At the Seattle Animal Shelter, many animals’ journeys to recovery are a collective effort, made possible by the support of compassionate individuals. One such tale is that of Eartha Kat (EK), a feline survivor, who came to the Seattle Animal Shelter after a traumatic encounter with a vehicle. In her path to healing, the shelter’s dedicated behaviorist – and Stevo the wonder kitten – played a vital role in her rehabilitation.
Eartha Kat arrived at the Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS), displaying signs of distress likely caused by the accident. The impact left her with not only physical injuries but also significant emotional trauma. She exhibited fear and fractious behavior, hissing, swatting, biting, and retreating into her shell. The image below captures her state upon intake—a frightened soul seeking refuge within the confines of her kennel.
The Seattle Animal Shelter’s behaviorist relocated EK to their office to see if living in a more home-like environment would help EK feel more relaxed over time, as many cats show signs of decreased stress when not confined to a kennel. However, this was not the case for EK. Recognizing the delicacy of the situation, the behaviorist devised a comprehensive behavioral plan to address EK’s challenges including her fear of humans, and fear of human handling.
Behavioral Plan: – Direct supervision within the office – Desensitization to human interaction – Pairing with a calm social cat or kitten to offer comfort beyond human touch – Urgent foster solicitation
To pair EK with a calm social cat, fortunately SAS had a single older kitten in the shelter. Enter Stevo the wonder kitten! Stevo seemed to immediately understand his assignment. He located Earth Kat where she was hiding and made himself into a perfect loaf next to her without invading her space.
Stevo eventually helped EK be confident enough to come out of hiding, and soon the pair were spending time comfortably napping on the behaviorist’s desk, supervising the comings and goings of SAS staff and volunteers. It was soon time for SAS’s foster coordinator to enlist a foster home volunteer for her, as EK was feeling much better about humans near her. After a short time in foster, EK was successfully adopted!
The heartwarming transformation of Eartha Kat, from a scared and traumatized feline to a more trusting and content soul, illustrates the invaluable role the shelter’s behaviorist and companionship play in animal rehabilitation, and the foster coordinator’s role in helping pets transition to a foster home from where they can be successfully adopted.
Donations to the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation make the SAS dedicated behaviorist and foster coordinator positions possible, and facilitates these transformative connections. Thank you for being a part of Eartha Kat’s journey and for helping animals in need.
The Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF), in tandem with our sponsors, promotes the love and welfare of animals. Your generous donations have helped SASF support the Seattle Animal Shelter’s programs including foster homes, veterinary care, animal behavior, and more. To honor this, we have three heartwarming success stories: Nutmeg, Maxine, and Lemon Shark!
Beginning with an adorable kitten, Nutmeg, who arrived at Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS) with her four littermates at about ~4.5 weeks old as strays in late September. They were nervous and a bit hissy, but with a little time in foster care, Sagan, the SASF-funded foster coordinator, knew they’d become social kittens. Due to their age and timing, Sagan tagged them for the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation annual gala, Furevermore, and sent them off to foster knowing that they’d be celebrities at the event.
Foster parent, Archana, did an incredible job with this litter of kittens. One month later, it seemed Nutmeg enjoyed being handled by at least a hundred humans at Furevermore! Sweet Nutmeg stole the heart of an attendee, who adopted her on the spot. A couple of days later Nutmeg was spayed and was sent to her forever home! Foster home support in conjunction with adoption or promotion events is one way SASF helps SAS in matching people and pets.
As if that wasn’t heartwarming enough, 11-year-old miniature Schnauzer, Maxine, arrived at Seattle Animal Shelter in May of 2023. While in the shelter, she had a slight cough, but was so lovely that she was adopted before she could be examined by SAS veterinarians. Unfortunately, her new owner took her to a vet who said she had kennel cough, and she was then returned to the shelter.
Upon further investigation, Maxine was diagnosed with a grade IV/VI heart murmur, congestive heart failure, and Cushing’s disease, which caused some urinary incontinence. Surprisingly, these complications didn’t seem to slow her down, and she was known as an energizer bunny around the shelter! Despite Maxine’s energy, these complex medical issues did indicate a shorter lifespan, and the Seattle Animal Shelter vet team was not sure how she would respond to treatment. Maxine required a foster parent to help SAS assess her quality of life, and in June a new foster volunteer, Mary, raised her hand.
