Category: Animals

Foster Cat Orientation at Seattle Animal Shelter March 2

If you’re interested in becoming a foster parent for cats and kittens from the Seattle Animal Shelter, plan to attend a free orientation session, offered the first Sunday of each month – this month on March 2 – from 2-3:30 p.m. The session will be held in the upper level conference room of the shelter, located at 2061 15th Ave. W.

Please sign up for the orientation by emailing sasfostercatsorientation@gmail.com no later than 5 p.m., Saturday, March 1. Once you have signed up, you will receive an orientation packet to bring with you. Orientation will be cancelled if there are no sign-ups.

The Seattle Animal Shelter relies on volunteers to provide temporary foster care in their homes to rehabilitate and nurture sick, injured and immature cats and kittens or to just give adoptable cats a break from the shelter environment.

“Volunteers have told us this is a perfect project for the whole family and provides an opportunity for children to learn about the joys and responsibilities of having an animal without making a long-term commitment,” says Shelter Director Don Jordan. “The ultimate beneficiaries are the pets who are nurtured by their foster families, and the families who adopt them.”

Jordan says the foster care program is quite simple. You provide food and a temporary home; the Seattle Animal Shelter will provide any necessary veterinary care. The shelter’s “Help the Animals Fund” subsidizes the costs associated with the foster care program including all pre-approved vet care.

If you attend an orientation session you are under no obligation to foster an animal. The orientations are just the first step in the process. Each prospective foster parent is provided with a foster-care manual and a “case manager” who provides advice and answers questions.

For more information or additional directions call (206) 386-7387 (PETS) or go to www.seattleanimalshelter.org.

$5,000 Reward Offered for Information about Neglected Dog Found in West Seattle

The Humane Society of the United States is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the neglect and abuse of a dog found in West Seattle last week. The dog showed clear signs of neglect and has been treated for a serious wound from a severely embedded collar.

    

(click photos to enlarge)

On Thursday, Feb. 20, the dog pictured was found in the 8600 block of 8th Avenue Southwest. As the dog was extremely frightened, it took 20 minutes of coaxing for a Good Samaritan and Humane Law Enforcement Officer to lure the dog out of hiding. The dog’s collar had cut so far into the dog’s neck that it was not visible on exam and had to be surgically removed. Animal neglect such as this is animal cruelty and it is a crime.

Details of where the dog has been for the past several weeks are unknown. If you recognize the dog or know where this dog has been,  please call Seattle Animal Shelter Manager of Field Services Ann Graves at (206) 386-4288. Please reference case number 14-13914. Any information about the dog’s previous whereabouts is vital to solving this case.

“Neglecting an animal to the point that no one loosens a collar that is literally cutting into the flesh of the animal’s neck is unconscionable and a clear violation of our state’s animal cruelty statutes,” said Dan Paul, Washington State Director for The Humane Society of the United States. “We are grateful that this dog is now safe in the good hands of the Seattle Animal Shelter staff, and hopeful that this reward brings forward anyone with information about this heinous act of cruelty.”

First degree animal cruelty is a Class C felony punishable by five years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both.

The Seattle Animal Shelter enforces both SMC 9.25.081 and RCW 16.52.205, which make it illegal to abuse or neglect an animal. If you feel that an animal is being neglected or abused, please contact the Seattle Animal Shelter at (206) 386-7387.

Animal Shelter now Accepting Volunteer Applications

The Seattle Animal Shelter’s in-shelter volunteer program is now recruiting volunteers. All volunteers are asked to make a six-month commitment and be able to volunteer eight hours per month. Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older.

The Shelter needs volunteers for a variety of important tasks, including: dog walking, 9-lives, Furry 5K event planning, adoption assistants, pet therapy and more. To learn more about the variety of volunteer opportunities, go to http://www.seattle.gov/animal-shelter/volunteer/in-shelter.