Seattle Animal Shelter officers handle far more than cruelty cases. From park patrols to wildlife rescues, their work reflects the city’s evolving relationship with animals. Our latest analysis reveals how complaints have shifted from 2018–2024 — including a sharp rise in park patrols tied to media coverage.

Seattle Animal Shelter data shows 1,008 animal cruelty and neglect complaints in 2024, with most resolved through verbal warnings, cruelty notices, or impoundments. Abuse and abandonment cases stood out, highlighting how officers respond to the city’s most common animal welfare issues.

Animal cruelty & neglect complaints rose 5.5% in Seattle in 2024—the highest since the pandemic. With abandonment & abuse cases climbing, can the City keep up with growing demands on animal welfare services?

This post provides an update on spay neuter procedures at the Seattle Animal Shelter in 2024. Procedures for shelter animals and animals owned by members of the public rebounded from 2023, but community cat procedures are at an all time low.

Animal cruelty complaints fielded by Seattle Animal Shelter have risen 15% in the last year. This post digs into why.

The SAS Spay/Neuter clinic used to perform more than 2,300 surgeries a year. That number has plummeted since 2020.

This month’s Data Bites is a summary of shelter intake data received from the Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS) via a public disclosure request.

This month’s Data Bites is a lesson in dealing with Shelter intake da coming from Public Disclosure Requests (PDRs).

CITY ATTORNEY DATA SHOWS SEATTLE PRIORITIES Majority of City Attorney Animal Cruelty Referrals Are Off-Leash Related Animal Cruelty and...

Last month we brought you cruelty complaints statistics. Cruelty complaints are the result of members of the public contacting the...

This month’s Data Bites shows that while the pandemic resulted in a sharp decrease in animal cruelty complaints, they are now on the...

Public disclosure requests, or PDRs, are a crucial tool for citizens and activists. PDRs give citizens the power to request information,...