Three cheers for our Animal Welfare Employee of the Year

Our Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) Natasha Hines was recently honored by the Oregon Animal Control Council as their 2026 Animal Welfare Employee of the Year!

With a small medical team consisting of one veterinarian and two CVTs, Bonnie Hays Animal Shelter leans heavily on Natasha for critical support to care for animals in need. A typical day for Natasha might consist of helping our veterinarian with physical exams, preparing animals for surgery, checking on pets recovering from procedures, cleaning medical equipment and surgery tools, and making sure the shelter has the inventory of food, medicine and other supplies needed to care for the animals we see. Natasha also helps shape shelter protocols, assists in animal abuse and neglect investigations, and supports the development of future CVTs by training and working with externs from Portland Community College.

Natasha got her start at Washington County Animal Services as a shelter technician in 2017 before moving into her current role as a CVT in 2018. She’s pictured here with shelter dog Badger.

This week is a particularly special time to celebrate Natasha’s well-deserved award because it’s also National Veterinary Technician Week! This celebration, which takes place the third week of October each year, reminds us to honor the high-quality veterinary care these skilled professionals provide for the animals in our community. We are grateful for the medical staff at our shelter and for the many veterinary technicians in our area who care for the pets of Washington County.

Certified veterinary technicians help pets in a variety of ways. Here, Natasha poses with one of the 30 Maine Coon cats and two birds we rescued as part of the animal neglect investigation highlighted in the November 2025 edition of Animal Tales. Natasha assisted our veterinarian with the cats’ exams the day they were rescued in order to document their neglect. Nearly four months later, she was part of the team that spayed/neutered the cats when they became available for adoption through Oregon Humane.

Upgraded licensing and no late fees this October

Washington County Animal Services has partnered with DocuPet to provide our community with a more robust licensing experience. If you have a dog in Washington County, you now have the option to personalize the tag when purchasing or renewing your dog's required license. You’ll also benefit from DocuPet’s HomeSafe® 24/7 lost pet service should your canine companion ever go missing while wearing their license tag.

We are waiving all late fees for dog licensing through October 31. Take advantage of this one-time opportunity to save money and get current without paying a late fee.

Purchase or renew a dog license

We get the cutest visitors! Milo’s owner recently stopped by the shelter to make updates to his dog’s licensing information. Check your DocuPet account to ensure the information connected to your dog is correct. Please also check that we have proof of your dog’s rabies vaccination and proof of spay/neuter (if your pet is altered). A current rabies vaccination is required for a Washington County dog license to be valid, and providing proof that your furry friend is spayed or neutered qualifies you for a discount on licensing.

Spooky season safety

Arlo, Peaches and Dom are ready for Halloween! These cuties belong to shelter staff.

Take some time before trick-or-treaters arrive to consider how you’ll keep both your pet and costumed visitors safe this Halloween.

Animals may bolt when you open the door for trick-or-treaters. Check that your pet is wearing a collar with an ID tag, your dog’s license is current, and your pet’s microchip is registered and the contact information associated with it is correct.

Give your pet a comfortable space where they can retreat to get away from the action. Knocks at the door, high-energy kids and the presence of treats may be too much for some pets. Keeping animals and people apart can prevent serious bites!

Keep your dog on a leash if they’ll be near people. Costumes can be both scary and exciting for pups, and a leash will help you stay in control.

Watch out for candy and other goodies that get dropped on the ground or are otherwise accessible to your pet. Not only are some treats toxic to animals (such as chocolate and candy containing the sugar substitute xylitol), but dog fights can break out over food. Getting bit is a real risk when trying to take food or wrappers away from animals.

Thank you for planning ahead to help keep both trick-or-treaters and pets safe this Halloween!

Walk your dog, meet your neighbor

A special contribution written by Bonnie Hays Animal Shelter volunteer Martin Jaeger

As a volunteer shelter assistant, Martin helps keep our operations running smoothly by doing animal-related laundry and dishes, cleaning kennels and more. Martin is pictured here enjoying Hagg Lake with the family dog, Elvis.

Most of us have read about the health benefits of walking our dogs — things like lowering blood pressure and maintaining a healthy weight. Add building a stronger support system to that list! Just owning a pet is good for our mental health, and meeting new people helps to increase our emotional well-being.

According to a 2015 study from researchers at the University of Western Australia, the third-best way to meet neighbors is by walking our dogs. (Living next door and visiting local parks came in at number one and two.) How does our pup do it? He starts the conversation and lets us take over after introductions have been made. And it’s not just our dogs. Cats, rabbits and even snakes can help us broaden our social network.

This might be old news for dog walkers. An article published by Harvard Medical School indicated that pet owners are 60% more likely to meet neighbors they had not known previously. These connections can range from a casual acquaintance to building new friendships. Walkers are also more familiar with their neighborhood and often spot unusual activities that might otherwise go unnoticed.

So, grab the leash, let your dog take the lead, and go make some new friends around the neighborhood.

Help pets and people in Washington County

It’s the kindness of community members like you that allows us to go above and beyond for pets in need of individualized care at our shelter. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to support the work we are doing for the people and pets in Washington County. Thank you!

Make a donation

Each year, we reunite hundreds of pets like Bruno (pictured) with their families. When a stray pet arrives at our shelter, our number one goal is to get them back to the people who know and love them. Your generous support helps us continue to do that.

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