“Dog bites can cause serious injury to human victims, who are often children or elderly people,” says Shelter Director Don Jordan. “Dogs who bite often lose their homes and sometimes their lives. Every family who accepts the commitment that comes with bringing a dog into the home has a responsibility to neighbors, friends and children to prevent dog bites. And remember; don’t make assumptions about dogs based on their breed. Any size or kind of dog can bite.” 

This is a good opportunity to remind to all dog owners that dogs must be on a leash when not on their property or in a designated off-leash dog park. Leashing your dog is not only the law, it also adds a measure of safety for your pet, other pets, people and wildlife. Off-leash dog fines start at $54 and go up to $168 for the fourth violation.

Shelter staff urge parents to teach their children the following tips for avoiding dog bites:

• Don’t disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating or caring for puppies.
• Stay away from dogs in cars, behind fences or on chains.
• Never pet a dog without the owner’s permission and don’t pet any dog without letting the dog see and smell you first.
• Don’t assume a dog you know is any less likely to bite than a stray or unknown dog. Most dog bites are inflicted by dogs known to the victim.
• If attacked by a dog, don’t run or scream. Stand still with your arms at your sides. Don’t make eye contact or speak to the dog. If you are knocked to the ground, curl into a ball and put your hands over your ears. 

For more information on dog bite prevention, go to the following Humane Society of the United States website: www.nodogbites.org. For more information about Seattle’s dog bite prevention efforts, or to inquire about animal adoptions and volunteer programs at the Seattle Animal Shelter, please call 206-386-7387 (PETS) or visit www.seattleanimalshelter.org.

Come on down to the shelter on Saturday, May 18, for Cool City Pets, an adoption event highlighting small animals looking for their forever homes. From 1-3 p.m., potential adopters can meet the many small animals available for adoption from the shelter, including: rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, rats, birds, reptiles, ferrets, mice and more.

Volunteer small-animal specialists will be on hand to help adopters find the right pet for them. They provide information about each animal’s characteristics and needs, demonstrate basic care and handling skills, and answer questions. The Seattle Animal Shelter features Cool City Pets the third Saturday of every month.

All ages are welcome, but children must be accompanied by an adult. Animals may be adopted by adults only. Adopters must be prepared to provide proper housing, food, water, toys and other materials necessary for the care and good health of the animal. The adoption fee for small animals ranges from $15-$40.

The Seattle Animal Shelter is located at 2061 15^th Ave. W, about a mile south of the Ballard Bridge. If you would like more information or directions, please call (206) 386-7387 (PETS) or visit the shelter’s website at http://www.seattleanimalshelter.org.

The shelter is open Wednesday through Sunday, noon-6 p.m. for adoptions and for licensing.

The Seattle Animal Shelter reserves the right to approve or deny any animal adoptions and limits the number of small animal adoptions to no more than three per household.

The “Help the Animals Fund” was created in 1977 to pay for life-saving veterinary care for sick, injured and abused animals at the Shelter. As the Shelter’s veterinary needs grew, volunteers started the Furry 5K in 1999 to raise money for the Fund and to raise awareness about responsible pet ownership. Last year, the Fund covered nearly $150,000 in veterinary bills.

“The Furry 5K has been a wonderful event for the orphaned animals of the Seattle Animal Shelter. Because of the generous Furry 5K participants, we have been able to provide veterinary care to thousands of orphaned animals and have been able to guarantee that all adoptable animals will find loving new homes,” said Shelter Director Don Jordan.

Shelter staff anticipates that this year’s Furry 5K will draw more than 3,000 people and 1,500 furry canines. The race will begin at 10 a.m. and will be followed by Pet-a-Palooza, a partnership with CBS Radio to feature entertainment, festive music, awards and an interactive vendor area. The Furry 5K is one of the few races in the Puget Sound area that encourages participants to run or walk with their dogs.

The Seattle Animal Shelter cares for approximately 6,000 stray and owner-surrendered animals each year. Many of these animals arrive sick and injured from living on the streets; others are seized from abusive or neglectful owners.

The Shelter is located at 2061 15^th Ave. W., about a mile south of the Ballard Bridge. It is open Wednesday – Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. for adoptions and licensing. For more information call (206)386-7387, or visit the Web site at www.seattleanimalshelter.org

Please sign up for the orientation by emailing sasfostercatsorientation@gmail.com no later than 5 p.m., Saturday, May 4. Once you have signed up, you will receive an orientation packet to bring with you. Orientation will be cancelled if there are no sign-ups.

