After nearly 35 years of volunteering at the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County, Maudy Gosnell is retiring just shy of her 90th birthday in November.
For more than a third of her life, Maudy has made a difference for pets and people across Pierce County.
Maudy began volunteering with her husband in the 1990s. It started when she saw her mother-in-law’s face light up as shelter pets visited her nursing home through our former Pets with a Purpose program. Maudy joined that program herself, and she loved watching residents brighten whenever volunteers arrived with puppies and kittens.
Over the years, Maudy has taken on just about every kind of volunteer role. As part of the Bath Brigade, she bathed puppies and kittens who often arrived at the shelter covered in fleas and dirt. She helped at big events, both at the shelter and out in the community. She also assisted staff at our Community Clinics, getting cats ready to go home to their families after surgery.
Most recently, Maudy has been a Cat Matchmaker, helping adopters find their new feline friends. She has also been a Purr Time Volunteer, giving shelter cats enrichment while they wait for homes.
“It’s so rewarding when you help connect cats with their new people,” Maudy says. “Some cats are shyer or have more particular needs than others and they may wait a little longer, but then just the right person comes in and you get to see them go home.”
Of all her moments from the past 35 years, the ones closest to Maudy’s heart are the pets she and her husband brought home themselves: dogs Abbie, Annie, and Morgan, and cats Louie and Murphy. She also treasures the kittens they fostered and loved along the way.
Maudy has made a difference for thousands of pets and people in Pierce County. In 2024, the City of Tacoma recognized her outstanding contributions as a volunteer at Tacoma Humane. We were honored to help present that award, celebrating her endless kindness and the example she sets of the difference one person can make.
We will miss the care she gave so freely, the sweet words she showered on every animal she worked with, the passion she brought to everything she did, and so much more. And what will Maudy miss? “I’ll miss the friendships of staff and volunteers,” Maudy tells us. “And the love of the animals.”
No words are big enough to thank Maudy for all she has given our organization and our community. We are so grateful to have known her joy and compassion, and to have received so much of her time and heart.
Inspired by Maudy’s story to volunteer? Learn more about volunteering opportunities on our website below!