Public Announcements

Meet Amy Ferguson

Amy Ferguson (she/her) grew up in Eastern Washington and moved to the Seattle area in the late 90s. Before her career in animal welfare, she worked in health insurance and then made the leap to animal welfare in 2009 when she joined the board of directors for ARF of Everett, and then in 2013 became their Executive Director. In 2017, Amy became the Executive Director of Pawsitive Alliance, and in 2019 moved to the Executive Director role at Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project. Amy has served on the board of the Washington Federation of Animal Care and Control Agencies since 2020 and in 2022 became Treasurer. She also currently sits on the Marketing/Fundraising Committee.

Amy, her husband, and two cats live in downtown Everett and occasionally share their home with foster kittens.

Washington State Legislature

It was an eventful session in the Washington State Legislature in regard to animal related issues. Two major victories to report.

Both laws take effect later this summer.  KUDOS to Pasado’s Safe Haven and many other WaFED member organizations for their tireless efforts and hard work on these important pieces of legislation.

For detailed information on these changes, as well as updated information from the Washington State Department of Health, concerning updates to regulations for veterinary medical services offered by animal shelters, please visit www.wafederation.org and view the recorded webinar that outlines these changes. 

May Homeward Pet 2023 Fur Ball Gala & Auction

At the May Homeward Pet 2023 Fur Ball Gala & Auction, Washington Federation Board Member, Chris Federlein.  Chris was presented with the award as recognition to her commitment to bettering the lives of animals not only through her volunteer and donor activities at Homeward Pet, but through her individual passion to end cat overpopulation throughout Washington state.

Shelby Wade, Homeward Pet Adoption Center Volunteer Manager, shared:

“Chris has been an active volunteer for over 11 years and has done the volunteer reception role almost exclusively, weekly, working with the public and sharing her extensive knowledge, especially regarding cats and community cats.  She is absolutely my “go to” and an inspiration with community cats.  She has also provided support for offsite events, the Homeward Pet food bank (pick-ups and deliveries to and from community locations), and fostering.

Her continued support of the community through us and Community Cat Coalition is quite admirable.

She always keeps a cool head with situations at reception and is an exceptional representative of Homeward Pet.”

Chris began volunteering with a local cat shelter shortly after retirement and served a term on their Board of Directors where she led a team to review and update their bylaws, developed job descriptions for board positions, chaired a committee that managed one of their two major annual fund raisers, and worked with a CPA firm specializing in non-profit accounting to begin preparation for a formal audit. Chris then became involved with a group of local rescuers who wanted to start an organization to focus on helping free roaming cats in the community and helped launch the Community Cat Coalition in 2012.

In addition to Chris, the “Peggy Noll Heart of the Shelter Award” was presented to Mud Bay, Inc. for it’s support of Homeward Pet and animal welfare organizations throughout Western Washington.

The “Peggy Noll Heart of the Shelter Award” was launched in 2019 when it was presented to its namesake, Peggy Noll.  Ms. Noll has had a significant presence at Homeward Pet for more than 31 years, serving as a volunteer, board member, executive director, fundraiser and now, Community Engagement Director for Homeward Pet.  Her tireless commitment to animal welfare and her passion to better the lives for all animals is why the award was created and named in her honor. 

Chris Federlein (center), pictured with Peggy Noll (left) and Nanette McCann (right), Homeward Pet Executive Director

Thanks to the sales of ‘SPAY~NEUTER~ADOPT’

Thanks to the sales of ‘SPAY~NEUTER~ADOPT’ specialty license plates six grants for spay/neuter surgery were issued in April. A total of $28,000 in grants to six organizations located throughout Washington will result in over 600 animals being altered. Pet cats and dogs owned by low income households and community cats will benefit from this funding.

Organizations receiving grants include the Humane Society of Southwest Washington, Blue Mountain Humane Society, Northwest Organization for Animal Help (NOAH), Pet OverPopulation Prevention (POPP), Sedro Woolley Police Department and Yakima Humane Society.

