The Seattle Animal Shelter is responsible for enforcing the laws and codes involving animals within the City of Seattle. Humane Animal Law Enforcement Officers work seven days a week to ensure human and animal safety within Seattle. Call (206) 386-7387 to ask a question or file a complaint. (If you have a life-threatening situation involving both humans and animals, call 911.)
All complaints are prioritized depending on the nature of the call. As you will see in future posts, filing a complaint is not necessarily the first step; often it is wise to first communicate with the pet owner to try to work out a mutually satisfactory solution to the problem.
When calling to report an incident, have as much information as possible including descriptions of animal and owner, address of owner, and/or license plate of owner. Officers respond to calls and complaints regarding:
- Enforcement of laws and ordinances relating to animals
- Dangerous or menacing animals
- Injured or dead animals (including wildlife)
- Animal welfare or cruelty
- Stray and abandoned pets
- Failure to scoop pet waste
- Failure to leash a pet (cats and pigeons excluded)
- Property damage caused by pets
- Surrendering a pet
- Un-licensed dogs, cats, miniature goats or pot-bellied pigs
- Unreasonable animal noise
- Animal-related disaster response
Seattle Animal Shelter also provides other services, such as:
- Pet adoptions
- Spay and neuter clinic
- Pet licensing
- Lost pets
Seattle Animal Shelter’s website is http://www.seattle.gov/animalshelter/ and its hours and location are here.
Our next post will cover leash laws.
Isn’t it time to confine cats? They are the leading predator in the urban setting.