| | | | Welcoming Back Our Volunteers 
Volunteers Leslie Wang (left) and Dea Barnett (right) spent hundreds of hours tending the grounds around Seattle Humane in 2020, even bringing in plants from their own yards.
Spring is here, which means a whole lot of planning is going on at Seattle Humane. For starters, we’re preparing to welcome our first phase of volunteers back to the shelter in the coming weeks. Our goal is to start small — carefully scheduling people where they’re needed most — while still maintaining distancing and safety guidelines. We’re still finalizing the details, along with plans for reopening the campus to the public. Look for more announcements soon!
This next step toward reopening is incredibly welcome news for all of us at Seattle Humane. We had over 3,800 active volunteers when the pandemic forced us to close our doors to the public last March. We have missed these wonderful friends and partners.
With Volunteer Appreciation Week approaching (April 18-24), we’d like to take a moment to thank all of our volunteers, especially
two hard-working individuals who “adopted” the grounds around our shelter during the pandemic.
Volunteers Leslie Wang and Dea Barnett spent hundreds of hours on our landscaping, coming to the campus weekly — rain or shine — to pull weeds and spread wood chips. We could not be more grateful for their help and the beauty they’ve brought to our campus. Read more on this tireless gardening team and how they got started volunteering with us on our Seattle Humane blog.
Our April Foster Parent of the Month, Patrick Kelleher, is another pawesome volunteer. When the pandemic forced him to work from home, he began fostering some of our most behaviorally
challenged dogs. Read his inspiring story.
Humane Pet Sales Bill Awaiting Governor’s Signature!
Novia Liu (left) and Ava Finn (right) in pre-COVID days, when they worked as interns in Adoptions.
How many teenagers do you know who can list “passing a state law” on their resume? Years of hard work paid off last week as Humane Teen Club graduates Ava Finn and Novia Liu saw HB 1424 — known as the Humane Pet Sales Bill — pass the Washington State Legislature. It’s now on Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk, awaiting his signature.
Finn and Liu were working as interns in Seattle Humane’s Adoption department in 2018 when they first launched their fight against for-profit puppy and kitten mills. Thousands of these animals are shipped into Washington each year from out-of-state breeders.
The two testified in Olympia when they were just 16 and met with a number of lawmakers and advocacy groups while still attending high school. In 2020, the young women joined forces with Pasado’s Safe Haven in advocating for the Humane Pet Sales Bill, a compromise that mandates no new pet stores in the state can sell cats and dogs, effectively putting a freeze on the puppy/kitten mill pipeline, ensuring it doesn’t get any worse. A hearty congratulations and thank you to these determined young animal advocates! You have truly made a difference on this important issue!
Big Boost for Community Medicine
Lucy the dog receives an exam, microchipping and vaccinations during a recent Wellness Clinic visit.
Our goal of keeping pets happy and healthy in their homes received a welcome boost recently, with a $50,000 grant from PetSmart Charities for our Community Medicine Program and new Wellness Clinic.
“Seattle Humane has a goal of enhancing animal and public health through our Wellness Clinic, by subsidizing the cost of veterinary care for families who otherwise would be unable to afford it and keeping pets safe at home. We also want to reduce pet overpopulation by providing affordable access to spay and neuter surgeries,” said Dr. Jessica Reed, Chief of Veterinary Medicine.
Learn more on PetSmart Charities’ critical support for this program here and all the services we offer in our new Wellness Clinic!
Last Chance to Double Your Impact for Pets in Need!
Our Pet Owner Assistance Fund helped Rosie receive much-needed dental surgery. Her owner reports she’s doing great thanks to our help.
Please make a gift by April 16 to take advantage of a generous matching gift opportunity supporting our Pet Owner Assistance Fund. Established last year by Anne and Jack Fontaine, this lifesaving Fund has proven to be a critical safety net for hundreds of families struggling to pay for pet supplies, medical care or help in paying a portion of an emergency veterinary bill. Over 200 pets and their families have been helped through the Pet Owner Assistance Fund, including:
- A cat named Nemo who’d been hit by a car
- Dental surgery for Rosie the dog
- A cat named Simon who needed surgery for a urinary blockage
- A senior pet exam for Bandit the dog
The fund helped dozens of other families with pet deposits, pets fighting parvovirus, or just help with a simple medication refill.
The Fontaines have generously pledged $10,000 as a matching gift to the Pet Owner Assistance Fund. But we need your support by April 16 to help meet the match! Can you help? Learn more here.
It’s Here! Kitten Season!
A good Samaritan found one-month-old kittens Faith and Hope at a bus stop in a bag marked ‘free.’ They are currently receiving care in foster.
Mr. Chips was found at a construction site. Faith and Hope were discovered inside a plastic bag at a bus stop. Wherever they’re found, orphaned kittens need immediate care when they arrive at Seattle Humane. Kitten season, the time of year when most kittens are born, requires we stock up on some important supplies. Neonates less than four weeks old are the most vulnerable kittens we take in. Without a mom to care for them, these kittens need our foster parents for everything from bottle feedings every 2-3 hours, to keeping them warm.
If you would like to help these fragile kittens and the foster parents caring for them, please consider donating something from our Foster Program’s Amazon Wish List. Your generous support gives these tiny lives the chance they deserve.
Save the Date for the Tuxes & Tails Gala on Sept. 18, 2021
Compassion. Care. Community.
Seattle Humane has expanded our approach to our lifesaving mission, reaching beyond the shelter to connect pets and the families that love them with services that preserve and strengthen the human-animal bond. Whatever the challenges may be, Seattle Humane is there to lift up our community, always with compassion and the highest quality care. Tuxes & Tails Co-Chairs Mary Snapp and Ann Johnson invite you to show your generous support ensuring that pets in the shelter and in our community receive the care and resources they deserve. We look forward to celebrating with you!
For additional information, please contact the Events Team at events@seattlehumane.org or (425) 649-7551.
It is Almost Time to GiveBIG!
Join us on May 4 and May 5 to support our lifesaving programs through GiveBIG! Now in its 11th year, GiveBIG is our local giving day that helps organizations throughout Washington raise awareness and vital funding. Thanks to a generous friend of Seattle Humane, we’ll have a special GiveBIG matching gift this year!
Check out our social channels on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram on May 4-5 to see and share stories of lives changed and the impact your support has for the cats, dogs and critters in our community.
Early giving will start at givebigwa.org on April 20 — next week!
Zeus Loving the City Life
Zeus, a Shiba Inu, was adopted in early January.
“Zeus is doing great. This handsome boy will turn one in about two weeks. He is the best dog ever. We have had a lot of fun together. I think we chose each other; I see him as a happy dog at home and he brought a lot of happiness into my life. We’ve already started obedience classes with positive reinforcement and he is responding very well. He is very smart. We go for city walks on a daily basis and he loves going to the dog park. Zeus is AWESOME!”
— Juan D.
What We’re Reading
Reading brings communities together! We’d like to share what’s on our nightstand and would love to hear from you as well! This month, it’s “Pet Nation: The Love Affair That Changed America,” by Mark L. Cushing. Cushing gives an inside look at the surge in animal ownership in the last 20 years and shares many heartwarming stories of how our pets have become treasured members of the family.
2019-20 Annual Report
With April marking the start of our new fiscal year, we’re excited to share our latest Annual Report with you. It’s a time capsule of sorts, highlighting a very different time from now — before COVID, masks and curbside adoptions. See what we accomplished — and what your support made possible — in our 2019-20 Annual Report! | | | |  | | Stay Connected     | | |
