Paws 2017 annual report issuu

2017

Report to the Community

A Personal Message from Our Leadership Dear Friends, This report marks a momentous achievement for PAWS: our 50th year! What began in 1967 with a small group of women, who believed they could make a difference for homeless pets through spay and neuter, has now blossomed into a movement that has impacted more than 450,000 animals of nearly 300 species.

While PAWS’ size and reach continues to grow, our origin story is no less relevant to our success today. PAWS could not continue without your belief—that together we can make a difference for animals.

An exciting milestone in and of itself, our 50th year was also full of many other achievements.

In the Companion Animal Shelter, our save rate reached new heights at just over 97 percent.

The Wildlife Center also had a remarkable release rate, despite being incredibly busy.

Given our community’s rapid growth and development in the past few years, many calls and patient admissions were the unfortunate result of human conflicts with wildlife. So, while we cared for as many injured and orphaned animals as possible, we also addressed the

underlying problem by coaching people on how to live peacefully with their wild neighbors.

In fact, PAWS’ education and outreach programs reached a record number of people, including almost 5,000 children. We saw many of them return to PAWS in other ways, eager to help the animals by making dog toys, treats, or holding donation drives. To see these children so clearly carrying forward messages of compassion is a stirring sign of the ripple effect we are creating.

Thanks to you, PAWS touched thousands of lives in this milestone year. And as you read the following pages, we hope you will see how PAWS has been a careful steward of your investment. With your continued trust and support, we will lay a foundation for the next 50 years and beyond.

With gratitude,

Leslie Chandler President, PAWS Board of Directors

Annette Laico Chief Executive Officer

Board of Directors Leslie Chandler, President Batur Oktay, Vice President Karen Trujillo, Secretary Dora Leung, Treasurer Ann-Marie Archer Christy Cheever Jennifer Evans Damian King

Leila Kirske Strom Peterson Jaime Puracal

Annette Laico, Chief Executive Officer

Our Mission PAWS is a champion for animals— rehabilitating injured and orphaned wildlife, sheltering and adopting homeless cats and dogs, and educating people to make a better world for animals and people.

Our Vision PAWS envisions a world where all people recognize the intrinsic value of animals and consistently make choices that demonstrate compassion and respect.

PAWS Helps Animals Find Their Way Home Your support brought care, comfort and second chances to 8,778 cats, dogs and wild animals at PAWS in 2017. From the yearling Harbor Seal who recovered from pneumonia in our care, to a 17-year-old Shih Tzu named Sable who was adopted just in time for the holidays, you wrote the heartwarming endings to many unique stories.

A total of 4,389 wild animals of 150 species were treated, and a remarkable success rate was achieved for these fragile patients. PAWS believes that wild animals should remain wild, and this value dictates our care. In all, 53 percent of the wild animals treated and rehabilitated at PAWS were restored to full health and released back to the wild.

Some of our larger wild patients included: 17 Harbor Seals, three River Otters, eight Black Bear cubs, five Bobcats, and nine Bald Eagles.

We were privileged to care for 36 patients of seven species that were either endangered, threatened, sensitive, or candidate species,

including 24 Western Pond Turtles, four Osprey, and a Guadalupe Fur Seal.

PAWS also welcomed 4,389 cats and dogs in need—and achieved a 97.2 percent save rate by giving every animal as much time as they needed to find their new home. By year’s end, our adoption experts matched 3,764 cats and dogs with new families, and reunited another 290 lost animals with their grateful guardians.

One of our more notable reunions involved Gracie, a little brown and white tabby whose joyful family shared she had been missing for over a year! We also surpassed a notable adoption milestone, as we celebrated the 20,000 th adoption at PAWS Cat City since its doors opened in 1997.

Throughout the year, PAWS Placement Partner Program worked with nearly 100 other shelters and rescue agencies to transfer in animals when they were out of space. While we always focus on our local partners first, we were also able to help animals from as far away as Arkansas, Arizona, California, Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas and Tennessee. For our partners in areas affected by the wildfires and hurricanes in California, Texas and Puerto Rico, we stepped in to help clear their shelters and make room for the animals being displaced.

And when The Humane Society of the United States confiscated 40 wounded and undersocialized dogs from a hoarder, we were one of several emergency partners they trusted to teach them how to play and love again before adopting them out to happy homes.

