Our Work | Seattle Animal Watch

Title 9 of the Seattle Municipal Code - Time for an Overhaul!

seattleanimalwatch

Oct 23, 20231 min read

Title 9 of the Seattle Municipal Code - Time for an Overhaul!

Much of the law covering animals in Seattle is 40 years old - or older. Our city embraces its furry family members - there are more...

Spotlight on Animal Welfare in Seattle: New Off-Leash Areas Planning Raises Concerns

seattleanimalwatch

Oct 7, 20238 min read

Spotlight on Animal Welfare in Seattle: New Off-Leash Areas Planning Raises Concerns

By Jenn Scott Seattle Animal Watch believes that the City of Seattle needs integrated and comprehensive animal welfare planning. Animal...

SAW IN ACTION: Exposing the Link Between Animal Cruelty and Domestic Violence

seattleanimalwatch

Sep 29, 20233 min read

SAW IN ACTION: Exposing the Link Between Animal Cruelty and Domestic Violence

This past Sunday, Seattle Animal Watch participated in the Domestic Violence Sunday service at the Magnolia United Church of Christ by...

seattleanimalwatch

Sep 28, 20232 min read

Data Bites - September 2023

For this month’s Data Bites, we are going to explore a public dataset that we learned about during a recent public disclosure request...

Anatomy of a Criminal Trial: Part 2 - Federal vs State Laws

seattleanimalwatch

Sep 27, 20233 min read

Anatomy of a Criminal Trial: Part 2 - Federal vs State Laws

When Federal and State Laws Collide We continue with our legal education series. Part 2 discusses a court case in which questions about...

seattleanimalwatch

Sep 22, 20232 min read

Animal Crime 101

What happens when a crime against an animal is committed? A person that harms or neglects an animal has committed a crime in Washington...

seattleanimalwatch

Aug 27, 20232 min read

Data Bites - August 2023

CITY ATTORNEY DATA SHOWS SEATTLE PRIORITIES Majority of City Attorney Animal Cruelty Referrals Are Off-Leash Related Animal Cruelty and...

The Plight of the Red-Eared Slider: Invasive or Not?

seattleanimalwatch

Aug 12, 20232 min read

The Plight of the Red-Eared Slider: Invasive or Not?

Red-Eared Sliders (RES), scientific name Trachemys Scripta Elegans, are an aquatic turtle species sold as companion animals in Washington...

Unexplored Territory: Relationship Between Intimate Partner Violence, Children and Companion Animals

seattleanimalwatch

Aug 4, 20233 min read

Unexplored Territory: Relationship Between Intimate Partner Violence, Children and Companion Animals

The effects of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) on children’s behavior towards animals require a great deal more research. A major...

seattleanimalwatch

Jul 28, 20232 min read

Data Bites - July 2023

Corrections: The July Data Bytes had two errors that we have corrected below. The first error was due to duplicate 2020 Seattle Animal...

What’s Happening with Animals in Seattle?

seattleanimalwatch

Jul 26, 20233 min read

What’s Happening with Animals in Seattle?

It’s often difficult to find out what’s happening with animals in Seattle. Media coverage is inconsistent at best and there is no...

Companion Animals are Personal Property - What’s Wrong With That?

seattleanimalwatch

Jul 19, 20231 min read

Companion Animals are Personal Property - What’s Wrong With That?

One of the overarching difficulties with prosecuting animal abusers is that the weight of the crimes never seems to match the frequently ...

seattleanimalwatch

Jun 26, 20232 min read

Data Bites - June 2023

Last month we brought you cruelty complaints statistics. Cruelty complaints are the result of members of the public contacting the...

Anatomy of a Criminal Trial: Part 1 - a Primer

seattleanimalwatch

Jun 25, 20233 min read

Anatomy of a Criminal Trial: Part 1 - a Primer

This is the first in a series of articles written to educate citizens and activists about the role of the legal system in addressing...

seattleanimalwatch

Jun 23, 20234 min read

Case Study: State v. Givens

Seattle Animal Watch believes that animal cruelty is an invisible issue in our communities. Part of the reason is that there is...

seattleanimalwatch

May 30, 20232 min read

Data Bites - May 2023

This month’s Data Bites shows that while the pandemic resulted in a sharp decrease in animal cruelty complaints, they are now on the...

WA State Addresses the Financial Cost of Animal Abuse

seattleanimalwatch

May 22, 20233 min read

WA State Addresses the Financial Cost of Animal Abuse

How Does It Compare to Seattle? The quick take: Washington State Governor Inslee signed substitute House Bill 1234 on May 4, 2023. The...

seattleanimalwatch

Apr 29, 20236 min read

Dog Fighting

Dog fighting is an underground blood sport where dogs who have been bred, conditioned and trained to fight are pitted against each other...

Public Disclosure Requests (PDRs) - Frequently Asked Questions

seattleanimalwatch

Apr 24, 20231 min read

Public Disclosure Requests (PDRs) - Frequently Asked Questions

Public disclosure requests, or PDRs, are a crucial tool for citizens and activists. PDRs give citizens the power to request information,...

seattleanimalwatch

Apr 18, 20233 min read

Case Study: State v. Abdi-Issa

Warning: Violence against a companion animal is discussed Question presented: Does the definition of "domestic violence" include "animal...