Category: Personnel

2019: A Year In Review

Posted on by Carol Eicher

Lost pets found their way home. Abused pups were rescued and shown how to trust again. Sick and injured animals were rehabilitated. Children adopted their first pets. This is only a small snapshot of what happened inside the walls of the Seattle Animal Shelter in 2019. Here’s a deeper look at what happened this year and how it will impact the shelter in the new decade to come:

By the numbers

It was an incredible year for Seattle’s homeless animals; in 2019, the Seattle Animal Shelter took in a total of 1,056 cats, 891 dogs, and 358 critters. Of those, 844 dogs, 916 cats, and 349 critters adopted, transferred for adoption elsewhere, or reunited to their owners. The shelter continues to stay well above a 90 percent live release rate (the percentage of live outcomes compared to overall outcomes).

Growing our volunteer community

This year, the shelter welcomed 236 new volunteers! This includes volunteer foster parents, behavior team volunteers, in-shelter volunteers, Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF) volunteers, and more. Our incredible volunteers work 365 days a year and are extremely dedicated. They save thousands of animal lives each year. Without them, the shelter would not be the success it is today.

New staff members

In 2019, the shelter welcomed a new member to its animal control team, which handles all manner of cases, commonly those of abuse, neglect cruelty, injured and sick animals, and aggressive animals. The shelter also brought on its first full-time animal behaviorist. Kimberlee Spicer is a CPDT-KA and Fear Free Certified trainer. She formerly worked with Homeward Pet Adoption Center, starting as an adoption counselor, then a dog behavior coordinator, and finally as an animal behavior manager.

Since 2016, the shelter’s behavior training program has helped at-risk dogs overcome their fears and start to trust humans again through positive behavior modification techniques. It also helps cats find the right homes through animal profiling, which matches a cat’s personality type to an adopter. Learn more about the behavior program here.  This unique program is entirely funded by SASF donors. With a full-time behaviorist on board, the shelter can now expand its training of volunteers and staff to assure every animal with special needs benefits from the program.

Donations

Our annual Furevermore Fundraising Gala raised $213,000 alone. Our Furry 5K raised more than $114,000. (Get details on our 2020 events here!) While helping supplement shelter essentials such as veterinary care, animal control, food and supplies, staffing, spaying and neutering, and facility upkeep, this funding also supports a range of programs that go beyond what the City of Seattle can finance, including our Behavioral Training, Foster, and Fospice programs.

 

 

 

 

 

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Staff Feature – Courtney Ann Bunn

Posted on by Carol Eicher

For this feature, we like to showcase people who do the most important work at Seattle Animal Shelter. We liken them to guardian angels who show up day-in and day-out to protect and ensure that shelter animals are cared for when they’re most vulnerable. This month, we meet Courtney Ann Bunn, an Animal Care Officer at Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS). She’s had a soft spot for animals ever since she was a little girl. Courtney is one of our local heroes. Next time when you see her, say hi or give her a fist bump!

How long have you been with Seattle Animal Shelter and what is your role?

I’ve been with the City and in my current position since March of 2016.

What was your path to the field of animal welfare work and how did you get to the shelter?

Animal welfare has always been my passion. When I was a kid, I would find injured or orphaned animals and make sure they received the care they needed. Because of my passion in animals, I decided to study zoology and have a career involving animal care. I got my degree in Zoology at Washington State University (WSU).

While in school I worked as a vet assistant and a dog trainer. After graduating from college, I worked as an exotic animal trainer and zoo keeper for 7 years at various zoos around the country. It was so much fun working with exotic animals. After my husband and I got married and wanted to start a family, I wanted to shift my career to something a little less physically demanding but still involving animal care. I always wanted to work at SAS and heard wonderful things about the shelter, so I applied for this role. SAS is truly a great place and I feel very fulfilled in my job.

What is a typical day like?

A typical day involves lots of movement, many hats being worn and expecting the unexpected. I love that every day is unique. You never know what’s going to walk through the door animal-wise or client-wise. We wear lots of hats in this position from dealing with all aspects of animal care and welfare with a variety of species, to working with partner organizations to transfer animals in and out, to working along with the public to intake or release animals.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

I love finding the perfect companion for a family and finding the right forever home for an animal.

