Puyallup’s animal shelter is open again, months after it was forced to close
After four months, an East Pierce County animal shelter has opened its doors to dogs, cats and animal lovers once more.
Metro Animal Services – which is owned by the City of Puyallup but operated by the City of Sumner – shut down in December after city officials found mold in the 20-year-old building while preparing to replace the flooring. The shelter also serves Edgewood, Pacific, Milton, Algona and Bonney Lake.
“We rely a lot on volunteers, so it’s great that staff can be back in the facility, animals can be housed again in the facility and our volunteers can come back to this facility,” Carmen Palmer, spokesperson for the City of Sumner, told The News Tribune. “So now all we need is the public to come back to the facility and start adopting animals again.”
What happened when the shelter shut down?
When staff found water damage in the facility, they immediately evacuated all employees and the shelter’s 64 pets. Those pets were shipped to foster families and shelters across the state – some as far as Spokane.
The Puyallup City Council approved the first phase of repairs during its Jan. 28 meeting. The first phase of repairs cost the city about $107,657 and addressed the mold issue, removed “affected materials” and made sure the building is safe to use, according to agenda materials for the meeting. During the second phase, workers replaced damaged drywall, reinstalled appliances and fixtures and completed painting work. The agenda materials didn’t list an estimated cost for that phase.
Between December and April, staff continued to serve the public as best they could.
“Our staff have been working – still responding to calls, still answering questions as best they could. They were working in a remote site that was less than ideal while the City of Puyallup worked on the damage in this building,” Carmen Palmer, spokesperson for the City of Sumner, told The News Tribune. “We are very thrilled that that work is done, everybody is back.”
Palmer said they couldn’t accept surrenders or house any animals until about two weeks ago, when staff returned to the building. She called it a “soft opening” that allowed staff to get used to being back in the building before opening the shelter’s doors to the public.
Palmer previously told The News Tribune they were aiming to have staff back in the shelter by early spring.
What do I need to know now that the shelter is open?
When The News Tribune visited the shelter on April 9, there were already a handful of cats and dogs at the shelter. Palmer encouraged anyone who lives in East Pierce County to get involved – whether that means adopting a new furry family member, volunteering, or licensing their pets.
“I live in Sumner, I licensed my cat – she’s an indoor cat, hopefully she never gets out – but that’s just a small investment I can make to help fund this program and help the cats and dogs in my city,” Palmer said.
Metro Animal Services is at 1200 39th Ave. SE in Puyallup. They are closed on Sundays and Mondays but open the rest of the week from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Residents can contact the shelter at 253-299-7387 or pets@sumnerwa.gov.
The News Tribune’s archives contributed to this report.
