Indy’s Race Against Time

Indy has been through so much. One of our partner shelters in eastern Washington brought him in as a stray, visibly underweight. When he arrived at Homeward Pet, we thought that removing a benign tumor from his shoulder would be the last of what he’d have to endure on the road to health and happiness. After surgery, he was healing well—walking without a limp, bounding after squirrels, and rolling in the grass.

But still, something wasn’t quite right. Indy continued to suffer from upset stomach and vomiting, resulting in dehydration. Concerned, our clinic staff arranged for x-rays of Indy’s stomach. He was diagnosed with severe gastroenteritis—inflamed stomach tissue. With some medicine, IV fluids, and rest, Indy should have had a full recovery. But that wasn’t the case.

Indy standing tall a few days after emergency surgery saved his life

It happened so quickly. We found him vomiting in his kennel, anxiously panting and pacing. His stomach was swollen and causing him obvious discomfort.

We rushed him to an emergency vet. It required the expertise of four veterinary doctors to diagnose and treat his gastric dilatation-volvulus, commonly known as bloat. Exploratory surgery revealed the lethal situation: Indy’s stomach had twisted shut a full 360 degrees, trapping gas and fluid inside and sending him into shock from loss of blood flow. He didn’t have days; he had hours.

But thanks to supporters like you, Indy’s life was saved. Surgeons untwisted his stomach, restoring blood supply to his organs. His stomach was carefully stitched in place, making sure he would never have to endure such a traumatic surgery again.

The financial security provided by you, our supporters, allows us to make lifesaving decisions when there is no easy course of action. Without your help, we may not have been able to act as quickly and provide Indy the chance to be a happy and healthy companion.

Homeward Pet veterinarian Dr. Jenny Brown listens to Indy’s heart and lungs

Please make a generous gift to help more animals like Indy. With your help and steady support, we can continue to step in during a crisis and provide the best care for homeless dogs and cats in need.

Sincerely,

Marie Wolfanger
Homeward Pet Interim Executive Director

Quiet in the Shelter

The kennels of Homeward Pet were unusually quiet Saturday evening as 25 Homeward Pet alumni rested in new homes. Thanks to local community enthusiasm and your help spreading the word, adoption events like Clear the Shelters are always exciting for Homeward Pet staff, volunteers, adopters, and pets. We joined 700 shelters nationwide, offering fee-waived adoptions on all animals over 3 years old. Nationally, 88,000 pets went home on Saturday.

The lead-up to the big day is always exciting: publicity and anticipation draws in those who may not have previously adopted from a shelter. Animals who are often overlooked, like seniors or those with medical or behavioral needs, get a chance to put their best paw forward for a whole slew of potential adopters.

And many of our longer-term residents did!

By the end of the long day of first meetings, tail wags, and purrs, 25 animals found new homes.  Three senior cats—Gloria, Gentry, and Summer—and 4 senior dogs—Isabell, Mika, Maddie, and Crumpet—all met welcoming and doting families.

Below you can see just a few of the pups and cats who met their match on Saturday.

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Where Pets Are Family

Duvall Veterinary Hospital strives to be a place that animals want to visit. Staff vet technician and practice manager Camille talks happily of Becky, a lab who visits weekly. “You can hear Becky before you see her,” says Camille. “She’s so happy to be coming here that we can hear her barking from a block away. She’s so excited when she gets in that she jumps right up on the weight scale.”

As a full-service animal hospital, Duvall Veterinary Hospital provides a range of services for animal companions.

“We do everything from vaccines to emergency surgeries to managing senior pets’ needs,” says Camille. “We even use therapy lasers for arthritis and acute injuries.” Each animal who is spayed or neutered under their care receives a laser treatment at the surgery’s conclusion to stimulate healing, which Camille takes great pride in.

The practice is owned by Dr. Michelle Gengler, who Camille describes as having “one of the biggest hearts I’ve ever met. She lives and breathes this place and cares so much about her patients and staff.” Dr. Gengler has been involved in veterinary care for 20 years, but even before that she was focused on helping make the world better as a social worker assisting victims of domestic violence.

Supporting homeless animals at Homeward Pet was a natural step for this veterinary practice filled with animal lovers. “We strongly believe in adopting pets from shelters like Homeward Pet, which give so many animals safe places to live until they meet their families,” Camille says. “Dr. Gengler has seen many animals from Homeward Pet and is always impressed with the care you provide.”

Learn more about Duvall Veterinary Hospital at their website.

Scout’s Honor

Homeward Pet’s partnership with Girl and Boy Scouts goes back many years and countless projects. In the past year, we saw the completion of several much-needed upgrades thanks to Eagle Scout projects. In our Dog Room, Cole (Troop 573) assembled a work station and set of cabinets for our dog care volunteers and staff. The added storage allowed us to organize and better implement our Kennel Enrichment Program, which provides our pups with extra mental stimulation in their kennels.

Cole and his team put together a work space and much-needed storage in our dog room

Helping a local shelter—both its resident animals and staff—drew Cole to Homeward Pet: “An important part of an Eagle project is finding a need in the community. Since I am an animal lover, I thought that there would be no better place to do my project than Homeward.”

Eagle Scout Chris’s project (pictured above) covered three areas: the first, building much larger cabinets in our Multipurpose Room, where dogs train and meet adopters. Because of the extra space, we’re able to offer a range of Behavior Team toys, tools, and supplies to support the growth of our program. Additionally, Chris beautified the Multipurpose room, adding playful dog silhouette cutouts for decoration. Once he finished all that, he threw in a box of collars and leashes for good measure.

Ron after installing the camera cabinet

And that’s not all: Scout Ron (Troop 422) added a third cabinet to our collection—this one to give our photography equipment its very first permanent home. Now our volunteer photographers can put more energy into capturing our animals’ goofy personalities without having to worry where to set down their lenses!

The projects didn’t stop inside the shelter walls, either; two Scouts worked together to give our grounds a good facelift, helping us make the best impression possible to potential adopters. Joseph (Troop 574) put together inviting parking signs and brightened our outdoor trashcans. Meanwhile, Jordan (Troop 622) crafted cheery flowerboxes and filled them with sweet-smelling plants, adding some lovely color to our entrance.

We can’t say enough to thank these remarkable young men who chose to dedicate their time and effort to homeless animals in their community. The animals in our care so appreciate everything that helps them find their new loving families.

Know a Scout who loves animals or have an idea for a project? Contact our Facilities Manager, Paul, at for more information and project ideas.

Jordan beautified our landscaping!

Joseph added some personality to our parking lot and dog walking area.

Help Clear the Shelters!

Homeward Pet is excited to announce we are teaming up with NBC, Hill’s Science Diet and Cat’s Pride to Clear the Shelters! On Saturday, August 18, adoption fees will be waived for all Homeward Pet cats and dogs 3 years of age and older as part of the nationwide Clear the Shelters adoption drive.

Visit Homeward Pet in Woodinville between 12pm-6pm on August 18 to find your new best friend!

See available dogs today.

See available cats today.

Read more about our adoption process and guidelines.

Join our mission and help us clear every kennel and find every homeless animal in our care a loving home. Together, we can save more lives and make more matches than ever before.

Not ready to adopt?

You can still make a life-changing difference for a dog or cat in need by making a meaningful gift today.

Homeward Pet is proud to be one of 900 shelters across the country participating in Clear the Shelters, a nationwide pet adoption drive that helps find loving homes for animals in need. Last year, over 80,000 pets found their forever homes on the Clear the Shelters day.