This orphaned Harbor Seal was returned to her home waters off the Washington Coast after 71 days in care.

She is now wearing an identification tag on her rear flipper so she can be identified by biologists.

Dwarfing his happy new parents on adoption day, Baymax, a handsome American Bulldog mix, took five months to find his forever home. Much of that time was spent in foster homes where Baymax received lots of one-on-one training and socialization.

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PAWS Helps People Help Animals While at first glance it may appear PAWS’ reach is solely animals, a closer look reveals a range of programs designed to educate and support people. From delivering community workshops on cat behavior to teaching fourthgrade classrooms about animal emotions, more than 8,000 students and adults were reached with messages of compassion for animals.

By showing people how to help animals and respect wildlife in their daily lives, PAWS’ education programs play a vital role in creating a brighter future for animals and for people.

PAWS works on several fronts to extend our reach in the community and benefit many animals who will never even arrive at our doors.

In 2017, we responded to more than 25,000 inquiries from members of the public seeking help with animal issues—guiding callers concerned about injured wildlife, pet behavior problems, and much more.

We also continued our Pet Pantry Program for the second year in a row and doubled its impact, meaning we donated more than 2,500 pounds of pet food and other supplies to local food banks. Even more pet supplies

were distributed through our participation in the annual Project Homeless Connect event, helping people in need keep their best friend by their side.

At the core of nearly everything we do is an amazing force of volunteers. And when it comes to saving animals’ lives, no job is too humble for these selfless individuals. Whether cleaning a wild animal enclosure, assembling adoption packets, or quietly comforting a scared dog, volunteers are the backbone of PAWS. An average of 400 people per month volunteered throughout 2017—contributing a staggering 64,498 hours of their time—the equivalent of 31 full-time staff!

This total does not even include the contributions of our volunteer foster families, who spend untold hours helping sick and infant animals in their homes. In 2017, our foster volunteers cared for 2,099 vulnerable cats and dogs.

Top: Advanced-trained volunteers take certain highenergy dogs on special outings to provide an outlet for their exercise needs. Two-year-old Harvey managed to steal a hug, too.

Middle: A wildlife intern hand fed a group of hungry Cedar Waxwing nestlings during the busy baby season.

The baby bird nursery is open from May 1 through September 15.

Left: Employees from Zulily brought big hearts and helping hands to PAWS. The hard-working group installed a wildlife garden to attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

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PAWS in Service Left This infant kitten was nurtured in the home of a trained volunteer foster family.

Companion Animal Highlights • 4,389 companion animals in care • 2,990 spay/neuter surgeries performed • 2,099 animals placed in foster homes • 97.2 percent of companion animals saved

Cats Served Strays received

270

Guardian surrender/Partner transfer in

2,280

Adopted/Partner transfer out

2,413

Lost cats returned to guardian

49

Dogs Served Strays received

332

Guardian surrender/Partner transfer in

1,507

Adopted/Partner transfer out

1,536

Lost dogs returned to guardian

241

PAWS does not euthanize healthy, adoptable cats and dogs. In 2017, 122 cats and dogs–whose acute injury, illness or behavior rendered them unadoptable–were humanely euthanized.

Left Volunteers provide daily exercise (and much appreciated ear scratches) on the wooded trails of the PAWS campus.

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Above Socks, an FIV+ cat transferred from an overcrowded shelter in Missouri, was clicker trained as an outlet for his energy. Eight months after arriving at PAWS, a well-adjusted Socks (who sits on command) was adopted by a loving family.

Wildlife Highlights • 4,389 animals of 150 species admitted • 53 percent of animals treated and rehabilitated were released • 29 veterinary extern and rehabilitation intern students trained • 2,717 surgical and medical procedures performed

Wild Animals Served Above This Northern Pygmy Owl flew into a window several days before Christmas. He had no obvious injuries besides being too stunned to fly. After six days of care, he was released back to the snowy trees of the Northwest.

Education Highlights • 4,981 young people and 3,087 adults enjoyed education programs and outreach experiences delivered by PAWS’ staff in their community.

• Frontline staff answered more than 25,000 calls and emails, assisting with a range of companion animal care and welfare questions, concerns about wild animals in need, and humane solutions to wildlife conflicts.

Left PAWS’ educators presented a cooking class to an enthusiastic audience in Lynnwood, showcasing fall harvest recipes for an animalfriendly diet.

