Seattle is a major metropolitan city that claims to be one of the most progressive in the nation; however, the reality is that Seattle is a selectively progressive city. It only invests in certain areas while it ignores others, leaving them to languish in decidedly unprogressive conditions. This is the current state of animal welfare and services planning in Seattle and it must change.
Seattle Animal Watch (SAW) is an all-volunteer organization. It was formed to fill a gap in animal welfare work in the City of Seattle. Using research, data analysis, and interviews, we have constructed an overall picture of animal welfare and services in Seattle. As the City of Seattle prepares for significant population growth over the next few years, we identified that our local leaders and elected officials are not conducting animal services planning as they should be. In fact, they don’t seem to be aware that it is even needed.
That’s a big problem. Here’s why.
We’ve Got a Lot of Animals and More Are Coming
Using population estimates from the Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) and the US Census, along with companion animal multipliers from the American Veterinary Medical Association, we estimate that there are about 390,265 dogs, cats, and birds currently in our city. Taking into account that OFM estimates about 779,200 people in Seattle as of April 2023, this means the combined dog, cat, and bird population is about fifty percent of the human population!1 2 3 If we project out to 2040 and the anticipated growth in Seattle households4, the dog, cat, and bird population rises to almost half a million.
It is important to note that these numbers only apply to dogs, cats, and birds that belong to a household. They do not include other companion animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, reptiles, and other exotics, nor do they include urban wildlife, strays, or feral/community cats.
These Animals Are Everywhere
Most of Seattle’s leaders and citizens don’t realize the scope of animal welfare issues and their intersection with human welfare because few talk about it. Nevertheless, the most pressing social issues in the city impacts animals and the City needs to integrate them into its growth strategies. An increased animal population will lead to an increased demand for animal services. An absence of planning to increase services is worrisome because it is unlikely that the current level of services meets today’s demand.
Below are examples showing how animal issues and human issues intertwine in Seattle.
Housing. Animal shelters across the country are being inundated with animals surrendered as a result of housing challenges. This ties directly to the ongoing housing crisis in the City of Seattle. A review of Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS) intake data for owner/guardian surrenders from 2016 to 2022 shows that the top ten reasons for voluntarily surrendering an animal include landlord issues and moving.5
Homelessness. The King County Housing Authority’s 2020 Count Us in Report estimated that there were 8,166 sheltered and unsheltered homeless people in Seattle. It is difficult to determine how many of them have companion animals as national estimates range from a low of 5 percent to as high as 25 percent. There are unhoused people who will not go to shelters because they would have to leave their animal behind. They may refuse treatment programs because they cannot find a foster home for their animal. They may be unable to look for jobs as they have no safe place to leave their animals while at work. 6 7 8 9 However, few Seattle homeless shelters allow animals, leaving homeless owners to either stay outdoors or seek temporary animal foster care which is exceedingly hard to find.
Domestic Violence. Domestic violence and animal cruelty are unquestionably linked. This fact was recently emphasized by a Washington Supreme Court case from 2021 that established animal cruelty to be a form of domestic violence. It is well-known and documented that abusers will threaten a victim’s animals to gain power over them and many victims will not flee a home for fear that their animal will be hurt. Few domestic violence shelters accept animals and, as with the homeless, this creates anxiety as the victim tries to find a safe haven for their animals. 10
Public Safety. Animal cruelty can be an indicator of future violent behavior. It is also an indicator of current violent and criminal behavior. Seattle’s City Attorney’s Office has a Family and Animal Enforcement Cruelty Team (FACET) that has identified strong correlations between animal abuse, domestic violence, and use of weapons.11 Unfortunately, current law enforcement issues have affected animal cruelty responses. Based on the limited data available, Seattle Police response times for animal cruelty support calls are three times as long as those for other calls.12
Economic Inequality. Animals can be expensive, particularly veterinary costs, and it is especially a challenge for the low-income and homeless. This issue is increasingly recognized by veterinarians and animal services providers. Groups such as the Doney-Coe Pet Clinic and Seattle Veterinary Outreach provide low-cost veterinary services. The Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS) has a low-cost spay and neuter clinic for those with qualifying incomes.13 However, it is unclear whether these efforts are adequately fulfilling the public’s needs as no analysis of the demand level is currently available.
Citywide Emergencies. What are SAS’s plans for an emergency? “Emergency” can encompass a range of situations from the extreme (this city is in an earthquake zone) to the localized (Seattle has had two animal daycare fires involving dozens of dogs in 2023)14. To date, large numbers of animals from cruelty cases have been absorbed into the shelter’s foster care system, but what would happen if this foster care system is incapacitated as well? As for public health, there was a rabies scare in Nebraska that showed the widespread impact this admittedly rare occurrence can still have.15 The rabies procedures in place in the Seattle Municipal Code are from 1952!16
Off-Leash Areas. The City of Seattle has been undergoing a process of adding more off-leash areas (OLAs) following an Off Leash Expansion Study conducted during the summer of 2023.17 There are multiple issues here. Off-leash areas are important to the mental wellbeing of both dogs and their humans. According to extensive analysis by citizen groups, there does not appear to be enough off-leash space compared to similar cities and involved citizen groups say that this will be true even with the addition of new OLAs. There are also concerns that they are not distributed equitably. Citizen groups have also raised concerns about adequate maintenance of existing parks.
Urban Wildlife. Discussions about animals should include urban wildlife whose urban habitat is already under threat from increased housing development. Should there be more new parks ? As it stands, there are a great deal of resources dedicated to non-OLA parks as SAS field officers must patrol parks and a large proportion of the City Attorney’s animal-related work involves citations for loose dogs.
Who’s In Charge Anyway?
