Editor's Note for Jan. 22: Changed Eric Swansen's title from shelter director to operations manager.

Many animal shelters across the nation have a 72-hour policy. If a dog, cat … even a lizard lands in the shelter and is not adopted within that 72-hour period they are often euthanized.

Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) takes a different approach, according to Kent operations manager Eric Swansen.

“We have a commitment here,” he said. “We will not euthanize an adoptable animal, end of story.”

The term, “adoptable animal,” means some animals are still euthanized, generally for dangerously aggressive behavior or untreatable illness, but their policy means many animals are kept at the Kent shelter until a family is found.

The policy also means Animal Services is always in need of volunteers, foster parents and donations to keep the animals healthy and adoptable.

Animal Services has been under the watchful eye of King County Executive (and West Seattleite) Dow Constantine since he took his position in 2009.

“He really has a strong affinity for animal welfare,” Swansen said of Constantine. “He takes it very seriously and I think that has translated into his personal efforts that he has made behind the scenes with cities to make this partnership (between cities and King County to operate shelters) work.”

Helping through donations

The two most popular funds for Animal Services are the Benevolent Pets Fund and the Angel Fund, according to Swansen.

Donations to Benevolent Pets are put towards the greatest needs of the shelter at any given time. Angel Fund donations are used to fund surgeries and medical care to make animals adoptable.

“We will guarantee that that money is going to be used to provide medical treatment that would make the animal adoptable,” Swansen said. “Otherwise, it might be a fatal illness or condition for the animal.”

“Sometimes heroic measures need to be taken to save an animal and get it to the point of being adoptable,” he added.

Swansen and King County Executive Services communications manager Paula Adams shared a recent success story from the Angel Fund.

Molly, a 5-year-old stray Labrador mix, came to the Kent shelter in early January after falling out of a Jeep and breaking her hind left leg in Auburn. It quickly became apparent to shelter staff that Molly would not recover unless she had surgery. Angel Funds were used to pay for a board-certified veterinary specialist to repair Molly’s leg.

Adams took a photo of Molly for this story (at top) and reported back, “I was struck by the fact that she has fully recovered – there is no evidence in her walk or mannerisms that she was ever injured. We expect Molly to pass her final vet check this week and then she will be ready for adoption.”

Molly did pass that final vet check and she is ready for adoption. Her information can be found at www.petharbor.com. Use Animal ID# A050941 to find Molly.

Donation information can be found at RASKC’s website, http://www.kingcounty.gov/safety/regionalAnimalServices/DonateVolunteer.aspx.

Helping through volunteerism

Sarah Luthens, manager of volunteer services for RASKC, said the Kent shelter is always in need of more volunteers, from walking dogs or cuddling cats at the shelter to becoming temporary foster parents.

“We always have a tremendous need for foster volunteers,” Luthens said. “What they do is they temporarily take care of one of the animals in their own home. They virtually expand the shelter’s walls and sometimes dogs or cats or kittens just need a break from the shelter especially if they are recovering from some type of illness (like a cold).

"It is so much better for them to find a little patch of sunlight in someone’s living room for a few weeks and get in top condition so they can be adopted out,” she added.

Luthens said she is proud of the care animals receive at the shelter, “but the nurturance of someone’s home is almost always better for a cat with the sniffles than the shelter.”

Foster volunteers always have first crack at permanently adopting animals that spend time in their home, Luthens said.

Luthens and Swansen said the help volunteers provide is invaluable in changing shelter animals’ lives.

“One of the things that really sets us apart is we have volunteers that will spend time walking these dogs, playing with them, trying to understand a little bit about them so they are even more adoptable, even better socialized, even better suited for a new family and that’s something that I think everybody can be proud of,” Swansen said.

RASKC offers Foster Animals 101 Training several times a month at the Kent shelter and the schedule can always be found at their website, http://www.kingcounty.gov/safety/regionalAnimalServices/DonateVolunteer.aspx. The next session is on Jan. 27 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Kent Shelter.

Luthens said the 90-minute training session is taught by a veterinarian tech who covers the ins and outs of fostering an animal in one’s home, selection process for picking the right animal, animal care and all the services provided by the shelter during foster care including food and litter boxes.

“We have a real commitment to providing the best support for our foster volunteers,” Luthens said. “It is a great thing. If we could get some folks from White Center and West Seattle that would be wonderful.”