Maxine and Mary had a long journey through medication trials, adjustments, and extensive testing which were all made possible by the shelter’s incredible Veterinary Services team. As Maxine’s health issues became more manageable, some new behavior needs started popping up. Maxine exhibited some resource guarding, reactivity, and needed to be re-potty trained after her incontinence was under control. SAS Shelter Behaviorist, Tina Hope, consulted with Mary and helped lay a good foundation for working through these behaviors. Tina also facilitated a referral for Maxine and Mary with one of the shelter’s training partners, Companion Animal Solutions, who provided additional tailored plans for Maxine.
Although Maxine is a beautiful dog and doing well medically and behaviorally, she was having a tough time finding the best family for her! She got lucky in late October, when her perfect adopter came along, and they fell in love. The Seattle Animal Shelter was happy to provide her new home with a multi-month supply of medications and additional training to support Maxine’s transition to her new home. Sometimes it can take several months to ensure a paws-itively perfect match, but it is always worth it!
Our last story is Lemon Shark, a sweet German Shepherd Dog who was surrendered to the shelter after her owners lost their housing. Lemon Shark had experienced generalized anxiety since being hit by a car as a puppy. Lemon Shark came into the Seattle Animal Shelter demonstrating behavior challenges such as barrier reactivity, reactivity on leash, generalized anxiety, and she had previously bitten a human. In the shelter she was highly stressed, and visibly anxious.
Due to these reasons, the Seattle Animal Shelter’s behaviorist, Tina Hope, created a well-rounded plan for Lemon Shark which included behavior medication, desensitization and counterconditioning with treat tosses through her kennel to reduce barrier reactivity, office time to practice calm behavior, loose-leash walking training to reduce pulling and darting on leash, desensitization and counterconditioning to reduce reactivity on leash, and specialized counseling with her future adopter to prevent future bites. After spending some decompression time in the office with Tina, where she enjoyed playing with puzzle toys purchased with SASF grant funding, Lemon Shark showed a better ability to begin learning.
Finally, Lemon Shark was adopted, with her new family continuing her training at home. When the Seattle Animal Shelter followed up with them, they reported that, “Our biggest progress has been with working on “look at me” and making eye contact to try to keep the communication open when we encounter difficult distractions like new people or other dogs. She is so intelligent, and I can safely say that I have fallen head over heels in love with her!” With Lemon Shark’s training through SAS’s behaviorist and wonderful volunteers, she was able to find her best friends fur-ever.
The amazing accomplishments of Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation are a direct result of the love for animals that we share with our donors! With the generous donations we receive, we provide life-changing resources to the animals at Seattle Animal Shelter. Success stories are only made possible with contributions from our readers and supporters. Please click here if you are interested in supporting the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation!
As the busy holiday season approaches and we start prepping for presents, get-togethers, and festive traditions, it’s also important to look to those in need. Many animals in our community are relying on our help to receive behavior and medical care and find their forever homes. Consider adding the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF) to your gift giving list this season to support our vital work with animals – animals like Rio.
Rio, a small yellow canary, came into the shelter displaying several behaviors in a repetitive fashion. The Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS) Behaviorist Tina provided Rio with some options to begin practicing alternate behaviors to break up her repetitive behaviors. She started by moving Rio to her office so that she could observe her throughout the day and track how often Rio was performing these behaviors.
Tina found that Rio spent almost all her waking hours stuck in a loop. Fly to water, dip head in water, fly to perch, rub head and beak on perch, fly to second perch, rub beak and head on perch, fly to food bowl, pick up and drop food without ingestion, repeat.
Tina explains that many people might not think that these subtle behaviors are concerning, often because our experience with birds is restricted to captive birds. We may not understand the scope of their natural behaviors because we have altered their environment.
Ultimately Tina concluded that Rio was trying to cope. She was likely experiencing social pain from not having other conspecifics around. Mirrors can be helpful to some bird species and individuals (not all), but in Rio’s case it made all the difference. By altering her environment (her birdcage) to include daily novel toys, a mirror, and playing canary songs for her, SAS was able to see a reduction in the frequency of these repetitive behaviors within just a few days. Rio was much happier!
Thanks to Tina’s dedication and SAS resources, Rio was adopted and is now called Bi Bi.