Your support in promoting the sale of these license plates makes this grant funding possible!  Please continue to promote these plates so that we can continue to grow our spay/neuter grant program.  Low-cost spay/neuter resources are greatly needed.   Click on SPAY ~ NEUTER ~ ADOPT LICENSE PLATES – Washington Federation (wafederation.org) to find promotional materials that can be utilized.

Shelters After Dark

A huge thank you to Leslie Dalzell and her staff at the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County for hosting our inaugural Shelters After Dark event on April 28th!   After the group enjoyed refreshments and some networking, Ann Graves and Kathleen Olson gave brief presentations on WAFED programs and the history of the organization. Then Dr. Jennifer Bennett, Chief Veterinary Officer, Tacoma & Pierce County Humane, gave a timely presentation on the changes in shelter medicine the state has seen, and the history of WAFED advocating for animal welfare since 1908.

The event was well attended, with 21 representatives from a good variety of organizations, including South County Cats, Auburn Valley Humane Society/Northwest Spay Neuter, Feline Friends, Purrfect Pals, Seattle Area Feline Rescue, Community Cat Coalition, Humane Society of Mason County, HSUS, and the ASPCA!  Leslie Dalzell and Julia Bonsell led an enjoyable tour of the facility, pointing out the improvements made over the past several years.

Our goal is to make Shelters After Dark a regularly scheduled event.  The next Shelters After Dark will be held this fall.  Stay tuned for details!  These events are a great opportunity to network with attendees from other organizations and also to learn what other shelters are doing.  We look forward to seeing everyone at future Shelters After Dark!

Spay/Neuter Grants

The Federation makes quarterly grants of up to $5000 to member organizations for the spay or neuter of dogs, cats and pet rabbits.  Priority is given to organizations that target cats, Put Bull type dogs, serve low-income pet owners and areas with limited access to low cost spay/neuter services. Working collaboratively with other organizations and providing the highest number of surgeries for the lowest cost. Have you applied?

Starting in early 2007, The Federation started receiving revenue from the sales of “We Love Our Pets” specialty vehicle license plates. To proactively address the pet overpopulation problem in our state, these funds were earmarked through an agreement with the State of Washington for spay/neuter surgeries.

To be eligible for a grant, your organization must be a voting member of the Federation and current with data reporting through Shelter Animals Count. You must agree to use these grant funds solely for spay/neuter surgeries of dogs, cats, and/or rabbits in Washington State, including owned pets, community cats and, in some cases, sheltered animals in communities where affordable spay/neuter access is restricted.  The purpose of the grants is to increase the total number of spay/neuter surgeries performed or subsidized by your organization.

Grants must be used within six months of receipt and a final report on how funds have been utilized must be submitted. The report should include financial accounting of the grant funds, written results of the project (photos optional but appreciated) and how your organization has promoted the “Spay Neuter Adopt- We Love Pets” specialty license plates (social media, newsletters, flyers, ensuring that your company vehicles have the licenses, etc.).

To apply, log in and click this link: http://www.wafederation.org/spayneuter-grant-form/ . Application deadlines for the quarterly grant cycles are March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31.

Emergency Relief Funds Available

The Federation offers Emergency Animal Relief (E.A.R.) funds to member organizations in Washington in the case of a natural disaster, a fire, flood, or wind damage at the shelter, a major fire in the community served, or a devastating epidemic in the shelter or community served.

The funds are granted by the Federation for the animals affected by the emergency or disaster – food, shelter, medicine and/or veterinary care. The funds can also be used to purchase necessary equipment for direct care of the animals, such as cages, crates or collars. Also covered are the expenses associated with transporting and/or boarding animals, if they must be housed elsewhere. The recipient organization is required to keep receipts and related documentation. Copies of the receipts need to be submitted for reimbursement by the Federation.

To expedite the process, a request for Federation emergency assistance can be made by e-mail or phone to the Board President (Kathleen Olson, [email protected] | 253.988.0827 call or text)

Following the initial request, a formal request must be made in writing and sent to the Administrator Cora Wells ([email protected]) with a copy to the Board President ([email protected]). Funding is subject to availability.