There’s nothing quite like coming home to a wagging tail or the sound of a sweet purr. Pets, with their irresistible charm and personality, can transform a house into a home. However, for many animals, finding a permanent place to stay and call home is a challenge. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, around 6.3 million animals enter shelters in the U.S., and only 4.1 million of those are adopted each year. Behind each adoption is a network of hard-working people dedicated to giving animals a place to belong.
At Homeward Pet — a Woodinville animal shelter devoted to rescuing and rehoming cats and dogs — Marcom Manager Kim Leary (she/her) oversees everything customers can see, including the website, email, and social media. Leary also volunteers with the dog behavior team every Thursday morning, before her shift.
“We work with dogs that are jumpy or that pull too much or just are overly shy and so they’re just terrified to go into a new home, and where other shelters don’t necessarily have the resources to take care of that. We have a pretty large volunteer team who can work with these dogs and help them get to a place where they can be moved into a new home,” Leary said.
Thanks to the dog behavior team’s work, more animals are given a chance to find homes. Homeward mainly takes in and supports animals that come from overcrowded shelters or were surrendered by their owners.
“We can take that animal from them so that they don’t have to make the hard decision to euthanize an animal for space,” Leary said. “Our ultimate goal is to have every animal placed in a home that is appropriate for that animal.”
Out of the estimated 1,800 pets placed in a home from Homeward each year, Leary approximated a 95% adoption rate. Unfortunately, it’s simply not possible to save every animal that comes into the shelter. There are times when the team has to act on what is best for that animal despite their desire to save every life.
“There’s always going to be that 5%,” Leary said. “It could be that we took in an animal that had a very severe medical history, and we did everything we could, and there was no option other than a humane euthanization for that animal.”
After exhausting all options and determining that the shelter cannot get an animal to an adoptable state, Leary said there are always people who spend time with the animal in their final minutes, making sure they feel loved to the end. Still, stories like these are always truly heartbreaking for the entire team.
“To keep an animal suffering, because we feel like they need to live no matter what, seems horrible when we can make a decision that would ease their suffering,” Leary said. “We end up having to make a really hard decision on their behalf, and it is a hard day — staff cries.”
On the brighter side, most animals find a better life with a new loving family thanks to the determination of every volunteer and staff member.
For instance, Homeward has been working with a dog, Wick, for over a year, and he was recently moved into a very promising foster home. Although he’s young and now strong, when Wick first came to the shelter, he had no training and the team needed to work with many medical issues, including a limp and arthritis. Through the shelter’s hard work, Wick’s situation has greatly improved; the foster family has already shared positive feedback and is considering adopting.
“This is one of the most exciting things — when a dog that we’ve worked with for so long goes to a family that we think he will end up staying with,” Leary said. “They already are giving really good reports, even after a couple of days of liking having him there.”
The foster-to-adoption process allows the family and shelter to assess how an animal adjusts to a home environment. If things don’t work out, the animal is returned and the shelter gains insight that helps shape the animal’s journey to the right home. Despite this being uncharted territory for Wick, the shelter grows more optimistic as every update has been nothing short of encouraging.
“We have really high hopes that he stays in the home,” Leary said. “That will be a huge reason for celebration once we find out for sure and they sign the paperwork that says they really want to keep him.”
After working in animal welfare for many years and personally experiencing every aspect of the job, Leary has learned just how special adopted animals can be for both herself and others.
“I think I’ve learned how many people get it — how many people understand that adopting an animal is the right thing to do,” Leary said. “You don’t get a ‘less-than’ animal when you adopt.”
For junior Nina Atkinson (she/her), it felt like her cat, Mittens, was the one to choose her. After passing an important test in second grade, her parents gave in to her years of pleading.
“We went to all these stores and shelters, and she was following me around,” she said.
From that moment on, she knew that Mittens was the one. In the eyes of second-grade Atkinson, the name “Mittens” was an integral part of who the cat was, and not just because of her iconic white paws.
“My parents were all like, ‘You can change her name if you want.’ I was like, ‘Hello? You can’t. You can’t just go around changing people’s names.’ I was really offended by this,” Atkinson said. “It’s her name — it’s a part of her.”
Although acclimating Mittens to her new home was fairly smooth since she was adopted as a kitten, it was clear from the beginning that Mittens was feisty.
“She doesn’t like going into other places — she’ll be all hissy,” Atkinson said. “Some shelters that we get, like cat boarding places when we go on vacation, they were like — politely — ‘Don’t bring her back!’”
However, despite all the challenges and extra work that come with having a pet, Mittens will always have a special place in Atkinson’s heart. Likewise, Leary explains the impact and importance of adopting a pet.
“I feel like they realize that they’ve been kind of saved from a life of not having a home. When they go into a home, and they’ve lived here for long enough, it’s just so exciting that they’re grateful,” Leary said. “There are so many animals without homes that anybody who makes the decision to adopt is helping that situation and helping that crisis.”