Please consider giving a gift online at https://www.seattleanimalshelterfoundation.org/how-to-help/donate/ and give an animal like Rio a new chance at life. With your support, Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation can continue to fund ongoing and new programs at Seattle Animal Shelter to rescue, heal, and adopt out animals in need.
Some dogs have more challenges to overcome than others. Meet Rocco. Not only was he born a black Pit Bull mix, but his life circumstances led him on a challenging journey including landing at the Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS) twice. Initially arriving as a stray in late 2022, he was unfortunately returned in 2023 due to landlord restrictions forcing his adopter to give him up.
Back at the shelter, Rocco was overwhelmed. Cowering in his kennel, quiet and still, he gave visitors a nervous stare and required experience handling to be taken out for the daily walks provided to all dogs at the shelter.
Shelter staff doesn’t give up easily and had Hope and a plan for Rocco. That’s hope with a capital H, as in Tina Hope, the SAS Behaviorist! A staff position made possible by generous donations to the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF). Over the next two and a half months, Tina and team worked tirelessly to ease Rocco’s sensitivities and reactivity, providing him with relaxing moments in the outside dog corral (construction funded by SASF) and in staff offices.
As Rocco’s behavior improved, Tina coordinated with the SAS’s Foster Program Coordinator Sagan (another position funded entirely by SASF donations), to expand their foster home recruitment outreach to more volunteers. They found a match! Megan, a regular SAS dog walking volunteer, offered Rocco a short-term foster home.
Once home with Megan, Rocco’s transformation was remarkable. Megan shared updates of Rocco’s calm demeanor, playful antics, and his newfound love for cuddles. Despite his past challenges, Rocco’s stress melted away in foster care, and he seamlessly adapted to Megan’s active lifestyle.
Megan continued to be supported by SASF-funded resources and classes, addressing Rocco’s reactivity, and turning their morning hikes into a delightful routine. Short-term turned into long-term, and finally Megan decided she couldn’t bear to part with Rocco and adopted him!
She sent a lovely card to SAS to celebrate the good news:
Rocco’s incredible journey highlights the transformative impact of love, patience, and dedicated support – made possible by your donations to SASF and the wonderful team of staff and volunteers at the Seattle Animal Shelter.
Now is the perfect time to make a meaningful impact and support Seattle’s animals in need. By donating to a 501c3 nonprofit like the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation before year’s end, you not only help create positive change for pets like Rocco, but you may benefit from a tax deduction when filing your 2023 taxes. Thank you for your support!
Giving Tuesday is coming up and Seattle’s animals would appreciate having your support this year! For those who may not know, Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving or generosity, and in 2023, Giving Tuesday falls on November 28th. Giving Tuesday is an opportunity for us all to consider how we can help support the causes we care about—and here at the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF), we want to utilize this important day to promote animal welfare and care!
This year, our goal is to raise at least $5,000— and the first $2,500 donated will be matched by generous supporters!
Your donation helps pets like Pandora. Pandora was rescued by the Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS) with her three tiny kittens from under a highway. Sadly, her babies were incredibly sick. They tested positive for Feline Panleukopenia, a highly contagious virus that is so often deadly to young and immune compromised animals. With such severe symptoms and little to no chance of surviving, to alleviate their suffering, SAS veterinary staff made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize the kittens.
Pandora when she first came in to the shelter
Pandora needed an immediate foster home to keep her quarantined away from other cats and to improve her chances of staying healthy. An amazing volunteer, Heidi, graciously took her as a foster. With close counseling from SAS’s Foster Program Coordinator (a position made possible by donations to SASF), the SAS Behaviorist (another position funded thanks to SASF donations), and the dedicated cat foster lead volunteer, Heidi supported Pandora and helped her affectionate nature shine through.
Pandora, after some time in foster
Pandora was then listed on the SAS website and found an adopter! All the behavior notes and strategies were shared with the adopters to help her succeed in her new home. Soon, Pandora was choosing to be on the bed with her new kitty sibling. Quite a collaborative adoption success story!
Pandora settling into her new home
On this Giving Tuesday, please consider being one of our matching donors so we can meet our $5,000 goal and can continue to create animal success stories like Pandora’s. We appreciate any level of support!
Shelter teams pull together to see through the hardest cases
The Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation strives to support each animal that comes into the shelter by funding programs above what the city can provide, whether it be behavioral, medical or environmental. The Foundation’s support helps the most in-need animals receive the care and nurturing they need in order to live their most fulfilling lives and be surrounded by love! We are happy to share these updates on animals that came through the shelter in 2023, overcame challenges thanks to the amazing team at the Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS), and graduated to their forever homes.