Are there memorable animals who stick out in your mind?

There are so many special animals who have made a lasting impression on me.

One of them was Ellie who showed up as a stray. But from day one at the shelter, she was such a cool, calm and friendly cat. She tolerated everyone and everything. Ellie was such a perfect cat that I knew I had to take her home. I knew she would blend right in to a household with two dogs and a toddler. She gets along very well with them and she is the sweetest cat ever.

I spend a lot of time working with the shy, scared dogs at Seattle Animal Shelter. I tend to gravitate towards them. Howie is one that came to mind. He came in with a bite history. He was scared, shy and growly when he first came to the shelter. Once he was out of bite quarantine, I started spending a lot of time with him. He finally came out of his shell and became the friendliest dog ever. He had a happy, successful adoption.

Another one was Rockwell. He was not shy but a rambunctious pit bull who was in our care for quite some time. He was left tethered outside and got out and nipped a biker’s leg. Rockwell came to us on bite quarantine and we tried to help him settle in. He was a handful at first, but I fell in love with him right away. We gradually formed a connection and began to work well together. Instead of dragging me down the street like he did at first, Rockwell started listening to my commands. When I went in in his kennel, he would just sit in my lap. Rockwell eventually let his guard down and became a friendly dog. I was so happy that he was able to find his forever home.

The shy, scared, growly ones are my favorites because I love to see them transform and come out of their shells. We have one currently in foster named Noodle, who was snappy and scared when she first came in. She also had lots of body handling issues. Our behavior team and I found a way to work with her and she is now this energetic and confident girl in foster care waiting for her forever home. How amazing!

Who are your pets at home

I’ve got three critters at home! I have a rescue border collie mix named Joey who is 15 years old. I have a 12-year-old Jack Russel Terrier appropriately named Napoleon and a cat who I adopted from the Seattle Animal Shelter a year ago named Ellie.

What are your favorite activities outside of SAS?

I love to go on adventures with my husband and son. We go for hikes, camping trips, kayaking, paddle boarding, to name a few. We also like exploring different community events in the Puget Sound area. When I get down time for myself, I love to read, write and play board games.

Anything else you’d like to include or talk about in article?

My favorite species to work with have been: tortoises, bears, elephants, dogs and baboons.

Donor-Funded Behavioral Training Saves Lives

Posted on by Carol Eicher

By Taylor Laidley   

Since its inception, the Seattle Animal Shelter’s (SAS) donor-funded Behavioral Training Program has saved 1,329 dogs and 2,243 cats. Thanks to the generous support of the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF) donors and the tireless work of the shelter’s behaviorists, this groundbreaking program is changing the lives of Seattle’s most at-risk animals. But there is still more work to be done.

Living inside a shelter can be traumatic for any animal—especially those that have been previously neglected, abused, or under-socialized. When animals feel overwhelmed or scared, they can develop adverse behaviors or aggravate existing behaviors that significantly decrease their chances of adoption. Previously, many of these animals were euthanized. But now SAS’s unique program gives them a second chance at life.

“Any dog that couldn’t be walked by our volunteers or easily handled by our staff, that was a dog that would often be euthanized or put down,” said Kara Main-Hester, deputy director of SAS. “When these dogs come into the shelter, I feel like they break just a little bit…It’s overwhelming and exhausting, and because of this, we see a lot of behavior come out, whether it’s literally a dog who sits with their head facing the wall because they’re so overwhelmed, or they become outwardly aggressive. Pretty much what they’re saying is, ‘get away,’ ‘please stop,’ ‘I can’t take it anymore.’”

Developed in 2016 with the help of animal behaviorists from the University of Washington and a grant from the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF), the shelter’s unique Behavioral Training Program is based on positive reinforcement, love, and patience. The program uses behavior modification techniques to help at-risk dogs overcome their fears and start to trust humans again—all in a matter of months.

