Friends of JAS (Joint Animal Services)

Trish Lynn and Thom Donitz portrait and friends

JOLT staff photo

Joint Animal Services
3120 Martin Way E
Olympia, WA 98506
Phone: 360-352-2510
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We have another very loyal and compassionate pet charity to talk about this week.

Patty met with Kate Bligh, Secretary/Treasurer of a fairly new 501(c)(3) non-profit charity organization called Friends of JAS (Joint Animal Services). The organization received its IRS charity determination this year on June 6.

Kate Bligh has been a volunteer with Thurston County Joint Animal Services for seven years and was an integral part of Friends of JAS (FoJAS), along with Candace Mattson, the President & others in forming this new charity. Its mission is to support and fundraise for Joint Animal Services through dedicated fundraising efforts. 

In the future, their fundraising is intended to help the shelter to provide care, resources, and support for as many animals and people as possible. 

Current goals:  

Education – which is defined as promoting community awareness of the shelter and Friends of JAS. They plan to expand their membership and participate in at least 10 exhibit and display booths in the upcoming year. Identifying low budget projects to fund for example: 

Vaccine Clinics – Many people in Thurston County struggle to pay for basic veterinary care. Friends of JAS are committed to supporting Joint Animal Services in organizing a free vaccination/microchipping clinic for our low-income neighbors. The dedicated team at Joint Animal Services already have plans to undertake this as an initial clinic.   Friends of JAS has a goal to raise $1,500 to ensure this vital program continues.   The more dogs and cats they vaccinate, the safer they are from parasites and disease and spreading those   diseases.    Microchipping assists in reuniting lost pets with their owners, thereby decreasing the shelter population. 

No public clinics are scheduled at JAS at the moment, however this has been a consideration in recent long-term planning for JAS.

Walk-in Dog Tub – How do you lift a 100+ pound dog into a tub at waist level?   Especially when that dog is in an unfamiliar setting and is not cooperating?   That is the current situation with the dog tub at Joint Animal Services, which can be challenging for both the staff and the dogs.   They are seeking donations to replace the old tub with a new walk-in dog tub, making bath time safer, less stressful, and more comfortable for our furry friends.

Capital campaign – Set the stage for a future capital campaign toward a new shelter in the future.   Currently, besides having inadequate space, the plumbing needs to be repaired frequently.   There just isn’t enough space for all the cats and dogs, and the building also needs other repairs, which takes away from the services provided by Animal Services. 

“We hope that FoJAS can assist with future capital projects to enhance animal care standards. You can also donate directly to JAS to support general operations, veterinary care, and animal care,” said Sarah Hock, Joint Animal Service Executive Director.

I would like to talk a little about Animal Services regarding adoptions.   Friends of JAS are also involved with educating the public and soon to be adopters.   Kate told me that so many people adopt animals only to return them.   Can you imagine what that does to an animal that thought they were leaving to go to a loving family.   Often, they just don’t think their decision through, or they don’t give enough time for the animal and new adopter to work things out.   One big problem is that adopters at times do not know how to introduce a new pet into their home, especially with small children or other pets.   It is important to do your research.   It saves everyone a lot of heartache. 

JAS embraces an “adopters welcome” philosophy, supporting those who wish to adopt instead of judging potential returns. The idea that an adoption must last the entire life of a pet may not be realistic or helpful in saving lives. While returns to animal shelters generally are up slightly from last year, several factors affect returns, such as access to veterinary care, lack of pet-inclusive housing, and an economy where people must make hard choices. If a pet is returned, it shouldn’t be seen as a failure; circumstances change, and intentions can’t always predict outcomes.

A study from Arizona State University's Canine Science Collaboratory found that breaks, whether taken by fosters or adopters, significantly reduce stress for pets. Even an unsuccessful adoption can provide valuable insights, which can help in future placements.

Remember years ago, the stigma of taking an animal to the shelter meant it being put to sleep if it wasn’t adopted within a certain amount of time? That is no longer the case, at least not in Thurston County.   The euthanasia rate is very, very low.   If and when they are at capacity, they rely on foster families to help. 

“Our adjusted live release rate this year has averaged around 88%. We currently do not meet the definition of a no-kill shelter,” said Hock. “Best Friends Animal Society defines a no-kill shelter as having a 90% or higher live release rate. We post all of our shelter statistics on our website.”

Another thing most people don’t realize is that Joint Animal Services agreements only service animals within the Thurston County area, including the cities of Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater, and unincorporated Thurston County, in addition to a few other contracts with the City of Yelm, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and the Nisqually Indian Tribe. Unfortunately, many people bring animals or call to have animals picked up that don’t live in Thurston County. Sometimes they get upset because they do not know that the shelter can only legally take in animals for those living there.   “Outlined in our interlocal agreement, Joint Animal Services prioritizes animals from Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, unincorporated Thurston County, and our contracted jurisdictions. In emergencies, we can assist other jurisdictions, if there is capacity,” said Hock.

Fortunately, this rule does not apply to adoptions; everyone is welcome to adopt.

Kate talked about the special relationship between Friends of JAS,  Joint Animal Services and Executive Director Sarah Hock and her staff. Sarah has been with JAS since April 2019, and how she has turned Animal Services around with her extensive 21 years of invaluable experience and knowledge. Her accomplishments are too numerous to mention in this article, but hopefully, we will get a chance to interview her and/or her staff soon.  Just in case you don’t know where Animal Services is located, its address is 3120 Martin Way E., Olympia, Washington 98506. Click here for their website.  

As mentioned earlier, Friends of JAS hopes to expand its membership. Membership criteria are very flexible. They want to encourage as much support for Joint Animal Services, so they provide options, which are: 

• Pay a one-time-only fee of $10. 
• Volunteer at Joint Animal Services (current volunteers included). 
• Assist Friends of JAS at one of their public events (events to be published in their newsletter). 

Their web address is https://www.friendsofjas.org. 

Toast for Tails

Finally, The Concern for Animals Toast for Tails yearly auction was a huge success. They came really close to its goal of $100,000. The gross came in at $93,186. There are so many generous animal lovers in our community. 

Paws for Thought

Those of us who have pets waiting for them to come home are the luckiest people on this planet.

Thom Donitz and Trish Lynn are neighbors and close friends who share their love of animals and wildlife. Trish and Thom are residents of Tumwater. Contact them at  pets@theJOLTnews.com.

UPDATE:  This story was updated on October 24,  2024. 

The views expressed in this article are the sole opinion of Kate Bligh, a volunteer at Joint Animal Services. They are not intended to represent those of Joint Animal Services staff or management.