We had the very best experience at the shelter in that my preconceived ideas of what the shelter experience would be could not have been farther from reality. First initially I didn't think I could even go into the facility, but there was a dog named Mickey that I wanted to adopt site unseen. So I HAD to go inside. Mickey was long gone, so I was told I could go back to the cage area and look at the other dogs who were available that day for adoption. I said to myself, I can't do that, but I did. The most important fact I experienced is that the dogs awaiting adoption each had its' own cage which was clean and tidy. All the dogs appeared clean and healthy. I picked the sadist looking dog- Sweet Pea. She has provided us with the best experiences over the course of the last year. It took less than a month and only two books that we had to purchase from the library because they had a few bite-chew marks. Her name is now Maggie May named after the Rod Stewart song. She provides hourly joy to our family. So the point of this review is two-fold: I encourage anyone who may be like I was in terms of fearful of not being able to experience the "Pound"; sort of like the Sarah McLaughlin commercial and two a dear friend passed away and ask that friends and family contribute to their local animal shelter in lieu of flowers. I encourage every one to do that regardless. Lastly, I want to thank all the staff and volunteers for their service to the community of humans and critters alike. Mary E. Vollert

I have been fostering cats for SAS for about four years now and if you knew how other city shelters operate you'd appreciate how progressive this shelter is. Many other shelters kill the animals brought in on schedule and for space - even lost pets. SAS officers, employees and volunteers care about animal welfare and want to make sure that their homeless animals find good homes. As a foster parent, I know firsthand how supportive they've been for vet care and for providing lots of avenues to get my fosters adopted. Because there are never enough foster homes, some animals get stuck at the shelter and the staff/volunteers tend to them as best as they can. The animals are not sent to a vet as a matter of course and there is no vet on staff except at their spay/neuter clinic. But if an animal shows symptoms of serious illness, shelter volunteers will take them to a vet. If you are looking for a new furry family member, I encourage you to check the SAS Petfinder listings for animals at the shelter and also the huge number in foster care. Don't shop - adopt!

We have only been here once, we found a poor older dog roaming around Belltown and after no answer on the vets tag we took the D Line bus to the shelter to see if they could take him in and try to find the owners. They were more than gracious to help him out, and said if they do not find the owners he was such a great little guy he would have no problem finding a forever home. The people here have a TOUGH JOB but I am glad they are there. I know I will be donating what I can to the shelter to help them out where I can.

Lovely shelter full of volunteers who really care!

They have wonderful facilities for the animals, however it seemed like they were bursting at the brim with animals. Even in the waiting room they had cages with cats in them. Not to mention by being close to downtown there was a certain quality of average person looking to adopt or just at the animals in the shelter that was off putting. The staff was amazing and very patient. Props to them!