Celebrating Our Animal Control Partners
Every April, National Animal Care and Control Appreciation Week shines a spotlight on the officers and agencies working tirelessly to protect animals and communities. To celebrate, we want to thank our animal control partners and help our community understand the vital role they play, how our partnership works, and why it matters for the pets and people of Pierce County.
Where the field work ends and shelter work begins
While some shelters employ their own animal control officers, Tacoma Humane does not. In our area, animal control officers operate within local law enforcement, and – through contracts with Pierce County and several local municipalities – our shelter works in partnership with these agencies.
As partners, we are separate entities with distinct roles in serving the community. Animal control officers are in the field investigating animal welfare concerns, responding to reports of loose pets and community concerns, liaising with our community members and providing them support with their pets, and enforcing the laws that protect animals and people in our community.
Our role is to provide safe temporary housing (holding place/shelter) for found pets and for pets involved in active animal control cases. Along with shelter, we provide essential daily care, medical treatment, and a way home or the path to a new one.
What the partnership looks like in practice
On a routine day, animal control officers and community members bring found pets to our facility. Our team performs intake examinations, provides veterinary attention when needed, and begins the work of trying to reunite those animals with their families. Whether it’s a lost dog picked up in Lakewood or an injured cat found in Fircrest, we make sure they’re safe, fed, and cared for while we work to get them home.
On more complex days, the work looks very different. When animal control officers alert us of a large-scale seizure for situations involving hoarding, neglect, or cruelty investigations, our team works quickly to prepare our facility for an influx of animals. We then provide housing and daily care for the animals throughout what can be a lengthy legal process, along with any forensic or veterinary exams at the direction of our animal control partners, to provide evidence for their case. Once the case is resolved, the animals are legally released to Tacoma Humane’s ownership or back to the original owner.
Whether an animal is on a routine stray hold or an extended investigation hold, our responsibility is the same: give them the best possible care while they wait. And once they’re released, we can begin the rewarding work of reuniting the pet with their owner or finding them new, loving homes.
None of this happens without the officers who are out there doing the hard work first.
Why jurisdiction matters more than you might think
Shelters serve specific areas based on the contracts they hold with city and county governments. Because Tacoma Humane holds contracts with Pierce County, Tacoma, Lakewood, Fircrest, DuPont, and Steilacoom, those are the areas that we serve. Other shelters in the region serve different jurisdictions, including communities like Sumner, Puyallup, Bonney Lake, Federal Way, and Joint Base Lewis-McCord.
Why does this matter so much? Because reunification depends on a pet being where their owner expects to find them. If a dog goes missing in Tacoma and someone brings it to a shelter that serves Puyallup, that dog’s family may never think of looking there. The farther a found pet travels from where it was lost, the lower the chances of a happy reunion.
Additionally, each jurisdiction has their own set of laws and regulations which our animal control officers are required to follow, as well as the shelter team. Some ways in which the laws differ include required stray hold periods, licensing requirements, classification of “pet”, or reclaiming costs.
So, if you find a lost pet, take a moment to figure out which jurisdiction you’re in and which shelter serves that area. That one small step can be the difference between a pet going home and a family left wondering.
To our animal control partners: thank you
Animal control officers often face long hours, heartbreaking scenes, and frustration from those who may not understand fully what they do and why.
To the officers across Pierce County, Tacoma, and Lakewood who work alongside us: thank you. Thank you for being the first on the scene. Thank you for making the tough calls. Thank you for trusting us to care for the animals you bring through our doors. The work you do is the foundation for so many amazing second chances and we are honored to partner with you.
