Before PAWS ever found a home for a homeless cat or dog, or rehabilitated an injured or orphaned wild animal, PAWS was an animal advocacy organization. Founded in 1967 in Lynnwood, Washington by a group of dedicated volunteers, PAWS had the progressive idea to stop the euthanasia crisis in our nation’s shelters at its source—by campaigning for spay and neuter to reduce companion animal overpopulation in our communities.

PAWS’ commitment to advocate for animals also extended far beyond cats and dogs. Within a few years of founding PAWS, members were leading efforts in the Puget Sound to stop the capture of Orcas for amusement parks, to reform exotic animal laws, and to fight against pound seizure laws—which allowed research facilities to take companion animals from area shelters for painful experimentation and ultimate death. Most of PAWS’ members were also regular attendees at ethical vegetarian meetings.

PAWS continues today to advocate on behalf of all animals through direct care for companion animals and wildlife, through humane education, and by collaborating with organizations and elected officials on both a local and state level. PAWS’ leadership on issues that affect animals around the Puget Sound empowers communities to live compassionately and act responsibly toward companion animals, our wild neighbors and the earth that we share. Thanks to the dedication of PAWS members and volunteers, PAWS has compiled an impressive list of accomplishments in the last four decades. Below is a selection of just a few of these victories:

2004 to present - Seattle Goose Program: PAWS was instrumental in collaborating with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and Seattle Parks and Recreation to create a comprehensive, sustainable and humane solution to goose-human conflicts in Seattle. The program—launched in 2004—was expanded and refined in 2005. As of September 2006, the three-year pilot program met its goals, which has resulted in a continuation of the moratorium on killing geese in Seattle parks. The long-term goal is for humane management of geese to become an integrated part of the Seattle Parks Department. As progress continues on a multi-year program, PAWS is hopeful a formal moratorium will be made permanent and neighboring communities will join a region-wide humane program. Read more about the Seattle Goose Program.

2007 - King County Animal Services: PAWS was again invited by King County to serve on the King County Animal Care and Control Citizen’s Advisory Committee. In sharing our expertise and lessons learned from nearly 40 years of providing care for companion animals, we hope to help create a sustainable safety net for the animals in King County and the Puget Sound community.

2001 to 2007 - Exotic Animal Ownership Bill: Often bought when they are young and easier to manage, exotic animals may pose a threat to the public as they grow and begin to exert their natural behaviors. Not only do these animals present a risk in transmitting diseases to humans, local wildlife and livestock, there is also a danger that these animals will be released into our communities—during a natural disaster, or intentionally by an owner who finds the animal to be too difficult or expensive to care for.

In 2001, PAWS joined with the Animal Protection Institute (API) to introduce House Bill 1551, which would prohibit future ownership of large cats, wolves, bears, non-human primates, alligators, crocodiles and venomous reptiles. After key amendments were made at the beginning of the 2003-04 Washington legislative sessions, HB 1551 was frustratingly stopped via a procedural motion.

In 2007, House bill 1418 and companion Senate bill 5379—banning people from possessing and breeding potentially dangerous exotic animals—were introduced to the Washington State legislature by the HSUS and API. Although SB 5379 did not make if far enough in committee to pass the legislative session, HB 1418 passed the House 63-34 on March 10, and passed the Senate 34-15 on April 3. On April 30, HB 1418, protecting consumers from the keeping of dangerous wild animals was signed into law. Effective July 22, 2007 Washington State finally joined 37 other states in our nation to have regulations prohibiting private possession of exotic animals.

2002 - Edmonds and Everett Spay/Neuter Initiatives: PAWS was instrumental in working with the city councils of Everett and Edmonds to require spay/neuter of animals adopted from shelters as well as raise license fees for people who choose not to sterilize their own animals. Our all-volunteer signature drives gathered more signatures than necessary to put these initiatives on the ballots and are testament to the dedication of these communities to ending pet overpopulation.

2000 - I-713 Ban Cruel Traps: PAWS, the HSUS and over 100 other groups endorsed the all-volunteer campaign to outlaw cruel traps under the heading of the “Protect Pets and Wildlife Foundation.” This carefully crafted and balanced legislation contains clear exceptions that allow the use of certain body-gripping traps when trapping is necessary to ensure public health and safety, protect private property and livestock, safeguard threatened or endangered species, or to conduct legitimate field research on wildlife. I-713 passed into law in 2000 with 55% of Washington voters approving.

1997 - Makah Tribal Whale Hunt: In 1997 the U.S. government granted the Makah tribe of Northwest Washington rights to kill up to five grey whales per year for ceremonial and subsistence purposes. Many issues came from this decision: has whaling been made legal in the US? Can a tribe that has no living member who has ever participated in a whale hunt, or hunted whale in over 70 years, and has access to ample food, truly claim they are forced to hunt whales for subsistence? Can a whale hunt be called revival of tradition when it includes 50 caliber elephant guns and motorized boats? How will this affect illegal whaling- specifically by Japan and Norway and will those cultures try to take advantage of the Makah? PAWS and dozens of animal and environmental groups came together to protest this decisions and in December 2002, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned an earlier decision and determined that the National Marine Fisheries Service violated not only the National Environmental Policy Act but also the Marine Mammal Protection Act when it granted the Makah a quota.