Moon
Moon afterMoon before
Sweet Moon came into the shelter as a stray with a challenging medical issue that was making her very self-conscious. She was dealing with incontinence, which had soaked her fur and created a situation where she didn’t want to eat or go for walks, or meet new people.
The SAS team started by spending time with Moon to better assess her needs. She had office time with SAS staff behaviorist Tina, and it became apparent that Moon needed medical and emotional support. Her physical needs were immediately addressed by getting her medication for her incontinence and a full grooming session. Getting all 80 pounds of her into the tub was not easy but she was a trooper! She was very patient and even happily accepted the not-so-great hairstyle she left with. Moon also needed surgery to remove mammary masses and get spayed, so after that was completed the team gave her space to relax by sending her home with Tina for support and to build trust in new people.
This girl was a quick learner and after just a few days with Tina she was feeling much more confident and ready to move to a new adoptive home. To make sure the transition was smooth, Tina spoke with the adopters directly about Moon’s needs and the new family’s animals. They had been wanting to adopt a husky for some time, but many facilities will not allow huskies to go to homes with cats. Thankfully, Moon had spent time with dog-savvy cats in Tina’s home and was more than prepared for this new environment.
Moon seamlessly found her place in her new family, and is even respecting her new feline sibling.
Harbor
Harbor had a tumultuous and confusing introduction to the shelter. He had been lost with his sister and found shelter in a stranger’s yard. The kind people who found him called Seattle Animal Shelter and Harbor was able to be safely contained until the shelter arrived, but tragically his sister ran away in fear, leaving him isolated from his support system.
When Harbor arrived at the shelter, behaviorist Tina noted he was fearful of humans and the environment, and he was placed in the quieter wing of kennels and put on a plan that included office time for desensitization and dog play sessions to build his confidence.
He learned fairly quickly that shelter staff were kind and Tina continued to help him make progress by introducing him to Millie, another SAS dog. Millie accepted her role as auntie with patience and grace, helping Harbor learn to walk on a leash without pancaking and engaging in fun playtime with him.
Soon thereafter, Harbor moved into a foster-to-adopt home. While this new environment was a much better fit for him, Harbor had a hard time being left alone. This separation anxiety was concerning to his new parents, who weren’t sure whether they were equipped to handle the challenge. But SASF was able to support them with a grant-funded trainer, and with the tools they needed his new family was able to move forward with adopting Harbor … now Dempsey!
Diego
Diego returned to the shelter after a challenging misunderstanding. He had bitten his owner but behaviorist Tina suggested the situation had likely arisen from misreading of body language, handling sensitivities, and fear. Shelter staff discussed the situation, saw Diego’s potential and committed to making this boy available for adoption again.
When Tina met with the pup she found him to be quite a “silly, bouncy boy” and renamed him Diego Maradona, after the much-beloved Argentinian soccer player. She considered how to make accommodations for him so that he could engage in activities safely and while learning new skills.
Diego was fit with a harness that would make it easier for walkers to clip a leash on him without getting their hands near his head or neck, and he took part in playgroups to help maintain his social skills. The team of staff and volunteers worked together on improving Diego’s foot-mouthing behavior on walks by clicking for calm and/or redirecting him to a toy.
Diego made such progress that he was adopted in February into a new family. He is living his best life now, a happy boy and with lots of room to run.
Zissou
Zissou came to the shelter during what was probably the hardest time of her life. This pup had been hit by a car and her leg was broken in multiple places, leading to amputation of the limb. Zissou came to foster to give her time to heal.
This little girl’s challenges were layered: She was fearful of new people and also terrified of cars because of the traumatic incident she had survived. So the team decided to take it slowly and help her build confidence and trust with people while she recovered, and then work with her on her fear of cars.
Zissou’s plan focused on mental enrichment while she was healing, and then desensitization and counterconditioning. She demonstrated a severe fear of cars, so Tina adjusted their walk times/routes to times with fewer cars around, and began helping Zissou learn that someone would help keep her safe. Tina also worked with Zissou on being in public places, where there was plenty of room for her to be around humans without needing to interact with them.
