The importance of the work of the Seattle Animal Shelter can be illustrated by the following anecdote (especially in view of the imminent closing of the King County Animal Shelter).
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A friend who lives in a semi-rural part of the United States recently wrote me that she
"Had had a HUGE scare last week. My husband came home and asked Murray had been here the night before. He said that not far from our house, he had seen a kitty that had been hit by a car, but didn't think it was Murray, as the kitty was gray...He offered to take me to see the kitty. It was on the top of an overpass - we had to drive by and then turn around, so I could see it really well.
As soon as we came upon the kitty, before even turning around -it was marked LIKE Murray - it was black and white - I immediately freaked out and started sobbing...
I went up to the kitty - tears falling and freezing - it [the temperature outside] was in the single digits!! The scene was bad - one eye was bulging out. I didn't bring gloves, so I had to move the kitty with my foot. Although, he was frozen, the blood under him was still very fresh."
If this kitten had been dropped off at a shelter, or found by an animal shelter officer, the tragedy recounted by my friend could have been averted.
Part of the work of the Seattle Animal Shelter is to take abandoned animals living on the street or in the wild to a safe place. These animals are exposed to the elements (rain, wind, hail,snow), hunger, dangers (cars, principally, as well as other predators), must scrounge for and eke out a miserable existence.
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I don't know how many cats, dogs, or other animals are hit, maimed, and/or killed by cars on our streets and highways, but I DO know that they DO have feelings (contentment, fear, sadness, wonder, pride...) and that they DO suffer--in silence and anonymity--terrible pain as a result of such accidents.
And I happen to be one of those people who doesn't believe that animal life is any less important than that of human beings.
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A very good use of public funds, as well as fees charged the public (for licensing, neutering, etc.. No other private shelter in this city has the ability to do (and does) so much. This indeed is a noble cause.
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9/9/2008
First off, I admire anyone who freely give of his or her time to help animals. That said--alas!-- things, in real life, are rarely that simple.
I was first passively, and then, later,discouraged from adopting a cat at the Seattle Animal Shelter because I wrote a critical review of Purrfect Pals, a disreputable cat shelter in Arlington, WA.
Furthermore, I think one's experience at SAS may also depend on the individual(s) one encounters, as the adoption program involves a huge team of volunteers--who change over time--as well as paid staff.
There are a few closed minds--and hearts.
Through sheer persistence, I adopted my first cat here. I tried, in vain, over the next few months to find him a companion, going to SAS adopt-a-thons and staying 2-3 hours.
I was dissuaded from adopting a 5-month year old kitten I had my heart set on adopting and told that one volunteer would help me find another cat. I am not sure she ever looked.
As I could not find another adolescent cat there, I finally had to look elsewhere.
In September of 2008, I found on the SAS site a kitten that I thought of adopting.
A few days after letting them know of my interest, I received an email from a volunteer, Joan Gilman, with whom I had communicated with at length over a 2-month period, in which she stated that she doubted I really wanted another cat (!).
I immediately explained in detail my situation. I waited over a week. Still no reply.
I found it exceptionally rude--as well as irresponsible--to refuse to respond, even if she simply did not think I would be a good match for the cat in question.
Maybe she held it against me that I had not adopted a cat she had matched up with me. Or considers herself a private adoption agency. Or has other issues.
So I wrote another email, desperate to find out what was going on. When she finally did respond, days later, she was gratuitously nasty. The real reason, she admitted, was that Purrfect Pals had made me the boogieman ("he's a miscreant)."
Tribal loyalty ("group think") over individual conscience, I guess.
It is a sobering experience to realize that the person who befriends you and whom you trust is prejudiced and callous: neither above listening to gossip nor interested in getting the facts straight.
In fact, her strenuous advice against my adopting a kitten that was 6 months younger than my first cat turned out to be misguided--and way off the mark--as well. But there was no point in expecting any kind of explanation, much less an apology.
That I had nursed my 19-year-old cat during the last 18 months of his life (8 vet visits, $3,000+) didn't mean a thing. I was still unfit to adopt...
But I don't think that she represents most volunteers. For instance, the woman who fostered the first cat I got from SAS was an "angel."
Unfortunately, I had the most contact with Ms. Gilman, as she took the initiative to voluminously advise me on X, Y, and Z.
In any case, the cat I was interested in was snapped up by someone else.
In retrospect, there had been two other SAS individuals whose attitudes puzzled me. For instance, one senior staff member on two occasions openly belittled specific volunteers in front of me.
He also seemed to be defensive about the shelter (Purrfect Pals) that has been very lax about screening cats--I was the whistle-blower--befo re adopting them out.
Another male staff person, who deals directly with the public, has an obvious chip on his shoulder and and was openly contemptuous of prospective owners.
All the female staff, however, were wonderful--cheerful, kind, and helpful.
Caution: If you surrender a cat here--whatever the reason, this is noted and will likely be held against you in the future.