Through the program, all volunteers and staff are given the necessary skills to curb those adverse behaviors and make that animal’s shelter stay less stressful. In 2017, all of the shelter’s adopted dogs (472) received SAFER training (Safety Assessment for Evaluating Rehoming), a tool developed by ASPCA to help shelters assess the risk of future aggression in dogs and identify which dogs will require one-on-one behavioral training before they can be adopted. More than 50 dogs received highly specialized behavior training in 2017 for especially challenging behavior issues such as separation anxiety and fear aggression.

Cats also benefit from the program. In 2017, all of the shelter’s adopted cats (764) received the “Feline-ality” assessment. Think of it as a friendship app for cat lovers! Whether the cat is chill and laid-back or extroverted and full of energy, this assessment allows the shelter to match the cat’s personality with an owner who is looking for a pet with those traits.

“This [program] isn’t just some sort of luxury,” said Main-Hester. “This is truly just as important of our veterinary programs here at the shelter.”

Across the country, behavioral training programs are slowly being recognized as a necessary component of care. But unfortunately, not every shelter has the resources to institute a program like this. Of the estimated 6.5 million animals that are surrendered to shelters each year, approximately 1.5 million of them are still euthanized, according to ASPCA. SAS hopes that the success of its Behavior Training Program will lead to it being replicated in shelters across the U.S. so more lives might be saved.

This year, the shelter hopes to bring on a full-time behavior specialist to sustain the program and expand its training of volunteers and staff so that the shelter can continue to serve every animal that comes through its wide-open doors. And you can help make that a reality.

The Behavioral Training Program would not exist without the life-saving generosity of SASF donors. On Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019, join fellow animal lovers for a night of games, silent and live auctions, delicious food and drink, and camaraderie at the 9th annual Furevermore Fundraising Gala.

This is What Sustainability Looks Like

Posted on by Carol Eicher

By Kelli Harmon

Published courtesy of Best Friends Magazine. This article originally appeared in BFM’s November/December 2018 edition. Posted 2019/08/03 

SAS rescue
One of many dogs that walk through the doors at the Seattle Animal Shelter.

SEATTLE ANIMAL SHELTER started out like most other municipal animal services departments around the country. It was “the pound.” That was in the 1970s, when animal shelters were little more than short-term holding places for stray animals. But, says Ann Graves, Seattle Animal Shelter’s executive director, “We have a history of being progressive as a city and as a municipal agency.” So it wasn’t long before Seattle’s municipal shelter became a lifesaving model. They’ve proven that it’s possible for a cityrun, open-admission shelter to not only reach no-kill, but to sustain it.

A progressive history
What sets Seattle apart is that, as a city, it has consistently been an early adopter of core programs that go beyond the bare minimum in animal sheltering. “The low-cost spay/neuter clinic opened here in 1982, years before others around the country,” Ann says. “Seattle citizens recognized the need to do something about the overpopulation of dogs and cats, and voted for an initiative to open the clinic.”

Throughout its history, the city shelter has been open to new ideas and just keeps moving forward.

Coordinated care
This is what coordinated care looks like.

Their volunteer program started in the late 1990s, before most municipal shelters had such programs. (In fact, some shelters still don’t accept volunteer help.) They began working with rescue groups early on and they stopped the killing of animals on account of lack of space years ago, in large part because they created a foster program.

Collaboration with the public, private organizations and other agencies is a huge part of the shelter’s success. Ann, who started as a volunteer and has worked in a professional capacity at the shelter for 18 years, still remembers the first time shelters in the region got together to talk. Today the city and county shelters, as well as local nonprofit organizations, have an excellent working relationship. Ann says, “We’ve done a good job of recognizing when our neighbor needs help, and they do the same for us.”

Choices to make
As things shift and change in animal welfare and sheltering, leaders at Seattle Animal Shelter have had choices to make. What will it take to save animals coming into the shelter? How much time and funding will it require, and how can they get those resources? Today, fewer animals are coming into the shelter, but those who do have more medical needs.

SAS critters
The shelter supports an entire critter room. All species welcome.

“Many of the animals we’re saving now would have been euthanized in the past,” Ann says. “Thanks to the Help the Animals Fund, we’re able to provide medical care for more animals who are sick and injured. In 2011, a 501(c)3 (Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation) formed and it has increased our ability to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome the animals most in need.”