All of Zissou’s hard work paid off when she was adopted into her forever family and went home with a little chihuahua mix brother who is helping her continue to build confidence and face the world’s challenge
Marble Cake
Marble Cake beforeMarble Cake after
Miss Marble Cake, a senior American bulldog, was a ball of stress when she was found in an alley, scared and confused. She came to the shelter more sour than sweet, showing fear-based aggressive behaviors like avoiding, growling and barking.
The team saw an opportunity to work with Marble Cake to reveal her true personality through behavioral intervention. She was able to broaden her social circle and spent time in offices for additional support and love. Soon enough this little gal was notorious for her hippity hoppity happy dance!
Marble Cake’s transformation had her adopted soon thereafter, but it wasn’t quite a perfect fit. Her new home was in a high-rise in a busy area of the city, and she was fearful of leaving the apartment. The team provided support and training recommendations but ultimately the adopter and SAS decided it was too much to ask of Marble Cake to continue to live in a situation that was so stressful for her. Sometimes the kindest thing for these pups is recognize that an environmental change is ultimately what they need.
And for Marble Cake, that ended up being the best decision ever, as it led to her meeting her true forever family. Marble Cake is now Myrtle, and thriving in her new home and enjoying many adventures in the water, far from the bustle of city life.
In recent years, the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation has been able to fund the expansion of the behavior program and the ongoing success of the medical program. These programs are foundational to the success of animals leaving care and has a profound impact on their overall wellbeing.
Today, Lachy is healthy, and you’d never guess what happened! Unfortunately, Lachy fell out of a four-story window. Although he survived the fall, that was the beginning of his recovery period. He was diagnosed with pneumothorax (air in his chest), multiple rib and pelvic fractures, and he was non-weight bearing in one of his hind limbs. After time at the vet, he was transported to the Seattle Animal Shelter a few days after his accident.
Senior veterinarian at the Seattle Animal Shelter, Dr. Watlington, was able to provide us with more details of Lachy’s medical condition. When he arrived at the shelter, he was very sweet and easy to handle. His pelvic fractures were non-surgical. He was put on exercise restriction and pain medication to help manage his discomfort. The shelter’s behaviorist, Tina, did a wonderful job identifying his enrichment needs. Lachy is a Belgian Malinois, a very high-energy breed, so he needed a bit more stimulation in his kennel since he wasn’t going on long walks or able to play. Being confined was a tough situation for this active boy. On top of being active, his foster parent said, “He’s driven, smart, affectionate with his people, guards the house, good with other dogs. He picks things up super-fast…Things like advanced obedience, agility, nose work etc.” After some time, Lachy was sent to a veterinary rehabilitation facility for a consultation, and it was concluded that his pelvic fractures were healing very well. He was able to move to a foster home to continue his healing in a more peaceful environment for about two months.
Since Lachy is a breed that is both active and smart, his foster family mentioned, “He’s a really good dog for someone that wants and knows how to work with driven guarding and working breeds. If I was able to fully have the choice, he would not go to first time dog owners or to someone that lives in an apartment downtown or someone that wants a “normal house” dog.” Belgian Malinois are known for being highly obedient and protective, which means Lachy needs extra room for activities!
While in foster, his foster parents did only on-leash activity for a month with slowly increased walk time. As activity increased, Lachy’s foster family started to explore more of his interests, “I learned today that he LOVES water, from a kiddie pool in our yard. He’d be the best hiking and alpine lake swimming buddy!”
Luckily, this good boy was adopted last week and has gone to a loving home. We are proud of our animal success stories here at the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation, and we owe a lot of thanks to our amazing sponsors for making these types of stories possible!
For most dogs, going into a shelter is an overwhelming experience. There’s noise, strange smells and a lot of uncertainty. And these feelings were magnified exponentially for little Tarsier, a mini-Aussie/retriever mix.
After being found on the streets of Capitol Hill and brought to Seattle Animal Shelter, Tarsier was immediately identified as a pup in need of additional support. She was placed in Shelter Behaviorist Tina Hope’s office to get one-on-one attention as well as a little peace. Tina spent the day with Tarsier trying to socialize her a bit, but she still wasn’t eating well or engaging with toys.
An urgent call for foster ended up with Tarsier going home with shelter staff member Jeff. Once there, Tarsier was still showing a lot of fear, specifically hesitancy around going outside. Tina worked diligently with Jeff to manage this behavior with a specific plan suited for his environment, with clear goals and steps on what to do.
