Our community’s biggest day of giving, Kitsap Great Give, is April 11, but you can make a gift NOW to save animals in need, just like Domino, no matter how long it takes.

Our community is ready to cultivate compassion for pets and people in need by wearing our new merchandise. The Cultivate Compassion collection raised more than $3,800. Thank you to everyone who supported this campaign! We're excited to see you in our limited edition apparel.

Comedy Unleashed was a howling success! Over 160 community members joined us for a fur-bulous evening that raised $13,000 for the animals we serve. Thank you to The Great Cris, Sharon Lacey, Kiana Lodge, Suetography, and everyone who supported our first-ever comedy show!

Construction is making great progress for the Russ & Linda Young Veterinary Lifesaving Center to open this fall. Follow our construction updates on the KHS blog to see recent photos and stay in the loop!

With Animal Care & Control Appreciation Week beginning on April 9, we're excited to highlight the phenomenal members of our Animal Care and Animal Control teams. These mighty teams make a huge impact for animals at KHS and out in the community!

Our Animal Care Team is made up of diligent and hardworking Animal Care Technicians, including Patrick, Zoey, Josh, Darla, Shauna, Jordie, and Amethyst.

Together, our amazing Animal Care Team provides our furry friends with clean living quarters and fresh food and water. They also move the animals to new locations, assist with vaccinations, fill in for our Admissions department, and help other departments. Their hard work keeps the animals of KHS warm and comfortable.

When asked about their favorite part of being an Animal Care Technician, members of the team shared it's the, “feeling of fulfillment in seeing animals get adopted,” and “building a bond with the animals while they stay with us.”

We are deeply grateful for the tireless efforts of our Animal Care Team. Their dedication to caring for our pets is vital to providing humane housing to animals experiencing homelessness and uniting animals with their forever families.

Our deputized Animal Control Team responds to various animal control issues via 911. They work 24-7-365 from Bainbridge Island to Gig Harbor, covering 6 jurisdictions and Kitsap Naval Bases. The Animal Control Team is made up of Chief Director of Animal Control Connolly and four Officers: Officer Dunlap, Officer Goode, Officer McCourtney, and Officer Sauer. They serve as guardians of animals and people in need by saving lives, rescuing abandoned, abused, homeless, and injured pets, and acting as a vital resource.

“Our Animal Control Team is set apart in the fact that we take into consideration each factor and seek options such as pet ownership resources and education for proper pet ownership. While our agency can and does take legal action for some encounters, we also seek out opportunities to provide educational interactions as a first step for most minor situations rather than an automatic ticket,” said Chief Connolly. "We aim to provide education where we can and enforce where needed. We take into consideration our community’s needs and find ways to support owners facing difficult times by providing resources offered by the Kitsap Humane Society out in the field.”

“In my time of nearly 13 years, I have seen and experienced the growth of our agency and Kitsap Humane Society as a whole. I am proud of my team and our dedication to protecting and serving the animals and people who live in our community.”

When asked why they pursued a career in Animal Control at KHS, the collective response was, “to be a voice for the animals with an organization that supports this need.”

Volunteer Appreciation Week starts on April 16 and we are thrilled to shout out our incredible volunteers and fosters! You make our lifesaving work for animals possible.

The Foster Team has seen amazing growth in the last year! Over 1,400 animals spent time in foster homes in 2022 while undergoing medical treatment, growing big and strong, or getting a much-needed break from the shelter.

“In 2022, more animals spent time in foster than in years past. The sheer number of animals that spent time in foster is impressive but I’m more impressed by how many foster parents stepped outside of their comfort zone and totally rocked it,” said Foster Manager Holly Faccenda. “So many foster parents took on bottle babies for the first time or took in animals with more complicated medical or behavioral cases. We truly believe our foster parents can do anything they set their minds to and that their impact is limitless. Foster staff is simply here to support, teach, and be foster parent’s biggest cheerleaders!”

“I love our foster community and watching the camaraderie between foster parents—from sharing silly kitten or puppy antics, success stories, and happy moments to uplifting each other during the hard times. Fostering is rewarding but not always easy. Having a strong supportive community makes all the difference and we are fortunate to be part of it."

Barbara Wilson joined KHS as a volunteer in 2019. Being retired and having a strong love for animals, Barb decided to dedicate some extra time to supporting KHS and animals in need. Since joining us, Barb has contributed almost 900 hours of service and established herself as a reliable and supportive volunteer.

Barb started off walking dogs, but soon found herself helping other departments like the Rescue Me Transfer program, assisting with laundry and crate cleaning, and fostering animals. After training to help with animal recovery, she's an integral part of our Vet Services volunteer team, too!

When asked what she enjoys most about volunteering at KHS, Barb expressed how much she loves, “working with the public and hearing how grateful people are that we are able to give their pets the help they need.”

She also enjoys seeing the contributions of her time and how it supports the vet team. “We allow them to do their jobs more efficiently by just being able to do the more mundane tasks.” With the construction of our new Russ & Linda Young Veterinary Lifesaving Center, the vet team has nothing but admiration and support for the volunteer team, as they help make it possible to do lifesaving work for our community. Barb shared, “I love what I do because I’ve never been surrounded by so much compassion and love for animals that the vet staff exhibits every day.”

Barb has been guilty of taking her volunteer work home with her. She is a dedicated foster parent and loves providing the extra love an animal might need to recover, adjust, and start a new life.

One of Barb's standout foster experiences was with a cat who had to have one of his legs amputated. “I fell in love with him while he was waiting for surgery and went right to the foster office to see if I could help him rehabilitate. Best two weeks ever! It’s a testament to their ability to adapt.” Barb is truly a friend to cats, having become the home for a barn cat turned house cat and sharing her love for all feline companions.

We are truly lucky to have Barb at KHS, as her dedication and support has been vital to so many important programs. Please join us in thanking Barb for all that she contributes. She is quickly approaching 1,000 hours of service! We are excited to see what Barb continues to do while she is with KHS, which will hopefully be for another 1,000 hours or more! Thank you, Barb. You are an absolute rock star!

We're thrilled to spotlight our amazing Customer Service Representative Becky this month!

"What brought me to KHS was the opportunity to work with animals in need. I have been here for over 2 years now, and feel blessed to be a small part of what happens here," shared Becky.

Becky's favorite part of working at KHS is bringing adopted animals out to go home with their new forever families. "I am always just as excited as they are!"

She remembers one adoption with particular fondness. "The adoption that meant the most to me was a dog named Slinky. Slinky came to us as a stray and was very shut down. I would go see him every day and soon he was putting his head in my hands and showing he was the most loving dog. He was here for about a month and was being overlooked. A couple of elderly sisters came in looking for a mellow sweet dog and I recommended Slinky. They met and he found his forever home! I still smile when I think about it."

Becky's manager Michele shares, "Becky is a wonderful asset to KHS and our community! Becky is committed to the welfare of the animals and goes above and beyond to help community members with adoptions, reuniting lost pets with their families, answering questions on every subject imaginable, and finding resources for pets. Becky works tirelessly, and we are lucky to have her."

KHS believes the best place for pets is with their loving families. We are proud to offer the Pet Food Pantry as a safety net for people and pets in need. More than 500 community members visited the Pet Food Pantry in 2022 and it provided over 32,000 pounds of pet food. That's a lot of happy pets fed at home!

Any brand is welcome and all donations are appreciated. We accept drop-off donations in our donation bin onsite at any time. You can also find these items on our Chewy Wish List, Walmart Wish List, and Amazon Wish List.