Our Community Came Together for KHS! |
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What else can we say besides… Thank you! You showed you care about the pets of KHS in more ways than one during a very busy April. Thank you for joining us in honoring Dr. Jen Stonequist, our Director of Shelter Medicine, as one of five Petco Love Unsung Heroes honorees. Coming in second place for the national award, thanks to 2,529 of you voting for her - still feels like a win to us, especially since all five honorees are so deserving! Congratulations again to Dr. Jen! We are so thrilled to have been awarded $10,000 by Petco Love which will be used for our upcoming Russ & Linda Young Veterinary Lifesaving Center.
And thank you to the 350 households and businesses, plus our generous board member and her husband, for helping us raise more than $68,250 during our community’s day of giving, the Kitsap Great Give on April 19.
Your support makes second chances possible for the pets in our community who need us most! THANK YOU.
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Register Now for PetsWALK! |
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Join us for PetsWALK presented by Mud Bay on June 25 in Downtown Poulsbo for a summertime celebration for the whole family! With beautiful water views and a gentle, mostly-flat course, this charity 5K walk/run (with a 1-mile option) is great fun for both you and your four-legged friends. Then, join us for the bustling vendor fair to follow at Muriel Iverson Williams Waterfront Park.
Don’t forget to fundraise! Raise lifesaving funds for shelter pets in need leading up to the event and you'll earn paw-tastic prizes!
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Any Home Can Be a Foster Home |
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Here at KHS, we believe that any home can be a foster home! In 2021, over 1,000 animals spent time in our foster homes and now we are working to continue increasing that number, “One of our biggest goals at KHS is to switch to a foster-centric model of sheltering, meaning that we have more animals in foster homes than at the shelter and we can't do this without more foster homes!” said Holly Faccenda, KHS Foster Manager. With this foster-centric ideal in mind, we are expanding our foster care program by actively working to increase accessibility and decrease barriers to fostering in our community.
Part of making fostering more accessible means educating our community on what a commitment to fostering looks like. Who and how long you foster for is totally up to you! Any amount of time an animal spends in a foster home is beneficial, whether that's giving short-term kennel breaks to stressed dogs or raising kittens and puppies until they're old enough to be adopted! “Even if you can't commit to something long-term, you can make a positive and lasting impact on an animal's life,” said Faccenda.
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There's Still Time To Raise a Pint To Pets! |
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For the entire month of May, 15% of participant beer and cider purchases from our participating locations will benefit animals in need at Kitsap Humane Society.
Plus, look out for the KHS pop-up shop for paw-some apparel, raffles, and more:
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Celebrating 1,000 Successful Transfers with Wharton County SPOT |
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We are so happy to announce that we recently reached our 1,000th transfer with our amazing partner, Wharton County SPOT! And could our 1,000th transfer be any cuter? It's no surprise that Sugar was adopted just a few days after she arrived to the PNW from Texas!
During the past nearly 7 years, we have had the pleasure of building a partnership with our like-minded friends at Wharton County SPOT. It is hard to believe that what once started as a transfer of just 3 dogs has now reached 1,000.
Thank you to our wonderful transfer coordinator, Micah Friend, and Wharton County SPOT's Christine Stransky as well as all of our incredible transfer volunteers for continuing to make this partnership possible!
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Our community has been so patient with Team KHS as we've persevered through staffing challenges. Thankfully, our staffing levels are getting back up to normal, and we've been able to bring back Cat Fix Day!
Cat Fix Day is a monthly opportunity for low-income community members to have their cats spayed or neutered at a reduced cost through our online Surgery Scheduler. Our most recent Cat Fix Day saw 32 owned cats receive surgery. Big thanks to our amazing veterinary services team for making it happen during a busy week!
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Adorable Adoptable
Meet Domino!
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When Domino came to Kitsap Humane Society as a stray, he was unsure and fearful. He cowered in the back of his kennel, not knowing where he was or whom to trust. Since then, Domino has massively improved, making new friends, experiencing new things, and learning to trust new people.
Over the past four months, our staff has been working with Domino daily to help him become his best self, even forming his very own support system called Team Domino! Team Domino is a group of 8 volunteers and staff who use daily enrichment, training, and advocacy to help Domino get past his fears here in the shelter and better prepare him for adoption. This group helps alleviate his kennel stress, teaches him how to greet new people, and is working on his leash skills!
Thanks to the hard work of our Behavior Staff and Team Domino, we have had the pleasure of seeing Domino come out of his shell to show his playful, cuddly side. Domino even spent time in a foster home where he lounged on a couch, went for a swim, and got lots of massages! How sweet!
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As Domino waits to meet his future forever family, he continues to work on all of the wonderful new things he's learned, dreaming of the day that he'll get a home of his very own. Want to give Domino a chance? He's available for foster or adoption! |
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Volunteer Spotlight
Meet Lucas Heuett!