“Bringing home Tarsier was an invaluable experience in demonstrating how we can help facilitate the space for agency in fearful dogs,” Jeff said. “With the help of Tina’s multi-step plan, we were able to have Tarsier be able to choose to go outside on her terms rather than carrying her outside, which could increase long lasting anxiety or stress by removing her agency.”
Tarsier wasn’t in foster for long. This darling girl with soulful eyes caught the attention of Kim Bryan of Edmonds, who was visiting the shelter with her 13-year-old son to see if they could find a good companion for their current shepherd mix, Finn.
“We just had this feeling, because we had Finn and we knew his temperament, that she might do better having a dog friend,” Kim said. “We knew any adopted dog who has gone through trauma would have challenges, but we were OK with that.”
For Tarsier (now Olive), it was bonding at first sight.
“Finn was so relaxed when he first met Olive that when she first spotted him she immediately perked up. She was still scared, but immediately started watching him and following him. The first ‘puppyness’ we saw was when she met our dog.”
It was an obvious decision that Olive would go home with them. Kim got a lot of support from shelter staff around Olive’s needs.
“They were great, Jeff in particular. He let us know what he’d been working on with her, which was promoting puppy behaviors. Oftentimes people are trying to get their puppies to mature, but if she jumped for joy or spun around, he would praise her for that. That was good for us to know. In our two meetings with Olive before adoption, shelter staff allowed us as much time as Olive needed. They sat on the floor with us, helped us introduce our dog Finn to Olive in a safe, drama-free way, and let us know how to best interact with Olive, who was very, very cautious at first. It feels like the shelter staff get to the core of what’s going on with each dog quite quickly: Olive was only there five or six days and they already understood her really well.”
“On that very first day she would go up to the door and stop, but she kept watching Finn go in and out. I swear he told her, ‘It’s fine.’ By the end of the day she was going out on her own, following along behind Finn.”
And now, two months later, Olive is living her best life. She loves playing with water, and especially playing with Finn.
When Kim brought Olive home she had a gradual introduction planned, but Olive had other ideas.
“They wrestle, play tug of war, they race. She’s very confident in saying, ‘You’re going to play with me now.’ They are very bonded.”
When the family visits their Anderson Island cabin, now Olive comes along, too. Her earlier caution has given way to a huge curiosity. Her current fascination is standing for long moments in the yard, watching the island deer.
“It’s quite remarkable,” Kim says, “because she was literally afraid of the outdoors, and now she’s the first one out the door.”
The Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation funds many shelter programs, including the Behavior Program. To learn more about the Behavior Program click here, or follow this link for information on how to donate.
Beluga is adorable, big and white, just like her namesake whales. And these days, she is sociable and super friendly. But it took time and lots of loving encouragement for her to show it.
Found on the streets of Magnolia, Beluga was afraid, confused and defensive when she was secured by animal control. In her kennel, she was too scared to eat and reacting vocally, so it was time for a behavioral intervention.
“The first time I interacted with Beluga she was huddled at the back of her kennel, trembling, tail tucked fully under, barking and growling,” said Seattle Animal Shelter behaviorist Tina Hope. “I spent time getting her used to my presence tossing treats until I found what she liked most. I was able to get her leashed up and she tentatively followed me out of the kennels. I brought Beluga to my office to spend time out of her kennel and to provide some enrichment for her.”
In Tina’s office, Beluga enjoyed human company, treats and toys. Time in an office can help a dog suffering from fear-related reactivity in the kennels and can help fearful dogs in general with getting to know and trust new people.
Knowing what type of interventions to apply in which situations is a huge benefit of the behavior program. Supporting work like this is a central piece of the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation’s mission, which is able to fund elements of shelter programs like toys, supplies and even staff. Which Beluga showed strong appreciation for.
“After a few days of office time and calming enrichment with me Beluga was interrupting my meetings regularly to give me kisses,” Tina said.
After Beluga got more comfortable in this environment, Tina began working with the Animal Care staff on how to interact with Beluga. She emphasized making sure Beluga felt safe and always giving her plenty of space, in addition to lots of treats! Soon, Beluga’s social circle got even bigger and she was enjoying outside time in the shelter and beyond.
Beluga continued to learn and grow in the shelter for three months, until her forever dad showed up and it was love at first sight. Beluga’s new owner got ongoing support from Tina to set them both up for success in their new relationship and home.
