Honoring Our 135-Year History and Paving a Future Together

The City of Tacoma and Pierce County Councils designated August 24, 2023, as the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County Day to recognize our 135th anniversary of serving and saving our community’s most vulnerable pets.  

To commemorate this monumental achievement, we’re hosting our fourth annual Day of Giving and inviting our community to learn more about the shelter’s history of animal welfare, plus immediate and future strategic plans to expand the shelter’s impact in our community.   

“So much of the work of the Humane Society in Tacoma was focused on helping children as well as animals and just helping people, well, be more humane. I think that most people forget that original mission,” says Chris Staudinger from Pretty Gritty Tours, who along with his team of historians, dig deep into the stories that make Tacoma such an incredible place, including the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County’s story.   

As the organization celebrates its 135th year of serving pets and people in Tacoma and Pierce County, here are some historical highlights from the organization’s origin and how the shelter’s Center Street facility came to be:  

1888: The Founding of Tacoma Humane Society   

Jack the black bear cub became a local legend in 1888 after wandering into Tacoma.

The organization was founded in 1888 as the Tacoma Humane Society by a group of revolutionaries and animal welfare champions who questioned the status quo to help prevent cruelty toward animals in the community. When Tacoma was just a frontier town, a drunken logger brought a bear cub to a local street corner and began kicking him to get him to perform tricks. The Justice of the Peace was summoned, and the logger was arrested. Later that week, a group of town leaders met to form what is now called the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County.   

“There is evidence to suggest the Good Samaritan who intervened and called the local law enforcement when the bear was abused was William Blackwell,” adds Staudinger.  

William Blackwell and Dr. Culver organized the Humane Society in Tacoma in 1888 in response to the abuse of the bear cub and a desire to see children and animals treated better in Tacoma.  

Blackwell and his daughter Ruby later became famous for helping to adopt another black bear cub who wandered into Tacoma known as Jack the Bear. Jack himself became something of a local legend because he would go inside the hotel and drink beer!  

1943-1982: Journey to Center Street

In 1943, an oil stove explosion destroyed the City of Tacoma’s acting pound, which then moved to a house on Center Street a few years later in 1951, the then Tacoma Humane Society took over Tacoma’s city pound and moved operations into the building at 2608 Center Street. From 1954 – 1963, several cosmetic adjustments to the small facility were made including a 40’X80’ addition to accommodate the number of pet licenses sold, and the annual number of animals sheltered increasing from 3,000 to 14,000. In addition, a bus stop and parking lot were built around the building.   

In 1963, a bus stop, flag pole, and reader board were added, and the parking lot was paved to accommodate more cars.

It wasn’t until 1982 that the facility underwent renovations to upgrade kennels and front office spaces. 

A new front office space was added during the shelter’s 1982 renovations.

New kennels were added during the shelter’s 1982 renovations.

1997-1998: Renovations Expand Shelter’s Capacity

As the community’s needs continued to grow, the shelter’s facility continued to grow as well. In 1997, the adoption floor and administrative areas of the shelter were renovated. And in 1998 – a quarter of a century ago-, the shelter underwent its last major construction which added 30,000 square feet, creating the building as it stands today.

In July 1998, groundbreaking for the shelter’s last major renovation began.

Before the close of the 1990s, the William Gazecki Animal Shelter was completed, adding 30,000 square feet to the shelter.

2004-2006: Reprioritizing to Serve Pets and People in Our Community

In 2004 the organization’s Board of Directors decided to relinquish animal control contracts back to the city and county – ending nearly fifty years of providing animal control services to the community. This was due to far too many shelter resources being used to enforce animal-related laws rather than animal care and finding placement for homeless pets. The organization began a sheltering only contract for Pierce County in 2005. In 2006, the City of Tacoma took over animal control duties.    

Continuing the Legacy

After decades of care and endless love, we reflect on the impact the shelter has had on the community. In 2022 alone, the organization cared for over 8,500 animals and found placement for over 6,000 animals.  

Just as the shelter started from unique beginnings, it still holds a unique presence in animal welfare today. The Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County is one of few open-admission animal shelters in Washington state, and is not associated with any government agency, nor is it affiliated with any national animal welfare organization. The organization remains a private non-profit that relies on donations to fund its vital programs and lifesaving work. 

As we look back on our history, we also look ahead to the future, recognizing the challenges and opportunities that lie before us, such as the pressing need for a new facility.

Paving Our Future Together

In recent years, we’ve made transformative progress in prioritizing our animal-first philosophy and serving our community to promote animal well-being. However, our outdated facility does not meet what are now universally accepted shelter design standards and creates constant challenges impacting our ability to advance our mission further. 

It is imperative that HSTPC secures philanthropic support to fund current programs and future growth. Over the next three years, HSTPC will focus on an increased fundraising effort to rally the community around our critical work and the need to build a more functional shelter facility. 

With animals at the center of everything we do, we will prepare to launch a capital campaign to give animals in our region the shelter facility they deserve: an animal-centric, community-oriented campus that prioritizes animals’ safety, health, and happiness.   

Here are ways you can get involved:

• Donate: For 135 years, the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County has gone above and beyond to save our community’s most vulnerable pets, giving them a second chance at a life full of love and security. To recognize this enduring work, we’re inviting our community to celebrate with us during our 4th annual Day of Giving! Your gift before midnight on August 24 will have 4X the impact thanks to our friends at Petco Love, who will quadruple your donation up to $75,000!  
• Volunteer: Volunteers are a vital part of our organization. With their help, we are able to meet our mission of “Advancing the welfare of animals and promoting positive relationships between animals and people.” You too can be a part of this mission and join a team of compassionate animal lovers.  
• Foster: Fosters help to care for shelter pets that need it the most! Fosters are needed for pets that are not doing well in the shelter environment, are recovering from surgery, or need additional care.  
• Adopt: Each year, thousands of homeless dogs, cats, rabbits, and other animals are matched with loving families through our shelter. Search through our adoptable pet listings to find your family’s newest addition!