Written by P. Jade Asumbrado
Sara Hock, executive director of the Joint Animal Services Committee of Thurston County (JASCOM), reports that the organization received 21.6% more calls in 2024 than in 2023.
Thurston County recorded 43% of all calls, totaling 180 in 2024, compared to 140 in 2023.
From January to February of this year, most of the calls from Thurston involved stray animals, followed by control, abuse/neglect, bites, and police assistance.
“We'll get the data in March and then do a quarterly comparison for 2024, so it won't be such a long wait,” Hock said.
pet license
Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater require licenses for all dogs and cats in the city. Licenses are required for all dogs in the county, but licenses for cats are optional. License fees range from $10 to $28, depending on whether the animal is neutered.
Even if the owner insists that the pet “never go outside,'' a license is still required. Pot-bellied pigs must also be permitted within Olympia.
License fees are considered direct income. That is, revenue directly offsets the jurisdiction's assessment on a per-item basis rather than on a per-capita basis.
“Some of our direct revenue is licensing, adoptions and collections,” Hock said.
The county's direct revenue from licenses totaled $48,316 for 4,026 licenses in 2021, $50,354 for 4,112 licenses in 2022, and $51,827 for 4,238 licenses in 2023.
Mr. Hock shared the following benefits of county pet permits:
- Research shows that visual ID tags are the best way to help pets find their way home within the first 24 hours.
- Approved pets will be sent home free of charge the first time they are found.
- Approved pets are given a longer care period. If a licensed pet is found, it will be safely cared for at the shelter for an extended period of time.
- JASCOM recommends that your pet be microchipped as a secondary form of identification in the event that their collar or tag comes off.
- Microchips can move within the body over time.
- When it comes to reading microchips, not all microchip scanners are created equal.
If your pet has identification, the stray hold period increases from 48 hours to 96 hours (approximately 4 days), increasing the time it takes to retrieve the animal.
Licenses are renewed annually.
