TACOMA

TACOMA’S

HUMANE SOCIETY

“COMPASSION ISN’T CANCELED” IN HUMANE SOCIETY’S 30TH ANNUAL DOG-A-THON

By Rachel Kelly Photos Courtesy of Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County and the Tacoma Public Library Archives

The story begins in 1888. The local circus was in town, along with an advertised performance by local animals; one of those performers being a large bear. The mistreated and most likely malnutritioned bear failed to perform. His trainer began to ruthlessly kick him and would not stop. Appalled, the people of Tacoma began to cry as one for kindness and justice. The trainer spent some time in prison as a result of his cruelty; enough time to recognize that he’d found himself in a wholly different kind of city. It was for this reason that the Tacoma Humane Society was formed.

The Humane Society of Tacoma and Pierce County is not really connected to other Humane Societies, in that they’re not one large nonprofit. Each society functions separately and individually according to the needs of its community. The Humane Society of Tacoma and Pierce County is proudly one of the oldest Humane Societies in the country. In 1888, when it was founded, it ran a little different than it does today. Originally, the Tacoma Humane Society began as a nonprofit geared as a refuge for orphaned children and livestock.

Today it has evolved according to the needs of its community and is back to where it began (minus the children). It is a refuge for injured, abused or lost animals. Namely, domesticated pets. Currently the Tacoma Humane Society of Tacoma and Pierce County is housing over 230 cats, dogs and critters. This doesn’t include those in its foster care program, which bumps the number of pets considerably higher. The society only euthanizes animals for the sake of compassion, and never for space or time. Which is why the foster care program is so essential: It makes space. The Humane Society for Tacoma

and Pierce County sees approximately 10,000 animals per year. A high 92 percent of those animals leave the building healthier and happier than when they came.

The number of animals currently being housed at the facility may seem high, but it is in fact characteristically low. The play pens, runs, building and parking lot are pretty quiet. This is not because animals are not coming in; the healthy partnership that the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County has with animal control ensures that there will always be lost animals coming in. However, since the COVID-19 shutdown, adoption has been up. And while the pandemic itself is not good news, the compassionate response of our community toward its smallest members is. Adopting an animal doesn’t take very many resources, but it does take time. Time is about the only thing that we have in excess right now.

The pandemic has also changed the face of the Humane Society’s largest yearly event: the Dog-A-Thon, with 2020 marking its 30th year. Normally the fundraiser boasts of a vendor village, which is like a large open-air market for local products (many of them pet related). There is also a 1-mile walk; this year they were even planning to add on a 5k. In addition, there are usually canine demos and a dog agility course. But as the time for the event came closer, the society came to the realization that a large community event just might not be feasible. However, equally unfeasible was the thought of not having funding for proper veterinary care. So this year’s fundraiser went WHILE THE PANDEMIC virtual. ITSELF IS NOT

“Compassion isn’t GOOD NEWS, THE canceled, so neither is Dog-A-Thon,” was COMPASSIONATE the pending tagline to this year’s fundraiser. RESPONSE OF OUR Instead of an openair vendor village, COMMUNITY TOWARD vendors posted their products on the ITS SMALLEST Humane Society’s website. Instead of MEMBERS IS. walking in a large group, participants for this year’s walk were encouraged to garner funds by walking in their neighborhoods. The first three walkers to post their participation via the hashtag #dogathon2020 received gift cards from Mud Bay as an incentive. On Facebook, the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County did a 30-minute presentation, opening up the event and showcasing adoptable animals. There was even an online tutorial for pet CPR!

The Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County ended the fundraiser having raised $100,000, a significant number comparable to previous years. These funds will reverberate throughout the year, felt by each animal that finds its way through the Humane Society’s doors. And what a year it’s been thus far! In January, the Humane Society began by taking in a group of dogs forced into brutal combat in an illegal dog fighting ring. Just after that, the pandemic hit, and the Humane Society became very (happily) busy in caring for and adopting out a large percentage of animals in their care. Then came the revamping of this year’s fundraiser. What’s next for the society now that we are rolling

into fall? Much the same as it has always planned in years past since its conception in 1888: care. Care for the smallest most vulnerable members of our community—from domesticated rabbits to the dogs forced to “perform” in dog fighting rings.

The pandemic has been, for some, an experience akin to having the floor crumble beneath their feet. We’re all like plumbers, who’ve discovered that there are 20 leaks in the pipe. We plug one hole with one hand, only to discover another one open. We eventually run out of hands and begin to wade in deep water. The pandemic has forced us to take a good hard look in the mirror at who we are and where we want to go. It can be disconcerting, and yet it can also be empowering. Empowering because we discover that here, we’re not alone. There are other hands ready to plug a few more holes. Community is the buoy that bolsters our efforts. Together, we are successful.

There are a lot of things we’re missing right now, a lot of yearly activities that are canceled. Some of our favorite community places have closed, and we mourn the wide range of change and struggle. But compassion is never canceled. Compassion does not close. The need for goodness, for a helping hand, does not go away. Thank you, Tacoma, for never forgetting that. We are a city that answers the call for help, even from the very least of these.