1996 - Ballard Locks Sea Lions: In January 1995, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) provisionally approved a request from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) for a permit to kill sea lions at the Ballard Locks in order to save the declining population of steelhead trout traveling through the Locks to and from Lake Washington. PAWS became involved in 1994 because of the threat to marine mammals—specifically sea lions and harbor seals—as well as to open up public debate about the fact that the steelhead trout population was not low because of sea lions but because of commercial fishing, pollution, damming and improper management of its population. The NMFS began exploring non-lethal alternatives, as promised to public task force including PAWS and the HSUS, to remove sea lions from the Lake Washington Canal area. These alternatives included acoustic barriers, underwater firecrackers, high-flow water guns, and even a fake plastic killer whale.

1996 - I-655 Hound-Hunting of Cougars/Bear Baiting: Washington voters overwhelmingly approved the PAWS and HSUS-backed Initiative 655, which outlawed bear baiting and hound hunting of bears, cougars, bobcats and lynx in Washington State. PAWS was a founding member of the Washington Wildlife Alliance, the political action committee formed to pass this legislation. The initiative was passed with the second largest margin of victory of any statewide race, was the only initiative to qualify for the ballot with an all-volunteer signature gathering effort.

1994 - Pasado's Law: After three young men strangled and beat Pasado the Donkey - a beloved resident of a Bellevue park - to death, PAWS proposed legislation to strengthen animal cruelty laws in Washington State. At that time, violence against animals could only be prosecuted as a misdemeanor crime, punishable by a maximum of 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. After much debate, the legislature passed the PAWS legislation, ensuring that animal cruelty was now a felony crime in the state of Washington.

1993 to Present - Navy Dolphins: The United States Navy formulated a plan to bring dolphins to the Bangor Nuclear Submarine base and train them to be armed sentries; suicide bombers charged with protecting the hardware on the base. PAWS successfully sued to prevent the Navy from implementing the plan. In 2007, PAWS was once again informed by the U.S. Navy of its plans to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a program to locate and intercept possible security intruders in the waters around the Naval Base Kitsap at Bangor. Although the Navy is looking into four alternatives, the stated preferred approach is to use trained Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins and/or California Sea Lions. Once again, PAWS has officially expressed, and encouraged its community to step forward at public meetings to tell the US Navy that exploiting sea lions and dolphins is unacceptable.

1992 - King County 123 Spay/Neuter Ordinance: PAWS was the driving force behind King County Ordinance 123, requiring the King County Shelter to spay and neuter the animals it adopts to the public. The ordinance was proposed to combat companion animal overpopulation. Before the ordinance was enacted, the King County Shelter was forced to euthanize up to 50,000 companion animals per year—one animal every 4 ½ minutes. Ordinance 123 also implemented a higher licensing fee for people who don't spay or neuter their own companion animals. Since 123 was enacted in 1992, King County has seen the euthanasia of healthy, adoptable animals drop to almost zero.

1987 to 1994 - Ivan the Gorilla: PAWS worked for over seven years to remove Ivan, a Western Lowlands gorilla, from 27 years of solitary confinement. Ivan had been kept alone in a 14x14 concrete cell at a Tacoma shopping mall and had not seen another gorilla since his infant sister Burma died after they were imported from Zaire. With the help of Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, Ivan was ultimately relocated to Zoo Atlanta in 1994. Since then, Ivan has thrived among his adopted family of over 20 other gorillas. In March of 2005, Ivan celebrated his 10-year anniversary of freedom from the horrific confines of the tiny concrete world that was all he once knew. Learn more about Ivan.

1987 to 1992 - University of Washington Animal Experimentation: In 1987 PAWS successfully sued the University of Washington under the Open Public Meetings Act to require the University to permit public attendance at its Animal Care Committee meetings. Shortly after, PAWS' suit under the Public Disclosure Law compelled the UW to release Project Review Forms (summaries of proposed animal experiments) to the public. Among other victories, in 1992 PAWS won a lawsuit filed to require public disclosure of a UW animal experimentation grant request. This gave people to right to information on how the proposed expenditure of public funds before they are spent.

1983 to 2007 - Omak Suicide Race: The Omak Suicide Race is the deadliest horse race in the world. The Suicide Race began in the 1930's as a publicity event to attract tourists and their money to the town of Omak, Washington and its annual rodeo—the Omak Stampede. The Suicide Race is an event where men ride mostly borrowed horses down a 250 foot, 62-degree slope into and across the Okanogan River. In the last two decades more than 20 horses have died in the race, countless others have been seriously injured and oftentimes euthanized later for their injuries. People are also often victims of the brutality of the race and there have been many human injuries as well. Learn more about the brutal Omak Suicide Race.