Getting to no-kill, and sustaining it, can feel like a moving target, in that each challenge that’s overcome can seem as though it leads to a new challenge. The people at Seattle Animal Shelter know that all too well. But that’s not a reason to give up — that’s a reason to keep going.

SASF Recruiting New Board Members

Posted on by Carol Eicher

The Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF) is currently recruiting new volunteer Board Members and non-Board Member committee volunteers. We are particularly interested in applicants with expertise in the following areas:

  • Auction and Events, including planning and executing auctions and other large- scale fundraising events, managing and participating in procurement activities, and partnering with local businesses to co-host smaller events or support other fundraising activities.
  • Development and Fundraising, including individual fundraising efforts such as direct mail and major gift solicitations, creating and implementing strategies for donor acquisition, and knowledge of fundraising cultivation and stewardship practices.
  • Governance, providing operational, administrative and legal support to the board as well as leading recruiting and grants processes. We are also seeking a Secretary for the 2019 SASF Board that would also serve in the Governance Committee. The ideal candidate has strong human resource, legal, industrial organization, nonprofit and/or “small company” operational skills and is passionate about helping Seattle’s animals.
  • Recruiting Specialist, who will will be an integral part of our 15-person board and supporting our Vice President. Among duties are: own and present SASF’s annual hiring plan to the Board; recruit volunteers, committee members and board members for SASF; The ideal candidate has 2+ years experience in Recruiting. Experience recruiting unpaid volunteers is preferred but not required.

See Job Descriptions and Application Instructions

About the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation

SASF is a 501(c)(3) organization and our purpose is to enrich and enhance the lives of animals cared for by the Seattle Animal Shelter. Our priority is to raise additional funds to help support the Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS) in its mission to foster caring relationships between people and animals.SASF provides funding to support the many services and programs of SAS. Some examples include:

  • Dog kennel renovations which allow for a calmer, healthier space for both animals and adopters.
  • A complete renovation of SAS’s cat and critter areas (completed December 2015), which allows for more flexible space for the cats and critters.
  • Construction of a new SAS Meet and Greet Room allowing animals to meet potential adopters in a quiet indoor space.
  • A veterinarian clinic room to allow for onsite veterinary assessments and treatments.
  • Quality-of-life improvements for all SAS animals including a cutting edge behavioral program to train SAS staff and volunteers to assess and train SAS shelter animals that would previously have been deemed unadoptable.
  • Adoption underwriting to help animals find their forever homes faster.
  • Training and supplies for foster homes and in-shelter volunteers.
  • Spay and neuter assistance for pets in low income families.Through innovative community events, outreach programs, and volunteer opportunities, we help SAS fund creative solutions for immediate needs, pioneer new programs, and build on what the City already provides. We are helping to place the nation’s most pet-friendly city on the leading edge of humane animal advocacy. We hope you will join us!

Board Member Specifics

Responsibilities of Board Members:

  • Attend all Board meetings (1 per month), and the annual Board meeting and occasional teleconferences
  • Chair one Board committee or serve as a key contributing member on two committees.
  • Maintain knowledge of the organization and personal commitment to its goals and objectives.
  • Attend and support SASF’s major fundraising auction and events.
  • Current weekly time commitment is approximately 5-10 hours
  • Contribute $1000 to SASF in funds or in-kind donations (solicited auction donations count towards $1000)

Benefits of Board Membership:

  • Contribute to a cause you care about in a high-impact way. Serving on the Board of an organization gives you the ability to significantly impact the lives of Seattle’s animals.
  • Gain important skills. Board Members are expected to actively participate in strategic planning, financial management, and fundraising. Bring your existing expertise and gain new knowledge through your Board experience.
  • Expand your network. Your fellow Board Members, the staff of our organization, and its funders, donors, and clients will considerably expand your personal and professional network.Board Members serve three-year terms. Board Members may serve two consecutive terms and return to the Board after a one-year absence.The SASF is an all volunteer-run organization, and this is a volunteer opportunity. Board Members will not receive monetary compensation for their board duties other than reimbursement for Board-related expenses.

Volunteer Committee Member Specifics

Responsibilities of volunteers

  • Contribute time to assist with committee-specific projects and needs. Time commitment for volunteer committee members varies depending on projects, but is generally less than board members.
  • Attend volunteer orientation and complete volunteer onboarding forms.

