Seattle Humane, founded in 1897, serves the Seattle area from a single campus in Bellevue. About half of the pets it shelters arrive through transfers from crowded shelters in Washington and beyond. It also runs a public veterinary hospital, low-cost spay and neuter, and a pet food bank. Here is how adoption, surrender, and its services work.
Seattle Humane calls itself a managed-intake shelter and does not use the no-kill label, explaining that euthanasia may be considered for animals facing serious suffering or safety risks. At the same time, it reports an average save rate above 97 percent each year over the past decade.
It is not the local pound. Seattle and King County set up their own animal-control divisions in 1972, after which Seattle Humane became a private nonprofit. A defining feature today is its transfer program: roughly half of the pets in the shelter come from other, more crowded shelters in Washington and across the country.
Every dog, cat, and rabbit adopted from Seattle Humane is spayed or neutered, microchipped, and up to date on vaccines before going home, which the shelter values at more than $525. Adoption fees vary by age and species, and the shelter often runs discounts, so check the current fee on each animal's page rather than relying on a fixed price.
Adoption is walk-in to meet pets, with the shelter open Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. Holds are placed in person after you meet a pet, and the daily waitlist closes in the late afternoon. The campus is at 13212 SE Eastgate Way in Bellevue.
The on-campus veterinary hospital is a public teaching hospital offering exams, surgery, vaccines, and microchips, and the community medicine program provides low-cost spay and neuter and reduced-cost wellness care to income-qualified pet owners, including pop-up clinics around King County.
Oogie's Ohana Pet Food Bank collects and gives out donated pet food to community pet owners, open Tuesday through Saturday. The shelter also runs financial-assistance programs and a temporary-care program for owners in crisis, all aimed at keeping pets in their homes.
Owner surrender, which the shelter calls pet rehoming, is by appointment after a review of the animal's medical and behavioral history. The fee is $30 for one pet or $60 for two or more, and acceptance is not guaranteed.
Volunteers and fosters must be 18 or older and start with a virtual orientation. Volunteers do best coming in three or four times a month, while fosters should plan on at least an hour of care a day, with the shelter providing supplies and medical support.
The wish list includes unopened food and treats, small-animal food, cat litter, leashes and harnesses, towels, and fleece blankets, with Amazon and Chewy lists available. Seattle Humane holds a four-star rating from Charity Navigator with a 97 percent score and says 71 cents of every dollar it spends supports pets in its care and community programs. Its EIN is 91-0282060.
Dogs, cats, rabbits, and small animals at the Bellevue campus.
About half of sheltered pets come from crowded shelters in and beyond Washington.
A teaching hospital offering exams, surgery, vaccines, and microchips.
Low-cost spay/neuter and reduced-cost wellness for income-qualified owners.
Donated pet food given to community pet owners, Tuesday through Saturday.
Surrender by appointment after a medical and behavioral review.
Sources: Seattle Humane (seattlehumane.org) adoption, veterinary care, pet rehoming, and about pages; Charity Navigator (EIN 91-0282060). Adoption fees shown on the site at the time of research were discounted, so this profile does not list specific dollar amounts. Retrieved June 2026. We are not affiliated with Seattle Humane and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
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