I can only surmise that some staff here believe that those on fixed incomes, such as seniors, should not adopt cats if they are unlucky enough to unknowingly adopt a sick cat. SAS should make this unambiguous if that is the case.
Unfortunately, for some in the animal rights world, criticism, no matter how justified, is an opportunity to attack the messenger, not the message.
Local animal groups and shelters seem to be connected by incestuous reciprocity.
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The shelter now has a new attractive, open lobby. It is still quite noisy, with both the public and the canines getting pretty worked up, so it may be difficult to make oneself heard in and over the din.
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In any case, the Seattle Animal Shelter has such a broad public mission and harnesses the energies of so many devoted volunteers that it is hard not to be impressed with the organization.
Compared with the other animal shelters, it is certainly one of the better ones. The adoption fees are the most reasonable of any shelter in King County.
For example, adoption of cats over 6 years of age is free for seniors and disabled individuals.
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My cats ARE my--chosen--family, so in the end, it was all worth it.
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8/15/2007
The adoption process for animals in residence at the shelter is fairly straightforward. Weekends are busy.
There are substantial reductions in fees for seniors and disabled people: 50% off the adoption fee for dogs or cats 2 years or older, FREE for those over 6. (Compare to Purrfect Pals: $100).
Coupons for canned, dried, raw food, and litter redeemable at Mud Bay are included, as well as a physical exam at a vet, in the adoption fee, around $85.
Adoption from foster parent program is a bit complicated
Before I was able to visit a cat in foster care, I left several messages for the foster care hot-line. Four days later I had still not received a call back, although they say they return all such calls within 24 hours.
If it happens to you, don't be surprised or too disappointed. They have apparently not been able to work out all the snags involved.
All the volunteers I actually met who work at the shelter were agreeable and helpful. A few of the officers (odd name) are more like "cops." Most are fine, however.
In fact, this was the best animal shelter of the many I had contact with, despite my initial misgivings about it being so "institutional" (a municipal agency, in fact).
A large corps of full-time staff, as well as a vast team of volunteers, handle a variety of tasks.
In fact, it compares very favorably, for example, with Purrfect Pals, a private shelter, where the cats are adopted out as quickly as possible, as long as you sign loads of paperwork.
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No shelter actually is upfront about the fact that whatever vaccinations, flea and worm treatment, etc.have been offered, adopting from any shelter does NOT guarantee a "clean bill of health."
Within a week after adoption, one should take the pet adopted to a veterinary to get a physical examination, which is often included--as is the case here, in the the adoption fee.
But one can return an animal that was sick at the time of adoption to the Shelter with certification from a veterinarian.
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The Seattle Animal Shelter sponsors a pet bereavement drop-in group that meets for 90 minutes at 6:30 every Thursday evening, and I have gone there four or five times.
Each meeting has a different facilitator/voluntee r and allows the usually small group of 4-8 people time to share their experiences and come to terms with the death of a beloved pet. There is no fee, and registration is not required to attend, either.
For that alone, I would be very grateful to the Seattle Animal Shelter.
I was going to volunteer here (they have training sessions every 3-4 months) but the training was rather onerous for someone who only wanted to work with cats, as the first session was entirely devoted to dogs. And then there were several mandatory sessions--with no fixed schedule--and a one-year commitment ...too many hoops to jump through.
And then my 19-year-old cat needed me to care for him at home, anyway...
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It is unfortunate for the cats, as well as the volunteers that work with them, that the felines are housed in an area not that far removed from where the dogs are housed, as the yelping and barking is very loud and CAN be heard clearly, despite the steel doors.
The cats are housed in small--but large enough for them to get up and use the litter box or to eat--metal-bar cages with bar, stacked on top of each other in rows, in two different rooms (one for those with health issues). But they don't really have room to move around.
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Other local pet shelters include:
http://www.seattl...
http://www.paws.o...
http://www.purrfe...
http://www.kingco...
http://www.animal...
http://www.whiske...
http://www.oasisf...
http://kittyharbo...
http://www.meowca...
The only shelter one I would emphatically NOT recommend is Purrfect Pals in Arlington, WA, as I had a terrible experience there in late February 2008. Their cats are put up for adoption in Petcos and Petsmarts throughout the Puget Sound region.
I strongly suspect that to support its mission, Purrfect Pals semi-intentionally misleads potential pet adopters by not being honest about such "details" as real age of a to-be-adopted feline, its vaccine history, etc. It did not bother to explain the "fine print" and instead pushed paperwork. There was no concern for me as a person except as a potential adopter.
The day I adopted my own cat from the SAS, I noted that there was one more cat that was being surrendered back to Purrfect Pals...similar "health issue" snags or just coincidence?
It would be nice if others posted reviews of animal shelters in the area so that others can learn from their experience(s).
Also recommended:
http://www.kingco...
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