2,321 birds, 2,033 mammals, and 35 reptiles and amphibians

4,389

Animals rehabilitated and released

1,261

Deceased on arrival

204

Died despite care

279

Animals held over into 2017 for further rehabilitation and release

35

Transferred to other facilities

57

Above This Mink was found unconscious in the bike lane of a road. She received rehabilitative care until she was running, climbing and swimming at full strength, and after 44 days, was released back to the wild.

In 2017, PAWS provided release from suffering through humane euthanasia for 2,118 wild animals whose injuries, illnesses or circumstances precluded treatment and release into their native habitat.

Right Our ongoing work to treat Western Pond Turtles for ulcerative shell disease continued in 2017. PAWS collaborates with Woodland Park Zoo, Oregon Zoo, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, and Sustainability in Prisons Project to help with the multi-year recovery of this endangered species.

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PAWS Shares Ideas, Knowledge & Compassion Only by speaking up for animals and educating others can we truly achieve a better world for animals and people. Whether advocating for animal-friendly laws or delivering community workshops, this belief guided our work on several fronts in 2017.

Throughout the year, 19 rehabilitation interns and 10 veterinary externs completed our unique, hands-on training programs in wildlife medicine, learning skills they can use to benefit wild animals in their own communities around the world. The companion animal clinic hosted six visiting veterinarians and seven veterinary students, helping advance their surgery skills and gain experience in shelter medicine. PAWS’ staff also collaborated on multiple research publications and presented sessions at national conferences, including the Association for Professional Humane Educators Conference and the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association Symposium.

In an effort to inspire the next generation of animal advocates, PAWS’ suite of children’s education programs reached a total of 4,981

children through early childhood workshops, teen programs, and everything in between.

Our interactive fourth-grade classroom series, Kids Who Care, visited a record number of schools—and even introduced a course for homeschool students. Our Girl Scout and Cub Scout programs were more popular than ever, reaching 1,569 kids. Yet even more encouraging is the evidence that these programs are having a lasting impact, as roughly 10 percent of these Scouts returned to complete another project for the animals at PAWS! More than 3,000 adults were reached through our community education and outreach programs—from intimate workshops on animal-friendly cooking, to larger events such as Puget Sound BirdFest, Kla Ha Ya Days, Evergreen Library National Night Out, and the Washington State Homeschool Convention.

PAWS also hosted our most well-attended Seattle Catio Tour to date, inspiring nearly 350 people with ideas for cat patio (catio) enclosures that safely allow cats to be outside while protecting local wildlife.

On the legislative front, we championed a number of animal-welfare related bills by working with our colleagues and testifying at hearings. By the end of the legislative session, Substitute Senate Bill 5356—which focused on improving the quality of life for dogs who are tethered, and providing animal control officers with more effective enforcement options— successfully became law.

Working alongside staff, a Wildlife Care Intern received invaluable, hands-on experience by helping to medicate a Great Horned Owl.

By engaging students in fun and interactive education programs, children learned valuable lessons about appreciating, respecting and helping animals.

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PAWS Provides Professional Care for Animals In addition to caring for injured or orphaned wild animals, PAWS is in a unique position to help identify disease outbreaks in local wildlife populations. Early in the year, our wildlife hospital received an unusual number of gulls with a neurologic disease, all coming from the Port of Tacoma area. PAWS’ wildlife team treated the surviving gulls who were suffering from an outbreak of avian botulism. We also continued to play an important conservation role on the Western Pond Turtle Health Team, researching and treating the ulcerative shell disease which is contributing to their population decline. In all, we treated 24 native, endangered Western Pond Turtles for this shell disease, helping promote the species’ recovery.

As it is every year, derelict fishing gear remained a major problem for many aquatic animals. At least eight species were admitted to PAWS after ingesting fish hooks or becoming entangled in fishing line, including a young Harbor Seal, an endangered Western Pond Turtle, and two Great Blue Herons, among others. For patients who have swallowed a fish hook, our wildlife veterinarians utilize a non-invasive technique

of removing the hook with a stiff feeding tube.

This creative strategy has been used several times with success, and prevented surgery for at least one lucky duckling during the year.