Seattle’s animal services are currently concentrated in the Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS). SAS is a municipal shelter that is part of the Seattle Department of Finance and Administrative Services (FAS). It is not a nonprofit. SAS has a total of 45 positions, some of which are vacant, others of which are temporary positions. This number includes only 15 field enforcement positions and 9 animal care positions for the entire city.
In addition, SAS has only about 40 kennels for dogs. Let’s put this in perspective. SAS data shows that 1,032 dogs entered the shelter system in 2022, of which 26 were dead on arrival. This is an average of 2.75 live dogs arriving per day. The SAS foster care program and transfers to private rescues absorb many animals, but shelter transfers have decreased significantly due to an influx of surrenders in many organizations since the pandemic. Everyone is struggling due to a lack of space. 18
SAS’s biennial budget decreased from 2021-2022 to 2023-202419, with an expectation that donations would at least partially fill in the gaps. These donations primarily come from the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation and the public. There are occasional grants such as the recent $10,000 grant from Maddie’s Fund for outreach.20 But this funding must not be enough. SAS recently held a Halloween fundraiser because they ran out of dog treats.21
SAS must share its field officers and city attorney resources with the Seattle Parks department, evident in data showing the high number of park patrols and civil citations for loose dogs.22 (in fact, the Parks Levy funds at least two of the positions.) At the same time, SAS is struggling with the inability to transfer animals to other shelters due to a massive nationwide surrender of animals.23
Animal care experiences high staff turnover rates and unpredictable volunteer engagement. SAS's foster and behavior programs were recently evaluated by consultants, with some recommendations persisting from similar consultancy reviews in 201524 25. Both address the following:
inadequate staffing
need for better policies/procedures and for them to be communicated
staff and volunteer safety around aggressive animals
expanded community outreach programs
better record keeping
We want to make clear, however, that SAS is not the problem. It is merely an outcome of the City’s lack of support and understanding of animal issues.
Is There Any Planning At All?
The Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS) says that it is currently developing a two-year roadmap,226 but it is not the primary decision-maker in the City. While SAS leadership manages internal operations, it does not determine its own funding; the Mayor and the City Council do. There is the Seattle Municipal Code (SMC) Title 9 governing animals, but it is woefully outdated with the Seattle Animal Shelter’s Director still referred to as a “pound master” in the very first section.27 Even at the haphazard times when it is updated, there is no advance notice to citizens and certainly no input from the many animal advocates and professionals in the city. A long overdue update would open the door to citizen involvement and understanding of the complexities and interconnections of animal welfare with human welfare.
Seattle is currently in the process of updating its comprehensive plan to address increased population growth. The One Seattle Comprehensive Plan addresses housing, homelessness, parks, transit and other services. However, animal services are not included in this plan. There is a Dogs, People and Parks Plan, but there has been no update since 2017.
This is not acceptable.
The First Step
Before we as a city can start discussing solutions, we need to take the first step by acknowledging that there is a need for comprehensive animal services planning. Without acknowledging the need, we cannot start discussing possible strategies.
A progressive city’s leaders should strive to be progressive in all areas, not just the ones they selectively pick and choose. Animal welfare issues have long been given short shrift by the City and there is danger that this will continue if there are not significant efforts to include animals in the current planning efforts. The Seattle City Council rarely engages in public discussion of animal welfare. The most recent involvement was the 2015 proposal by Councilmember Sawant to send two Woodland Park elephants to a sanctuary (this was blocked by the Council.)28 Having said that, the City Council recently found millions to fund the expansion of the Seattle Aquarium and their controversial shark tanks as an investment in both the aquarium and the tourist dollars it can bring.29 There was money and drive for this decision, but no others. Perhaps they simply don’t know and that is where calls for action are necessary. Perhaps the new City Council will be different.
Human issues and animal issues are interconnected. We cannot satisfactorily address one without addressing the other. It is time to speak up and break the cycle of silence.
Sources:
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/seattlecitywashington/HSD410222#HSD410222
https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/reports-statistics/us-pet-ownership-statistics
https://www.seattleanimalwatch.org/post/data-bites-october-2023
https://kcrha.org/data-overview/king-county-point-in-time-count
https://petsofthehomeless.org/what-help-is-there-for-unhoused-pet-owners/
https://thescoop.seattle.gov/2021/04/16/facet-the-family-and-animal-cruelty-enforcement-team/
https://www.seattleanimalwatch.org/post/data-bites-september-2023
https://www.seattle.gov/animal-shelter/spay-and-neuter/spaying-and-neutering-fees
https://www.kuow.org/stories/fire-strikes-same-seattle-dog-boarding-business-within-a-year
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2023/11/26/rabies-kitten-omaha-raccoon/
https://library.municode.com/wa/seattle/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=TIT9AN
https://queenannenews.com/news/2023/nov/01/new-off-leash-areas-planning-raises-concerns/
Seattle Animal Shelter Intake Data, 2016-2022
http://seattle.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=11113925&GUID=FA43AA20-EE0D-4098-BB57-B26A4208B5DE
https://www.seattleanimalwatch.org/post/funding-seattle-animal-services
https://www.seattleanimalwatch.org/post/data-bites-august-2023
https://www.seattleanimalwatch.org/post/data-bites-november-2023
Performance Dimensions, “Seattle Animal Shelter- Organization ‘Current State’ Assessment to Prepare for Strategic Planning, Summary of Findings and Recommendations,” March 30, 2015
Jennifer Orme Consulting, GAP Analysis Plan, Prepared for the City of Seattle - Seattle Animal Shelter, May 1, 2015
Seattle Animal Shelter Volunteer Newsletter, July 2023
https://library.municode.com/wa/seattle/codes/municipal_code/226077?nodeId=TIT9AN