The Seattle Animal Shelter relies on volunteers to provide temporary foster care in their homes to rehabilitate and nurture sick, injured and immature cats and kittens or to just give adoptable cats a break from the shelter environment. 

“Volunteers have told us this is a perfect project for the whole family and provides an opportunity for children to learn about the joys and responsibilities of having an animal without making a long-term commitment,” says Shelter Director Don Jordan. “The ultimate beneficiaries are the pets who are nurtured by their foster families, and the families who adopt them.”

Jordan says the foster care program is quite simple. You provide food and a temporary home; the Seattle Animal Shelter will provide any necessary veterinary care. The shelter’s “Help the Animals Fund” subsidizes the costs associated with the foster care program including all pre-approved vet care.

If you attend an orientation session you are under no obligation to foster an animal. The orientations are just the first step in the process. Each prospective foster parent is provided with a foster-care manual and a “case manager” who provides advice and answers questions.

For more information or additional directions call (206) 386-7387 (PETS) or go to www.seattleanimalshelter.org.

Come on down to the shelter on Saturday, April 20, for Cool City Pets, an adoption event highlighting small animals looking for their forever homes. From 1-3 p.m., potential adopters can meet the many small animals available for adoption from the shelter, including: rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, rats, birds, reptiles, ferrets, mice and more.

Volunteer small-animal specialists will be on hand to help adopters find the right pet for them. They provide information about each animal’s characteristics and needs, demonstrate basic care and handling skills, and answer questions. The Seattle Animal Shelter features Cool City Pets the third Saturday of every month.

All ages are welcome, but children must be accompanied by an adult. Animals may be adopted by adults only. Adopters must be prepared to provide proper housing, food, water, toys and other materials necessary for the care and good health of the animal. The adoption fee for small animals ranges from $15-$40.

The Seattle Animal Shelter is located at 2061 15^th Ave. W, about a mile south of the Ballard Bridge. If you would like more information or directions, please call (206) 386-7387 (PETS) or visit the shelter’s website at http://www.seattleanimalshelter.org.

The shelter is open Wednesday through Sunday, noon-6 p.m. for adoptions and for licensing.

The Seattle Animal Shelter reserves the right to approve or deny any animal adoptions and limits the number of small animal adoptions to no more than three per household.

“Lilies, including the Easter lily, tiger lily, rubrum lily, Japanese show lily and some species of the day lily can cause kidney failure in cats,” says Don Jordan, director of the Seattle Animal Shelter. “Be aware that all parts of the lily plant are considered toxic to cats and consuming even small amounts can be life threatening.”

Within only a few hours of ingesting toxic plant material, a cat may vomit, become lethargic or lose its appetite. These signs continue and worsen as kidney damage progresses. Without prompt and proper treatment by a veterinarian, a cat may develop kidney failure in approximately 36 to 72 hours. Cat owners should remove toxic plants from their cat’s access and are encouraged to consider safer alternatives to Easter lilies such as Easter orchids, Easter lily cactus, Easter daisy or violets.

To help educate cat owners and veterinarians about the dangers of lilies and other plants, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center and Cat Fanciers’ Association have developed online materials including photos of common types of dangerous lilies and a list of non-toxic plants. To download the materials, visit http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/ or http://www.cfa.org/CatCare/HouseholdHazards/ToxicPlants.aspx.

The Seattle Animal Shelter, located at 2061 – 15^th Ave. W., is open for adoptions Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.  Please call 206-386-7387 (PETS) for more information. To view animals available for adoption, visit http://www.seattleanimalshelter.org.

Come on down to the shelter on Saturday, March 16, for Cool City Pets, an adoption event highlighting small animals looking for their forever homes. From 1-3 p.m., potential adopters can meet the many small animals available for adoption from the shelter, including: rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, rats, birds, reptiles, ferrets, mice and more.

Volunteer small-animal specialists will be on hand to help adopters find the right pet for them. They provide information about each animal’s characteristics and needs, demonstrate basic care and handling skills, and answer questions. The Seattle Animal Shelter features Cool City Pets the third Saturday of every month.

All ages are welcome, but children must be accompanied by an adult. Animals may be adopted by adults only. Adopters must be prepared to provide proper housing, food, water, toys and other materials necessary for the care and good health of the animal. The adoption fee for small animals ranges from $15-$40.

