Lexie is 13. A shepherd mix, she was brought to the Everett Animal Shelter as a stray. If enough volunteers join a new program, she may soon be relaxing in a foster home.
“It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a while,” said Dee Cordell, the shelter’s operations coordinator. “The senior dogs, it’s hard to see them come into the shelter. They’re old. They have issues. It’s heartbreaking.”
The shelter is seeking volunteers for its new senior dog foster program. Those interested in opening their homes to dogs with grizzled snouts must attend a no-obligation orientation and training event. The first session is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at the Everett Animal Shelter, 333 Smith Island Road.
Already, the shelter has about 60 people involved in a foster care program. It’s for puppies and kittens needing to be older before adoption, and adult cats with illnesses or injuries. Cordell said adult dogs are rarely in foster homes, unless they’re recovering from an injury or other ailment.
“Literally, fostering expands the walls of our shelter,” Cordell said.
She stressed that the new foster program isn’t intended for senior dogs that would otherwise be euthanized. The goal is adoption. Her dog Scout, a Lab mix “with a lot of sweet,” was adopted four years ago and is now 12, Cordell said.
Many dogs awaiting adoption do fine at the shelter, where volunteers walk them and provide socialization. Older dogs often have a harder time adjusting. Stressful surroundings are no match for a cozy home.
“What we’re hoping with the senior dog program is that we get them out of the shelter — lower their stress level, keep them comfortable, and make them available for adoption,” Cordell said.
Elizabeth Woche, a volunteer at the shelter, has been the driving force in starting the program.
“It’s all about the senior dogs. Some are stressed out, or are recovering from surgery. They just need a quiet place,” said Woche, who was at the shelter Monday greeting Lexie. “The only thing that stops us is the availability of foster homes,” the Stanwood woman said.
Woche has provided a foster home for dogs through the nonprofit Old Dog Haven in Oak Harbor, and is a co-founder of Save-A-Mutt, which raises money for animal rescue efforts.
“She really has been the champion of senior dogs as one of our volunteers,” Cordell said.
“The Everett Animal Shelter is a starting point,” said Woche. With seven dogs at home, she quipped, “I’m a foster fail” — meaning she fell in love with old dogs she was fostering and kept them.
Glynis Frederiksen, manager of Everett Animal Services, said the agency takes animals through contracts with 14 locales. Although not a no-kill shelter, “overall our live-release rate is over 91 percent,” Frederiksen said.
“Because of our community, we work really hard to get these animals out of here,” Cordell said. She added that more than 1,200 animals each year are transferred to other organizations, among them Camano Animal Shelter Association (CASA), PAWS in Lynnwood, Homeward Pet in Woodinville, and Purrfect Pals.
Unlike those nonprofits, the Everett shelter is an open-admission facility that accepts owner-surrender animals. In recent years, Frederiksen said, the shelter’s live-release rates have increased. In 2014, the live-release rate was 84.1 percent, compared with 91.3 percent in 2017.
In 2017, of 2,148 dogs taken in, 142 were euthanized. For cats, 2,100 were taken in last year, and 220 euthanized. Those figures don’t include animals brought in by owners requesting euthanasia due to advanced age, illness or aggression, Frederiksen said.
There isn’t one particular demographic for the current foster program, except the majority are women.
“We have some great families that home-school. We have people who work from home, people who can take them to work, and retired people,” Cordell said. “There are people who can’t make a commitment for a pet, but do this temporarily. We give them their animal fix.”
At the shelter Monday, along with Lexie, there were about 90 dogs and 70 cats, said Kim Mantyla, part of the kennel staff. And P.J., a decade-old poodle I met Monday, had been adopted by Tuesday morning.
“Personally, I love old dogs,” said Frederiksen. “They’re less likely to eat your couch.”
Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460; jmuhlstein@heraldnet.com.
Senior dog
foster training
People interested in opening their homes for the Everett Animal Shelter’s senior dog foster program must attend an orientation and training session. The first one is 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at the shelter, 333 Smith Island Road. No need to register.
Requirements: Must be at least 18, pass a Washington State Patrol background check, be able to start right away, have pets at home current on all vaccinations, be able to keep foster animals separate from pets, and bring foster animals to shelter as necessary.
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