Benefits of Volunteer Committee Membership

  • Join a community of passionate animal advocates to help SAS shelter pets with less time commitment then full SASF Board Member.
  • Learn more about SASF board membership and explore future board member roles.

Applying to the Board and to be a volunteer Committee Member

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer Board Member or a volunteer Committee Member, please submit a letter of interest and resume to [email protected] by January 7, 2019 for a January 9, 2019 interview and by January 20, 2019 for a February 13, 2019 interview.

We would also like to invite you to an open SASF Board meeting on January 9, 2019. If you are interested in attending this meeting, please email [email protected]. The meeting will be from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at WeWork in South Lake Union. We will interview potential new candidates after the open Board meeting on January 9, 2019 at WeWork in South Lake Union.

We also expect to interview potential new candidates on February 13, 2019 at WeWork in South Lake Union. We may be able to accommodate limited interviews at alternate times if January 9, 2019 or February 13, 2019 are not possible.

Staff Feature: Brett Rogers, Animal Control Officer II

Posted on by Carol Eicher

This month we get to meet Brett Rogers, our Animal Control Officer at SAS. With almost 31 years of experience, Brett is not just a regular officer, but also a big animal lover. We are so fortunate to have him here for such a long time. Give him a fist bump next time when you see him at the shelter or Seattle parks!

Brett Rogers, Animal Control Officer II

How long have you been with SAS and what is your role?
I have been with SAS for almost 31 years, preceded by 3 years as an Animal Care Officer with SpokAnimal C.A.R.E., then 4 months with Tacoma-Pierce Co Humane Society. For the past 24 years I have been assigned primarily to parks leash law and licensing enforcement minus a couple of years as a Field Enforcement Supervisor.

What was the path that got you to animal welfare work?
While I am a big animal lover, I didn’t plan to have a career working with animals. Graduating from Juanita High School in 1977, I enrolled in the US Air Force and was trained as a Security Police Officer. In 1982, I was discharged from the military and used my G.I. Bill to attend college in the Spokane area working towards a degree in Physical Therapy.

I became friends with one of my computer science instructors who was a board member at SpokAnimal C.A.R.E. He introduced me to the organization and I started working there as a part-time license canvasser, then worked my way up to becoming an animal care officer. During my time at SpokAnimal, I alternated between part-time and full-time duties depending on my college workload. In the mid-1980’s, the Washington State Physical Therapy degree jumped from a 4-year degree to a 6-year one. Since this happened during a semester that I had inadvertently taken off, I took it as a sign that I was meant to be in humane law enforcement. Shortly thereafter I was hired by Tacoma Pierce County and then 4 months later by the SAS.

What is a typical day like?
I patrol parks on a daily basis. I work closely with the parks security department as we enforce all animal related park ordinances in Seattle’s 430 city parks. The parks we patrol are based on the complaints received.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?
The most rewarding part of my job is being able to work in Seattle’s pristine parks every day while interacting with some of the best dog owners around.

Who are your pets at home?
Over the years I have adopted several shelter pets. Currently my wife and I have a 5-lb Pomeranian we fostered as a bottle baby named Mrs. Pickles. She was the only survivor of her litter of three. Pickles has proven to be a very reliable burglar alarm. She even barks at me when I arrive home every day.

 

 

We also adopted a DSH grey/ black tabby we named Shao-Hu (Little Tiger) and a German short-hair pointer—Lola, who loves a good party and pretty much requires round-the-clock supervision. We kept the name given to her by staff from the emergency vet that treated her.

What are your favorite activities outside of SAS?
I spend much of my spare time hiking and mushroom hunting with my wife, as well as managing a huge organic vegetable garden.

Working at SAS for the past 31 years, I am fortunate to have witnessed how vibrant volunteers, a comprehensive foster program and low-cost spay/neuter services morphed this agency to a widely-recognized humane organization. I couldn’t be prouder to have been a small part of that transformation.