Thousands of cats and dogs in our shelter benefited from surgical procedures throughout the year. PAWS’ companion animal medical team performed 2,990 spay or neuter surgeries on shelter animals as well as the pets of low-income community members. Another 254 medical procedures, such as dental cleanings and mass removals, were completed to help animals become more adoptable.

One such animal who benefited from additional medical care was a 10-year-old dog named Bear. Transferred to PAWS from one of our local shelter partners, Bear arrived suffering from skin allergies, chronic ear infections, and respiratory disease. After about six weeks in care, Bear was not only healthy, but on his way home with an incredible family who could not imagine life without him!

Above: An orphaned Harbor Seal pup was examined upon intake. During the spring pupping season, we use our communication channels to educate beachcombers to give 100 yards of space around a beached seal.

Below left: A newly arrived dog from Merced, California enjoyed a bath to wash away the dust from her long journey.

Below right: A baby Anna’s Hummingbird received nourishment from a staff member. These tiny patients require feeding as frequently as every 30 minutes.

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2017 Financials

OPERATING REVENUE Donations & Grants 27.8%

Statements of Financial Position Animal Related Services & Adoption Fees 9.6%

Special Events 10.6%

Other Misc. 7%

Bequests 45%

ASSETS

OPERATING REVENUE

Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $4,359,704 Short term investments 49,033 Receivables 2,680,101 Other current assets 161,813 Total current assets 7,250,651

Public support Donations $1,693,967 Bequests 2,980,550 Special events revenue, net 699,290 Grants 147,743 Distribution from perpetual trust 290,149

Other assets Investments 5,725,522 Interest in real estate 515,000 Contributions receivable, net of current 712,033 Property and equipment, net 5,603,307 Beneficial interest in perpetual trusts 7,010,134 Other 2,680 Total other assets 19,568,676

Revenue Adoptions 467,348 Animal receiving 68,478 Animal related services 97,874 99,817 Municipal contracts / pet license fees Retail sales 53,997 Miscellaneous revenue 11,486 Investment income 6,143

TOTAL ASSETS

TOTAL OPERATING SUPPORT AND REVENUE

$26,819,327

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS Current liabilities Accounts payable, accrued expenses Total current liabilities

OPERATING EXPENSES Companion Animal Services 42.1%

Education & Outreach 10.1%

Fundraising & Events 15.5%

TOTAL LIABILITIES

Wildlife Center 27.4%

General & Administrative 4.9%

Statement of Activities

OPERATING EXPENSES $419,380 419,380 $419,380

Net assets Unrestricted Undesignated 6,364,447 Board designated funds 7,532,724 Board designated endowment 1,740,840 Temporarily restricted 3,751,802 Permanently restricted 7,010,134 Total net assets 26,399,947 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

$6,616,842

Program services Companion Animal Services Wildlife Center Education and Outreach Total program services Supporting services Fundraising and Events General and Administrative TOTAL EXPENSES

$1,858,549 1,210,807 443,813 3,513,169 686,608 215,735 $4,415,512

NON-OPERATING ACTIVITY $26,819,327

NOTE: PAWS is conducting a multi-year capital campaign to build new facilities to meet growing community need, provide optimal animal care and establish a destination learning site for people of all ages. Property was purchased in 2014, and PAWS is in the permitting process to begin construction.

Capital Campaign contributions Capital Campaign expenses Change in value of charitable trusts Investment return on Board designated endowment Other income NON-OPERATING CHANGE

$1,107,558 (165,755) 697,967 197,244 (53,500) $1,783,514

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Above: Hamilton arrived at PAWS a few days after Christmas as a two-monthold baby from Florence, Texas, with brothers Chance and Lafayette and sister Eliza. After a brief stay in a foster home, Hamilton was adopted into a loving home by a local family. Hamilton came to PAWS via our Placement Partner Program, a network of 100 shelters and rescue agencies who transfer animals to us when they are out of space. While we always focus on our local partners first, we are also able to help animals like Hamilton from as far away as Texas.

Cover: In the expert care of a wildlife rehabilitator, an orphaned River Otter received a bottle feeding. Once weaned, this patient was housed in an enclosure with a pool to practice swimming and catch fish until strong enough to be released back to the wild.

All of the animals pictured in this annual report, and thousands of others, were saved because of the support of people like you. Thank you.

PO Box 1037 15305 44th Ave W Lynnwood, WA 98046

425.787.2500 paws.org