Seattle Humane Society Programs
Low-Fee Spay/Neuter
We spay/neuter all our shelter guests pre-adoption, and offer low-fee spay/neuter surgeries for pets of low income-qualified community members. Last fiscal year we altered more than 2,500 public pets and our goal this year is to double that number to 5,000 pets. Our partnership with Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in which fourth-year students will alter our shelter pets as part of their clinical training affords Seattle Humane vets the capacity to serve more animals in the community.
Community Outreach
Pet Food Bank provides pet food and supplies to more than 1,300 low-income, disabled and senior clients each month; more than 11,000 pounds of food is donated monthly by community groups, pet food companies and individuals. Pet Project helps more than 180 low-income community members disabled by AIDS/HIV keep and care for their pets by providing pet food, supplies and basic veterinary care. More than 30 Visiting Pet Friends volunteers regularly bring the healing power of animal companionship to nursing homes, hospitals and children’s homes. Humane Education Program brings the MaxMobile, our mobile adoption/teaching center, to schools, community centers and festivals; our summer camp and teen club educate the next generation about animal welfare and volunteerism.
Volunteer Corps
We are able to offer a wide range of programs/services thanks to our more than 1,600 passionate volunteers. They walk dogs, brush cats, deliver food, help with office work, provide adoption support, staff special events. Last fiscal year, they committed nearly 200,000 hours of their time – the equivalent of 95 FTEs -- and more than 5,400 pets benefited from volunteer foster care that expands the walls of our shelter.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
Successful Record-Breaking Year
For the 2012-13 FY, our live save rate rose to 97.07%, one of the highest in the country. We had more than 5,800 adoptions, the best year in agency history; all-time high adoptions in four months; and 277 pets adopted over one weekend. More than 3,000 animal lives were saved through our Life-Saver Program from death row at shelters in Eastern Washington and California. We have reached these figures without any local/state/federal government support or assistance from any national animal welfare group.
Current Needs
Pet homelessness and overpopulation are significant problems in our community. We continue to address these problems with record success, but much more needs to be done. We face the challenge of adopting and rescuing even more animals with an aging and overburdened facility, limiting our ability to expand critical services.
Nonetheless, we find creative ways to advance our mission. Our volunteer foster network continues to expand, opening up more space at the shelter to take in more guests. Our partnership with WSU’s vet school allows us to perform more medical procedures; provide an extraordinary education in community-based, wellness-centered primary animal care; and establishes a replicable model for the delivery of animal shelter services with an embedded teaching program. We benefit from the resources provided by our volunteer corps to expand the reach of our staff so we break agency records each year, as well as to connect us with additional space outside the shelter to host events, meetings and educational programs. We do the best we can, but a state-of-the-art adoption center, shelter and teaching hospital would enable us to do more.