And based on the pictures, it looks like Beluga is living her best life, right at home on the water. Just like her namesake.
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The Seattle Animal Shelter behavior program receives funds from the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation, which helps support cases like Beluga’s. Watch this video to learn more about the Behavior Program and animals that the volunteers and staff have helped.
The Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF) strives to support each animal that comes into the Seattle Animal Shelter by funding programs above what the city can provide, whether it be behavioral, medical or environmental. SASF’s support helps the most in-need animals receive the care and nurturing they need in order to live their most fulfilling lives and be surrounded by love! We are happy to share these updates on animals that came through the shelter in 2022, overcame challenges thanks to the amazing Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS) team, and moved on to their forever homes.
Zip the Cat
Little Zip lost his namesake for a while. When he came to the shelter at 5 years old he had a prolapsed rectum that was inhibiting his zest for life. He came in very fearful and not comfortable with people. Seeing that, the behavior team and cat volunteers spent time getting to know Zip and bringing out his personality, and getting him used to being around people.
Zip!
Thankfully, a simple “purse string” surgery from the Seattle Animal Shelter vet team fixed him up and he moved right into foster. His foster parents continued to work on his socialization, and when he was ready he was able to find his forever home! His adoptive family named him Charlie and he is thriving with lots of love around him.
Toast
Sweet Toast was struggling to pop out of her shell when she came into the shelter. This beautiful gray-and-white cat came to the shelter very shut down and displaying avoidant behaviors, making it hard for anyone to really get to know her.
The SAS team stepped up to help Toast by spending time with her to get her comfortable enough to sniff around a bit and feel more at ease around people. She was adopted but it wasn’t successful, leaving Toast reverting to her old behaviors. The vet team evaluated her and decided medications might help, she was moved to a roaming room, and together those changes brought Toast to a new level of happiness.
Toast is now in a loving home with people who are thrilled to have her as part of the family.
Bubba
Bubba was in a tough place when he came to the shelter. This sweet but overwhelmed Shih Tzu was non-responsive, wedged with his face in the back corner of his kennel, and he refused to eat or drink. Because of his serious stress, he was moved to foster for more holistic support.
After spending time in a foster home environement, Bubba’s personality re-emerged and he started eating and dogging again! His foster-to-adopt mom, Laura, took advantage of the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation’s offer for Ahimsa training (funded by a behavior grant) and says it’s been so helpful! We are confident that Bubba has a bright future ahead of him.
Rubiana
This pretty pitty struggled with trust when she came to the shelter, and that created an ongoing challenge for her. As the longest in-shelter dog available for adoption, Rubiana needed some help.
Thankfully, the SAS team only saw potential in her. Rubiana spent some time in the spay/neuter office to overcome her stranger reactivity, and though she took a little while to warm up she was soon a wiggly happy girl! From there Rubiana kept expanding her “circle of trust” by spending time with volunteers, and from there Rubiana’s world just continued to open up. She was soon added to the Dog Behavior Team’s roster for ongoing support.
And to no one’s surprise, this shining little gem found her forever home and is doing amazing.
Mei
Mei’s journey with the shelter started at a pretty dark time for her. This darling girl was picked up by field officers on a warm day in October with a mesh muzzle on, limiting her ability to pant and drink.
When she got to the shelter she was shut down and growly in her kennel, which might have been partly due to the massive bladder stones the vet team found. After removing them, the SAS team kenneled Mei in a doctor’s office to help work on her reactivity to people. The SAS behavior team worked with her five days a week and SAS Animal Care Officers supported her the other two.
Gradually her reactivity subsided, so the next step was to give her the opportunity to be adopted. She soon had a meet-and-greet with a potential adopter who already had a dog. But it was meant to be for Mei. The two pups hit it off and the adopter understood Mei’s need for space and time to come around.
Mei is now living her happiest life out on an island, accompanying her new mom daily for walks on the beach.
A total of 750 animals were supported by the Seattle Animal Shelter Behavior Team in 2022. In recent years, the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation has been able to fund the expansion of the program, including hiring a full-time behaviorist and working with animals other than dogs. The program is foundational to the success of animals leaving care and has a profound impact on their overall wellbeing.
The longevity of the Behavior Program and other shelter endeavors is dependent on the generosity of donors like you. If you are interested in donating, please visit https://seattleanimalshelterfoundation.org/donate-today.
