Making Happy Happen: Over 100 Dogs Find Loving Homes During Shelter Capacity Crisis
Shelter dog Harbor with his new loving family
Between November 14-17, over 100 dogs found their way out of the shelter thanks to you, our compassionate community, stepping up for them and the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County.
Our dog kennels were over capacity last week. With nearly 130 dogs in our facility, plus nearly 70 more in foster homes, we resorted to doubling kennel occupancy and housing dogs in hallways and offices. We’ve seen a significant increase in dog intake, with 400 more dogs entering the shelter than by this time in 2023. We had to act quickly to create life-saving space.
We put out a plea to our community, waiving adoption fees for all dogs from November 14-17. And our amazing network of supporters responded, adopting and fostering deserving dogs. Our plea was featured on KING 5, KIRO 7, KOMO, FOX 13, and was shared over 12,000 times across social media platforms.
“We are grateful to all who supported our shelter through adoptions, fosters, donations, and sharing our message,” says Leslie Dalzell, Chief Executive Officer at the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County. “Through our community’s patience and kindness—as well as our staff and volunteer’s hard work—we connected adopters and foster volunteers with new canine companions.”
The shelter currently has 53 dogs available for adoption, with over 115 more receiving care or staying in foster homes, many of whom will be ready for adoption in the coming days.
While the kennels may be less crowded now, as one of the few open-admission animal shelters in the state, we never know what will come through our doors on any given day. Many animals arrive in dire need through animal control agencies, while others are lost pets hoping to be reunited with their families. As soon as one animal is adopted, their space is quickly filled by another in need. By adopting or fostering a pet from our shelter, you enable us to extend life-saving services to animals with no other options.
Additionally, community members play a vital role in preventing animals from entering our shelter by reuniting lost pets with their families. A significant number of lost pets are found less than a mile from home and can be reunited with the people who love them more quickly by following these steps:
- Walk the dog around the area–most dogs don’t wander far from home!
- Have the pet scanned for a microchip at your local veterinary clinic.
- Post online and place signage around your community to help locate the owners.
- Call our shelter and provide a pet description for inclusion in our found pet records.
- Provide the pet with a temporary home, if possible.
Thank you to our community for opening their hearts and homes to Make Happy Happen for over 100 deserving dogs in four short days!