Staff Profile: David Goldberg, Animal Care Officer

Posted on by Carol Eicher

by Emily Gothmann

This month we get to meet David Goldberg, who has 24 years of experience with the shelter. Starting as an enforcement officer, David has devoted most of his career to animal welfare. We are so fortunate to have him here. Please say hi and thank him for his hard work the next time you see him at the shelter.

David Goldberg, Animal Care Officer

How long have you been with SAS and what is your role?

I started in 1994 as an enforcement officer. I responded to calls of animal bites, menacing animals, animal cruelty, leash law, noise complaints, scoop complaints, etc. I also patrolled parks with another officer for leash law violations. I then transitioned to be an animal care officer and started doing anything that can improve animal care at the shelter.

What was the path that got you to animal welfare work?

I got a part time job in Olympia, WA as an emergency response officer. I handled calls that came in overnight or on the weekends that couldn’t wait—for example, injured or vicious animals, bites and noise. I was very fortunate to have some good training opportunities and was sent to the Thurston County reserve police officer training course. The training definitely prepared me and helped me better handle injured and vicious animals on the job. It truly takes both skills and patience to care for and gain trust from the animals.

What is a typical day like?

There is no such thing as a typical day in this job but we do have an everyday routine. We arrive at 9:00 AM to clean, medicate and feed the animals until we open at 1:00 PM. During this time, dogs get out for walks. Everyone is assigned an area to clean (dog area, cat area, critter area, etc.). We also do SAFER temperament evaluations for the dogs. We make ‘available’ animals whose stray hold is up after evaluating them. Some animals may need more time to acclimate and may not be put up for adoption right away.

From 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM we are open for adoptions, redemptions, surrenders, and strays. We counsel potential adopters and help them pick the right animal for their situation. We also give advice via phone. As the end of the day approaches, we give evening meds and walks again. Staff takes dogs that aren’t ready to walk with a volunteer and we try to get the dogs out at least 2-3+ times a day. The other dogs can go out as many times with potential adopters during the day, but the walkers still take them out in the late afternoon.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

I feel especially fulfilled at my job when I can help an animal find a permanent home that I know is the best family for the animal. The other rewarding part of the job is seeing people who thought their pet was lost forever find him/her due to the microchip after the pet was missing for months or years! The heartwarming and emotional pet-owner reunions are so precious to me.

Are there memorable animals who stick out in your mind?

Every animal is unique at SAS and there really are too many to mention here. However, we had an Iguana named Zep who had what you might call a “strong personality” which I took a liking to. He could be challenging at times but also very sweet.

Who are your pets at home?

I have two cats from SAS. Sam (Tuxedo) was from a litter of feral kittens but he wasn’t very good at being feral by the time I adopted him when he was 4-5 months old, thanks to the great foster parenting! George (Black) is 1-2 months older than Sam. George came to me, so to speak, when I was conducting a cruelty investigation: a man with medical and mental problems failed to notice George was inside his garbage bag when he put the garbage down the trash chute from the 9th floor. Luckily the maintenance man heard meows from the trash compactor and checked it before turning it on. George crawled out and was covered in garbage and limping. The good news was that by the time I got him to the vet, he wasn’t limping at all. The vet said he was fine and healthy other than needing a bath.

What are your favorite activities outside of SAS?

I have a private pilot’s license and I love flying but it has gotten too expensive to continue. I enjoy cycling (Road and Mountain) when I get out, but I haven’t ridden in years.

Class Acts at SAS – Caring For Our Critters

Posted on by Carol Eicher

The growing Critter Program at SAS is incredibly lucky to have the support of a dedicated and hard-working staff. Each day Animal Care Officers provide the proper habitats and care for a wide variety of animals ranging from rabbits to birds to mice to geckos and, yes, even to tarantulas.

Our program requires tremendous flexibility, creativity, a sense of humor and broad animal care knowledge. Two of our amazing officers serve as the primary Critter Program contacts and we’d like to introduce them to you!

Courtney Bunn has a rich background in animal care. She has worked as an exotic animal trainer, a zoo keeper, a veterinary technician and a dog trainer. Prior to SAS, she worked in the Seattle Humane Society’s dog program.

