Dear Friends,
Animal welfare is invisible in the City of Seattle and we want to change that.
Please join Seattle Animal Watch in submitting a comment calling for animal services to be included in the Environmental Impact Statement for the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan.
Washington State’s Growth Management Act requires cities and counties to periodically update their plans for growth in population and services. The City of Seattle anticipates adding up to 250,000 people in the next decade. This increase will require plans for housing, amenities and public services.
People bring animals. An increase in the human population will directly lead to an increase in the animal population. To date, there is no language in any available public One Seattle document evaluating whether Seattle has enough animal services or employees to address its anticipated growth. It is unclear whether we have enough staffing now.
Please take action today. Join us in letting our local government know that we want this issue addressed in the Environmental Statement that is planned as a next step in the process. Submit your comment here. Please also consider contacting the following to amplify your voice:
all of our nine City Councilmembers;
the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan team directly;
Kiersten Grove, Interim Director, Facilities and Administrative Services; and
Rico Quirindongo, Acting Director, Office of Planning and Community Development.
Below is some language for your comment. You can select from the bullet points below. Personalizing the comment usually makes an even greater impact. Thank you for caring about Seattle’s animals!
SAMPLE COMMENT: (Here are a few talking points for your letter. Cut & paste and/or personalize.)
Please include an evaluation of animal services in the forthcoming Environmental Impact Statement for the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan and include local animal welfare groups in the process.
I am a Seattle resident and I care deeply about the animals in our community. I am concerned that Seattle’s planning for the future does not take into consideration its capacity to care for its current animal population and those animals that will be accompanying projected human population growth. Animals and their human families deserve equal consideration when it comes to the future of our city.
Based on US Census data, the City of Seattle has added an additional 112,022 persons to our population from 2011 to 2021. This translates into 51,322 additional households. If we apply the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) estimate that there are 0.58 companion animals in each household, we see that there have been an additional 29,168 animals that entered Seattle during this time period. An additional 270,000 persons or an estimated 107,000 households could result in an additional 61,099 animals reaching a total of 226,000 animals in the City of Seattle.
Animals are integrated with social issues that affect struggling members of our community. One in four unhoused people is estimated to have animals. Animal cruelty often goes hand in hand with intimate partner violence and the Washington State Supreme Court has ruled that animal cruelty can be a form of domestic violence. Poverty and eviction can lead to animals being surrendered. It is unclear whether the City of Seattle is prepared for this increase in demand for services.
In 2020, the City of Seattle had a cruelty case that involved more than 200 animals in the shelter system for over four months. In 2023, a fire at a doggy day care affected 115 animals. It is unclear whether animal services have the capacity to respond adequately should similar situations occur requiring emergency responses and temporary housing. Increased population leads to a higher likelihood of hoarding and other situations in which animals are seized in high volumes.
Field officers do a great deal more work than the public knows. In 2019, there were 890 cruelty complaints alone and only thirteen field officers. This averaged out to 68 cruelty calls per year per officer. This is not even mentioning the other calls involving loose, dangerous, or dead animals. Field officers also patrol Seattle’s almost five hundred public parks. While the 2023-2024 budget includes two additional offices funded by the Park District Levy, the City is actively discussing adding two new off-leash areas for the post-pandemic pet boom. We don’t know if even fifteen field officers will be enough staff to patrol all this land. The City needs to plan for this.
Care or shelter officers complement the field officers. With more animals in the city, there will be more surrenders and possibly more cruelty case victims. Care officers provide veterinary care, food and water, and enrichment. They interact with volunteers and the public. The officers oversee surrenders and adoptions for a wide variety of dog breeds, cats, small animals, birds and reptiles. They often work directly with customers in need or crisis. To the best of our knowledge, there are only eleven of these care officers.
With the City’s focus on marginalized communities, please provide an outline of how animal services will increase its outreach and public programs, especially those from the spay/neuter clinic. The City must plan on outreach, education, relationship building, and increased services, including citywide campaigns for all populations.
Animal welfare is a serious public issue that affects both animals and people. Once again, please include this assessment in the upcoming Environmental Impact Statement.