In 2005, The Humane Society Board of Directors decided to discontinue all animal control contracts with local municipalities as of next year.  This means that as of January 1, 2006, The Humane Society no longer enforces pet-related laws or sells pet licenses.  We do shelter stray animals for local municipalities.

The Humane Society’s mission is to protect animals from people.  However, over the past few decades we have spent more of our efforts protecting people from animals.  Whether it is investigating an aggressive dog, enforcing leash laws, or intervening in a barking complaint, animal control absorbs energy and resources that would be better spent on animal welfare.

The Humane Society offers the same vital programs and services to the community, including adoptions, education, nursing home visitations, spay/neuter programs, community outreach and pet behavior assistance.  We will be adding new programs in the future, and expanding some of the existing programs. We have worked closely with local municipalities to help them establish their animal control programs.

We are confident that this new direction will enable us to better protect homeless animals, enrich the quality of life in our community, and reach our goal of eliminating pet euthanasia in our lifetime.  We are excited about what can happen when The Humane Society, our members, our community and our government work together to create a more humane community for all. 

The Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County is an independent nonprofit organization.  We are not associated with any national organization, nor are we a department of any government agency. The Humane Society is governed by an all-volunteer board of directors and our many humane programs are funded through donations and community support.

When municipalities took over animal control on Jan. 1, 2006, they also began handling their own pet licenses.  So, who do you contact for a pet license, or pet related law enforcement issues?  We hope the following list will help direct you to the right place!

DuPont    253-964-8121 (Licensing and Animal Control)
DuPont City Hall, 303 Barksdale Avenue, DuPont  98327 

Lakewood    253-512-2269 (L)       253-983-7800 (AC)
Finance Department, 6000 Main Street, Lakewood, 98499

Pierce County    253-798-7445 (L)       253-798-7387 (AC)
Auditor’s office 2401 S. 35th Street, Room 200, Tacoma 98409

Steilacoom    253-581-0110 (L)       253-581-0110 (AC)
Department of Public Safety, 601 Main Street, Steilacoom 98335

Tacoma and Fircrest    253-627-7387 (Licensing and Animal Control)
733 Market Street, Room 21, Tacoma 98402                                        

University Place    253-798-3133 (Licensing and Animal Control)
3631 74th Avenue, Suite A, University Place 98466   

Metro Animal Services  
Puyallup, Sumner, Bonney Lake and Edgewood    253-841-5595 (L)      253-863-6384 (AC)
Licenses for these cities can be purchased at:

Bonney Lake City Hall   19306 Bonney Lake Blvd., Bonney Lake 98391
Edgewood City Hall   2221 Meridian Avenue East, Edgewood 98371
Puyallup Animal Shelter 1200 39th Ave SE, Puyallup 98374
Sumner City Hall 1104 Maple St., Sumner, WA 98390

Don’t see your city here?  Call your city hall for animal control and licensing information.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 1st, 2006 at 5:03 pm and is filed under General.

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