Courtney has now been at SAS for more than two years. She says, “Knowing that I make a difference in the lives of so many animals is what brings me to work. I also love my coworkers and the volunteers, which makes a huge difference.” But why critters, Courtney? “I have a special love and passion for working with critters. I feel that they are the most misunderstood because people have the least amount of education around critters and their needs. I love expanding people’s knowledge and understanding of them.”

Courtney is also known for her love of Halloween and costuming. In fact, the annual Creeptacular event is her brainchild. Not only did she come up with the concept, she came up with the name!

Sarah Schmidt became an SAS Animal Care Officer in September 2016. She had previously served as a field officer at SAS and, before that, she was an Animal Control Officer with the Wenatchee Valley Humane Society.

Sarah loves being around all the animals and trying to make their stay at the shelter as stress-free as possible. She enjoys walking dogs, petting kitties, and feeding salads to noisy guinea piggies! She loves working with the critters because every single one is different. She enjoys setting up their enclosures, so they are comfortable and fun. Sarah also relishes the chance to be creative with supplies to ensure the best enrichment for the critters. She especially appreciates the knowledgeable Critter Team volunteers who help out when an unfamiliar species shows up at the door. Researching the care of some of the more exotic species (looking at you, Earl the Pacman Frog) is also fun and rewarding.

Sarah is one of our staff artists. Check out her iguana hanging in a place of honor in the Critter Room!

Thanks to Courtney, Sarah, and all the officers for their commitment, leadership, and sense of fun!

SAS Profile: Arlene Ehrlich

Posted on by Carol Eicher

Meet Arlene Ehrlich, an Account Tech III at the Seattle Animal Shelter who has a 20-year history with the shelter. With a tenure starting as a volunteer in 1998, Arlene has dedicated decades to the animals. Next time you’re at the shelter, say hi to her at the Licensing office.

Time and roles with SAS:

I started working at SAS in 2006, but I started volunteering here in 1998; I think I was one of the first 10 volunteers! I started out on the digital team (not sure if it was even considered a team yet), and then was a matchmaker and dog walker. After taking some kittens home to foster, I became the first official foster cat team leader. What was supposed to be a temporary assignment of getting the foster cat program up and running ended up lasting a couple of years. Coincidentally, Sandy Hansen, who just retired from SAS, was also a volunteer at the time and became my co-team leader. At some point I started fostering dogs. I took home a sweet little pit bull puppy to foster, fell in love and subsequently adopted her. She changed my life because I also fell in love with the breed. I became more and more involved with pit bull rescue and advocacy. I fostered for other local rescue organizations and volunteered for Pit Bull Rescue Central. I screened adoption applicants, served on a committee that granted money to low income folks for veterinary care, and served on their board as treasurer. After a little hiatus I came back to SAS and case managed the SAS foster pit bulls and fostered a few more SAS dogs myself. In 2006 there was an opening in the licensing department at SAS and the timing was right. It seemed like the perfect combination of my accounting skills and passion for animals. I fortunately got the job and have been there ever since.

Path that got you to animal welfare work:

I’ve always been a big animal lover, especially dogs. I actually have some old school work where I drew a map of the dog boarding kennel I hoped to open someday. I also remember being the one that trained one of our family dogs, a rescued German shepherd named Penny. I live very close to the shelter and decided to stop by and visit and became very interested in volunteering. After several unsuccessful attempts to contact someone about becoming a volunteer, I decided to stop by again. This time I was asked if I could start volunteering right there on the spot! I helped photograph some animals for the website and the rest is history.

A typical day:

My typical day involves a variety of tasks, which is one of the things I really like about it. The licensing office handles all of the financial transactions involving the shelter. If it has anything to do with money, it’s processed in our office, including all of the licensing payments that we receive, whether it be via the mail, online, other city offices, or one of our many other sales partners. I also process all of the bills we receive for payment. The mornings before we open are quiet and a good time to focus on things that require uninterrupted attention. Once the shelter opens at 1PM, the day is sometimes crazy busy as we also process all of the payments for adoptions and redemptions, and our phones often ring off the hook. We also frequently reunite pets with their owners when the only identification they’re wearing is their pet license. The finders call us to see if we can identify the pet.