The Seattle Animal Shelter is located at 2061 15^th Ave. W, about a mile south of the Ballard Bridge. If you would like more information or directions, please call (206) 386-7387 (PETS) or visit the shelter’s website at http://www.seattleanimalshelter.org.

The shelter is open Wednesday through Sunday, noon-6 p.m. for adoptions and for licensing.

The Seattle Animal Shelter reserves the right to approve or deny any animal adoptions and limits the number of small animal adoptions to no more than three per household.

“Guinea pigs make great pets. Because of our tremendous success in adopting out cats and dogs, we are now entrusted with finding good homes for other animals when pet owners can no longer care for them. Adopting an animal from the Seattle Animal Shelter is the right thing to do,” says Shelter Director Don Jordan.

Guinea pigs (or cavies, as they’re sometimes known) are very social. They prefer to live with at least one other guinea pig friend and they spend lots of time interacting with their human companions. Guinea pigs like to live indoors, where they can be part of your daily family life. They require a roomy flat bottomed cage, hay, pellets, and fresh fruits and veggies. Many guinea pigs are vocal and will greet their owners excitedly with “wheeks, wheets and whistles.” Guinea pigs also require daily exercise in a secure playpen, as they cannot use exercise wheels or rodent balls.

Come meet the guinea pigs, and other critters, available for adoption from the shelter, located at 2061 15^th Ave. W, about a mile south of the Ballard Bridge. The adoption fee for guinea pigs is $15; adoption fees for other small animal range between $15-$40. The Seattle Animal Shelter reserves the right to approve or deny any animal adoptions and limits the number of small animal adoptions to no more than three per household.

The shelter is open Wednesday through Sunday, noon-6 p.m. for adoptions and for licensing. If you would like more information or directions, please call (206) 386-7387 (PETS) or visit the shelter’s website at http://www.seattleanimalshelter.org.

Please sign up for the orientation by emailing sasfostercatsorientation@gmail.com no later than 5 p.m., Saturday, March 2. Once you have signed up, you will receive an orientation packet to bring with you. Orientation will be cancelled if there are no sign-ups.

The Seattle Animal Shelter relies on volunteers to provide temporary foster care in their homes to rehabilitate and nurture sick, injured and immature cats and kittens or to just give adoptable cats a break from the shelter environment. 

“Volunteers have told us this is a perfect project for the whole family and provides an opportunity for children to learn about the joys and responsibilities of having an animal without making a long-term commitment,” says Shelter Director Don Jordan. “The ultimate beneficiaries are the pets who are nurtured by their foster families, and the families who adopt them.”

Jordan says the foster care program is quite simple. You provide food and a temporary home; the Seattle Animal Shelter will provide any necessary veterinary care. The shelter’s “Help the Animals Fund” subsidizes the costs associated with the foster care program including all pre-approved vet care.

If you attend an orientation session you are under no obligation to foster an animal. The orientations are just the first step in the process. Each prospective foster parent is provided with a foster-care manual and a “case manager” who provides advice and answers questions.

For more information or additional directions call (206) 386-7387 (PETS) or go to www.seattleanimalshelter.org.

Come on down to the shelter on Saturday, Feb. 16, for Cool City Pets, an adoption event highlighting small animals looking for their forever homes. From 1-3 p.m., potential adopters can meet the many small animals available for adoption from the shelter, including: rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, rats, birds, reptiles, ferrets, mice and more.

Volunteer small-animal specialists will be on hand to help adopters find the right pet for them. They provide information about each animal’s characteristics and needs, demonstrate basic care and handling skills, and answer questions. The Seattle Animal Shelter features Cool City Pets the third Saturday of every month.

All ages are welcome, but children must be accompanied by an adult. Animals may be adopted by adults only. Adopters must be prepared to provide proper housing, food, water, toys and other materials necessary for the care and good health of the animal. The adoption fee for small animals ranges from $15-$40. The adoption fee for rabbits will be waived for this Cool City Pets event as it coincides with the shelter’s Hop To Adopt! event.

The Seattle Animal Shelter is located at 2061 15^th Ave. W, about a mile south of the Ballard Bridge. If you would like more information or directions, please call (206) 386-7387 (PETS) or visit the shelter’s website at http://www.seattleanimalshelter.org.

The shelter is open Wednesday through Sunday, noon-6 p.m. for adoptions and for licensing.

The Seattle Animal Shelter reserves the right to approve or deny any animal adoptions and limits the number of small animal adoptions to no more than three per household.