top of page
Search

Why Doesn’t Seattle Have An Animal Services Advisory Committee?

  • Writer: seattleanimalwatch
    seattleanimalwatch
  • 12 minutes ago
  • 4 min read
Close-up of a black and white cat with wide eyes and white whiskers, sitting indoors. Background includes a blurred cat tree. Calm setting.

The City of Seattle has a population of over 800,000. Using multipliers from the American Veterinary Medical Association, we estimate that it also has more than 200,000 dogs, more than 100,000 cats, and more than 20,000 birds. In addition, there are a myriad other companion animals for which we do not have estimates, such as rabbits, guinea pigs, small mammals and reptiles. Nor do these numbers include community cats or animals of the unhoused. 


What does this mean? It means that Seattle has a whole lot of animals. And yet, there is no citywide plan to identify animal welfare issues even when they overlap economic and social issues. Nor is there any plan to address the inevitable increase in animals that will occur in tandem with our human population. 


Seattle’s population is projected to exceed one million people in the next twenty years. And people will bring their animals. They will demand services for their animals, and the city is not prepared for, or even aware of, this upcoming wave. 


It appears that progress in animal welfare must once again depend on the actions, commitment, and leadership of Seattle’s citizens instead of its elected officials.



Seattle Citizens Drive Progress

Seattle’s citizens have often been the drivers behind animal welfare progress in the City.


  • In 1972, the Seattle City Council voted to create the Division of Animal Control (today’s Seattle Animal Shelter) and build a shelter in response to a Citizens’ Task Force on Animal Control Problems.


  • In 1978, Seattle voters passed Initiative 16 which approved the Spay/Neuter Clinic that is still operating at the shelter.


  • In 2010, shelter volunteers formed the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation (now the Seattle Animal Foundation) to support the shelter and fill in funding gaps left by city government


  • In 2024, Seattle citizens successfully advocated for pet business permit transparency following a fatal fire at The Dog Resort, resulting in pet business permit statuses being available for public lookup via King County Public Health’s website.

  • To this day for decades, foster and shelter volunteers have spent thousands of hours supplementing shelter staff by fostering, fundraising, providing enrichment, facilitating meetups with potential adopters, and promoting adoptable animals on social media.


Animal services would not exist without the work of Seattle citizens. And yet, outside of volunteering, citizens are shut out of providing input or community feedback.



Examples of Washington State Citizen Advisory Groups


We have been able to find only three citizen advisory groups within the State of Washington, but they do exist. 


The City of Everett has a population of approximately 113,000 and it has an Animal Shelter Advisory Board. The board provides input on all aspects of animal services including in-depth review of fees and ordinances. It meets quarterly on the fourth Tuesday of the month from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Meetings are virtual and minutes are posted. Here is their October 2025 agenda which includes reports from both animal services and parks.


  • Roll call

  • Approval of minutes: July 22, 2025

  • Adoption of meeting agenda

  • Animal Services Manager report

  • Assistant Parks Director report

  • Member reports and introductions

  • Council Liaison report

  • Public comment


Clallam County has a population of approximately 77,600 and it has an Animal Solutions Advisory Committee. (ASAC). ASAC advises the Board of County Commissioners and provides advice and support to the Sheriff's Office regarding animal control management in Clallam County.  The further purpose of the ASAC will be to provide a regular forum for exchanging information, sharing resources, highlighting emergent concerns and recommending key community strategies to better support county residents and their companion animals. It meets monthly and the meetings are open to the public for both virtual and in-person attendance. Meetings are recorded and archived.


  1. CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL

  2. REQUEST FOR MODIFICATIONS/APPROVAL OF AGENDA

  3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FOR THE MEETING ON: 10/07/25

  4. PUBLIC COMMENT

  5. BUSINESS

    1. Updates on previous topics

  6. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

  7. PUBLIC COMMENT

  8. ADJOURNMENT


Spokane County has a population of approximately 566,000 and it has a Regional Animal Protection Service Advisory Board. The Board makes recommendations and advises the animal services director on matters of concern regarding the wellbeing, safety and enforcement of current local and state laws, codes and rules as they pertain to the domesticated animal population. The Advisory Board provides current knowledge, critical thinking, and analysis to increase business efficiency, communication, and high-quality animal protection service to the citizens of Spokane County. The seven board members include two County appointees, two City of Spokane appointees, two City of Spokane Valley appointees and one representative to be jointly appointed by the mayors of cities/towns that contract for animal control services from the County.


Agendas are based on questions/concerns from stakeholders within the community brought forth by Advisory Board Members.  



Seattle Must Start Somewhere


The City of Seattle once had an Animal Control Commission, but it was dissolved by the mid-2000s. Since then, there has been no effort to revisit a citizen’s advisory board, committee, or commission. 


We believe the decision to dissolve the Seattle Animal Control Commission resulted in a net negative for both animal welfare in Seattle and the important work of SAS. Both sunk further into invisibility in the consciousness of both the public and the city government. There are so many issues and so much work to be done. SAS and animals need champions and those champions must come from Seattle’s citizens who believe in a city that is not only progressive for humans but for animals as well.


The City still has the legal authority to convene an ad-hoc animal advisory committee.  According to the Seattle Municipal Code 9.25.030.21, Authority of the Director, the Director (in this case, the Director of Finance and Administrative Services), may:


Appoint ad hoc advisory committees to advise the Mayor, City Council, and the Director on matters pertaining to animal control, animal welfare, and other functions related to Seattle Animal Control.


There are currently more than 80 citizen boards, commission, and advisory committees in Seattle but not one for animal welfare. While we understand that electeds may not want to add another citizen body that may impact their governing, citizen input is a vital part of democracy; it should be valued. When it comes to the invisible issue of animal welfare in Seattle, it should be welcomed.



Sources:


©2025 by Seattle Animal Watch

We do not accept donations or solicit funds for our work.

bottom of page