Most rewarding part of job:

The most rewarding part of my job is seeing how excited people are when they’re adopting, or how thankful and relieved they are when they’re reunited with a lost pet. I love watching the adopters walk out of the building beaming as “new parents.”

Memorable animals:

It’s hard to say because each animal is special in its own way. One of the most memorable was Bessie, who my previous co-worker Suellen ended up adopting. She was an older pit bull that hung out in our office prior to being adopted. She had a lot of physical challenges, but she was the sweetest dog ever.

Personal Pets:

I have a cat named Rocket that I adopted in 2000 that just turned 18. I took him, his siblings and his mother home to foster during the time I was running the cat foster program. The others got adopted but he never left. He’s literally the best and sweetest cat ever!! My dog Mia who I took home to foster a year later and she just turned 17! They are both hard of hearing and a little senile and I’m cherishing every day I get to spend with them.

Favorite activities outside of SAS:

I love to travel, and planning the trips are almost as much fun as actually going on them! Warm weather beach vacations are probably my favorite, but I love big cities and history as well. My husband has a lot of relatives in Sweden so we try to do a “combo” trip to Sweden along with another destination in Europe. With my animals so elderly I haven’t been traveling much lately, but we operate a vacation rental, so I get to help other people with their trips instead.

Anything else you’d like to share?

I am so proud to work for an organization that keeps striving to improve the lives of the animals and community that we serve. I’ve seen so much change over the past 20 years that even when we have little setbacks or things seem to be changing slowly, I think about how far we’ve come. I would also like people to know that it’s important to license your pets! Not only does it keep our pets safer in the event they get lost, the licensing revenue also contributes to the daily operations of the shelter.

Training Made Possible by SASF

Posted on by Carol Eicher

By Ann Graves, SAS executive director. Published 2018/04/06.

With the new year a memory and 2018 unfolding quickly before us I wanted to pause for a minute or two and express my gratitude to the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation for the training funds made available to our team in 2017. Training brings us information, builds new skills and when it is combined with meeting people outside of our own shelter or workplace, is instrumental in exchanging information and building relationships.

In October 2017, I attended the National Animal Care & Control Association Conference in Virginia Beach, Va. There I had the honor of opening the conference at the invitation of the NACA Board of Directors. While I was acting director of SAS, I had asked them to host a roundtable at some point during the conference where others who were interested could simply meet and converse about our profession, experiences, challenges and opportunities in an open forum. I made this request because in my new role I continually found myself wishing I knew what others were experiencing and felt the opportunity to connect with colleagues and peers at the conference was too good to pass up. The NACA board was so receptive to the idea they invited me to open the conference in lieu of a keynote speaker and we had a group discussion that included animal care and control professionals from across the country. It was an amazing opportunity and to hear a few hundred people talk to each other about their experiences, challenges and opportunities was an experience I will treasure. Throughout the rest of the conference I was approached by people who expressed appreciation for the dialogue as we all attended classes and learned from the experiences of our peers.

In November 2017, I attended the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators Conference in Miami, Fl. This was the first SAWA conference I have attended and while there I found myself surrounded by leaders in the field of animal welfare including Lisa LaFontaine, President and CEO of Humane Rescue Alliance, Matt Bershadker, President and CEO of the ASPCA, Steven Feldman, Executive Director of the Human Animal Bond Research Institute and many others. I was also able to spend time with colleagues from Washington and worked to renew and build relationships with colleagues from PAWS in Lynnwood and the Humane Society of SW Washington. Some of the topics presented at the conference included “Beyond Labels II: The Future of Animal Welfare”, “Evolution of the Animal Welfare Movement: Meeting the Needs of Rapidly Changing Communities” and a day long symposium covering topics of current research capped off the most informative, inspirational conference I have attended in my career.

These are two of many opportunities for our team at SAS to attend various trainings locally and nationally in 2017. We also brought training directly to our team, so all could benefit including Crisis Intervention Training specifically tailored to our professional needs. On behalf of all of us at SAS I want to express our gratitude for your support and our commitment to bringing the information, skills and knowledge with us each day that we come to work as we continue to strive for excellence in all we do to serve our community and for the benefit of the animals in our care.

Gratefully yours,
Ann