a voluntary humane society. For the next half century,Animal Rescue League employees served as “reluctant dog catchers,”bringing together all unlicensed dogs and a few cats that were handed over by residents as strays or unwanted animals.动物救援联盟动物救援联盟与野生动物保护中心的历史，丰富多彩。