RASKC commends Seattle Meowtropolitan, a cat café and foundation in Seattle, that has entered its sixth remarkable year of operations- despite all of the COVID restrictions. Meowtropolitan provides interactive experiences for cats and people, adoption opportunities, and a super fun gift shop- in person and online. Additionally Meowtropolitan offers in-person all-levels “yoga time with cats,” led by professional instructors in Viniyoga- a breath-centered practice that brings focus and peace of mind while stretching and stabilizing one’s body.

Co-founder and co-owner Andrew Hsieh launched Meowtropolitan in December 2015, after about 15 months of planning, fundraising, renovations, and waiting on permits. All of Meowtropolitan’s co-owners and co-founders are proudly Asian American. RASKC recently spoke with Andrew.

To read an interview with Seattle Meowtropolitan’s Andrew Hsieh, go to our blog.

RASKC recently began using the Adoptimize technology to improve the appearance of pet photos on our website. With a little work, Adoptimize adds an attractive, colorful background to our pets’ photos. Kudos to interim Animal Services Coordinator Emily Ruppert for bringing this project to fruition.

RASKC uses Adoptimize for free for one year by participating in Maddie’s Fund's "Return to Home Challenge." Adoptimize suggests that return-to-owner rates might improve when people more readily recognize their lost pets with clearer images on the website. RASKC’s return-to-owner rate in March 2020 for dogs was 63%, and for cats it was 14%. Hopefully these already impressive rates will improve this year with the help of Adoptimize!

RASKC’s “pet treasure chest” has grown from a lift-up bin to a nice onsite walk-in pantry. Special kudos to interim Animal Services Coordinator Emily Ruppert, who spearheaded this project.

Our onsite pet-food bank welcomes members of the public who need pet food assistance. We also welcome people who wish to drop off in-kind donations (except RASKC cannot accept contributions of prescription medicines). With COVID, the pantry is conveniently located just outside of our entrance doors. The food bank is open and available to the public during the hours we are open to the public: Mondays through Fridays, 12pm-6pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm- 5pm.

Community member Kye recently spent about 70 hours painting rocks. The rocks Kye donated add a festive flair to the pantry area. Click here to read an interview with artist Kye, see a fun video, and see photographs of RASKC staff with their favorite rocks.

RASKC’s mission: Helping people and pets!

With the fondest of memories and the very best wishes, RASKC bids adieu to Pui Yee upon her retirement. Pui has worked in Pet Licensing for most of her 30 years of employment with King County.

“Pui was instrumental in the pet licensing section converting to the Chameleon system and has continued to be a subject matter expert for colleagues and completed the training for a number of new hires,” said RASKC’s Pet Licensing Manager Denise McCollum. “Pui has always been a reliable, highly productive employee completing work with great speed and efficiency. Pui will be greatly missed for the integral role she has played in pet licensing. Most importantly, we will all miss Pui for the kind, patient and respectful person that she is.”

If you would like to make a special donation to support RASKC’s efforts with the pet-food banks, please donate gift cards.

If you would like to make a special donation to RASKC, please click here for our wish list on Amazon.

Our dog program would love to receive long leads, about 20- 50 feet or longer. 

Our foster program would love to receive meat-based Gerber baby food; kitten playpens at least four feet across with zippers (not Velcro); snuggle kitties with a battery-generated heartbeat; Miracle Nipples, both sizes; and pet food or cat litter for our Pet Treasure Chest.

For more information about donations or in-kind gifts, visit the Donations page on our website.

Meet Optimus! He is an American Foxhound Mix, almost seven years old (A530542). He is an affectionate lovebug who would be thrilled to cuddle up with you at home! A spirited dog with a fun-loving personality, Optimus’s personality color is RED.

Optimus’s previous owner brought him to RASKC, because they were moving and unable to bring him along.

Optimus is very smart. He knows to "sit," "stay," "come," and "shake." Optimus is very motivated to work for yummy food, so much of his feeding could take place in training sessions and enrichment time.

Weighing about 120 pounds, Optimus will need help getting back to a healthy weight. This will mean regular walks for exercise and regulated meals and treats.

Optimus has been known to resource guard, meaning that he displays behavior that is intended to convince other dogs or humans to stay away from a particular treasure or "resource." The resource that he guards is food and treats. If you take Optimus home, he will benefit from in-home guidance to help to him manage and improve this behavior. Optimus might prefer a home without other pets.

Optimus is working on is manners, so he would do best with a family who is willing to work with help him to become the best dog he can be.

This dog is is neutered, current on vaccinations, and microchipped. His adoption also comes with a free visit to the veterinarian of your choice and 30 days of free opt-in pet insurance through Trupanion.

You can find out more about Optimus on RASKC’s website at www.kingcounty.gov/adoptapet. Scroll down the page and insert his name. You may meet this dog and up to two other animals by scheduling an appointment through our website. If you need assistance, contact us at 206-296-7347 (PETS), pets@kingcounty.gov.

MADDIE’S FUND INVITES YOU TO ONLINE CONVERSATION ABOUT PROMOTING DIVERSITY IN ANIMAL SERVICES

Join Maddie’s Fund online conversation this Tuesday, March 23, at 12pm for an open, informal 30-minute conversation and Q+A with @Ed Jamison, Director of Dallas Animal Services. Learn and be inspired by Ed’s journey promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in his daily work. Come away with ideas to keep more people and pets together through respect and appreciation.

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NEW WORK FROM LOCAL ARTISTS DEPICTS THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19 AND RACISM

New works by seven local artists and community creatives offer fresh ways of understanding the intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic with race, bias, and culture.

The art features messages of hope and resilience and emphasizes that our health and well-being as individuals, and as a community, depends on one another.

These works are a direct response to the bias and stigma that we saw grow out of the of the COVID-19 pandemic. They not only help us reflect on the community solidarity that we have consistently seen throughout this pandemic response, but also suggest ways of creating a better future, during this uncertain time. Samples of the artwork can be found here, along with more information.

(Cross-posted from an article by Whitney Johnson, Communities of Opportunity, in the Public Health Insider).