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Lucas Heuett may have only started seven months ago, but you would never have guessed this with the impact he has made on the shelter during this period of time. His love for animals and wanting to gain some experience working hands-on with them before beginning the journey to vet school brought him to Kitsap Humane Society, where he has contributed over 90 hours so far!
Lucas lives and breathes the shelter life, with multiple regular shifts with our dog walking team, where he is our youngest Advanced Handler and is eager to help wherever he can. “I hope to advance into the veterinary side of animal care and work towards getting my doctorate in veterinary medicine with the help of the experience I have gained at KHS,” says Lucas. He is just about to start volunteering with our Veterinary Services team!
While his time here has been short, he has already made a tremendous impact. When asked what his favorite things about volunteering are, he said, “my favorite part of volunteering thus far has been meeting and working with so many people who share my love for animals and who really want to see every animal and every person at KHS succeed.”
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We are incredibly grateful for the time and devotion Lucas has shown all the animals here at KHS, which is even more impressive when you find out he has six dogs of his own at home, ranging from small chihuahua mixes to a lab/husky mix.
“I am definitely a big dog person! I love great big cuddle bug dogs,” says Lucas, who shows every animal at the shelter all the same love and attention as if they were his favorite. Thank you for making KHS such an extra special place, Lucas! With his positive attitude and go-getter mentality, Lucas will do so much, and we are lucky to have him here with us!
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Staff Spotlight
Meet Byron Robinson!
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Put your paws together for this month’s staff spotlight, Byron! Byron’s official title may be Facilities Maintenance Technician but he considers himself more of “Swiss Army Knife” in his role! Even so, Byron is passionate about the work of KHS and shares “I am not a maintenance man who loves animals, I am an animal lover who just happens to be a maintenance man.”
And is he ever! Byron has seven pets, five of which are KHS rescues, and one of which, Byron saved from drowning! Byron has been a valued member of the crew for almost 3 and a half years, and when it comes to his favorite part of the job, he says, “Diversity. Diversity in tasks. Diversity in people.”
His manager shares, “Byron brings an abundance of skills to the table! I have worked with many maintenance staff, and he is by far the best, most skilled person we have had in maintenance. Along with possessing great job skills, Byron is a true KHS family member. He is loyal and always has KHS’s best interests in mind.
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On top of that, he is a huge animal lover. While working on projects and tasks, he always takes into consideration how it will impact the animals as not to stress them out while in our care.”
Way to go, Byron! Thanks for always going the extra mile - we’re so glad you’re on our team!
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Community Spotlight
Run Dog Run
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This month we're highlighting one of our favorite doggy daycares, Run Dog Run! Run Dog Run offers daycare, grooming, and overnight boarding for dogs of all sizes and activity levels. Run Dog Run is a fun, safe, and secure indoor and outdoor environment where every dog gets personalized love and attention.
Our furbulous friends at Run Dog Run are dedicated supporters of Kitsap Humane Society and our mission. Run Dog Run is generously sponsoring our PetsWALK and Animal Krackers fundraising events this year - helping us continue to provide lifesaving care to thousands of pets annually. Thank you, Run Dog Run, for helping KHS give second chances to pets in need.
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Puppuccino Pal Sponsor
ICON Salon
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We are happy to introduce our May Puppuccino Pal Sponsor, ICON Salon located in Puyallup. This private hair studio specializes in blondes and custom colors and "provides an inclusive, welcoming space where your personal hair goals take priority while also prioritizing environmentally-conscious practices that protect the future of our community and planet," according to Courtney, ICON salon owner and stylist. Courtney uses her love for art and self-expression and her decade of experience to fuel one simple goal: that all guests leave her salon feeling iconic!
“In 2018, I made the two best decisions of my life: I opened my salon and I adopted a dog, Bear, from Kitsap Humane Society,” said Courtney. “Bear was found on the side of the road at 12 years old. He was malnourished, matted, and had lesions from skin cancer. Kitsap Humane Society rescued Bear and gave him surgery to remove the cancer. Although he had been through so much, he was the best, most kind boy I could ever ask for! He brought so much joy and love into my life, and I am eternally grateful to Kitsap Humane for bringing Bear into my life. He’s the reason I chose to become a Puppuccino Pal Sponsor for KHS!
"Not only was Bear the most amazing pet, but he was also the salon’s honorary mascot! His beautiful coat of fur made him the perfect ‘hair’ model!"
So the next time you are in need of a new ‘do, head over to ICON Salon located at 4301 S Meridian suite c-3, Puyallup, WA 98374.
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Many Thanks to Our Grand Shelter Sponsor: |
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Kitsap Humane Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; Tax ID: 91-0728353 |
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