To Our Friends and Donors

We are writing to let you know about a data security incident that may have involved your personal information. Homeward Pet takes the protection and proper use of your information very seriously. Therefore, we are contacting you to explain the incident and provide you with steps you can take to protect yourself.

What Happened

We were recently notified of a cybersecurity incident by one of our service providers, Blackbaud, Inc. We use Blackbaud’s services to process donations to our organization and to help manage our donor records. According to Blackbaud, it suffered a ransomware attack in which a cybercriminal gained access to its computer network and files and tried to prevent Blackbaud from using its data files. Blackbaud informed us that, as part of this incident, the cybercriminal may have been able to access files that contained some of your personal information, although there is not a clear indication that an unauthorized user actually accessed your information. Blackbaud has reported that, with the help of cybersecurity experts and law enforcement, it ultimately expelled the cybercriminal from its systems. According to Blackbaud, this incident occurred on February 7, 2020, and the criminal could have accessed their system until May 20, 2020.

What Information Was Involved

It’s important to note that the cybercriminal did not access your credit card information, bank account information, or social security number. Blackbaud explained that this information was encrypted, so the cybercriminal was not able to access it. However, we have determined that the file removed may have contained your contact information, demographic information (age, date of birth, marital status), and a history of your relationship with our organization, such as donation dates and amounts.

Blackbaud paid the cybercriminal’s demand and received confirmation that the data copy they removed had been destroyed. Based on the nature of the incident, their research, and third-party (including law enforcement) investigation, we have no reason to believe that any data went beyond the cybercriminal, was or will be misused, or will be disseminated or otherwise made available publicly. 

What We Are Doing

We are continuing to monitor reports and gather other information about the incident. The incident did not involve our systems, but we are examining our security and other ways to protect your data, such as evaluating how we collect and store personal information. Although we are not certain that the cybercriminal accessed your information in particular, we are notifying you so that you can take immediate action to protect yourself. Ensuring the safety of our constituents’ data is of the utmost importance to us.

As part of their ongoing efforts to help prevent something like this from happening in the future, Blackbaud has advised us that it has implemented several changes that will protect your data from any subsequent incidents. According to Blackbaud, it was able to quickly identify the vulnerability associated with this incident, including the tactics used by the cybercriminal, and took swift action to fix it. Blackbaud reports that it has confirmed, through testing by multiple third parties, including the appropriate platform vendors, that its security improvements withstands all known attack tactics. Additionally, Blackbaud has stated that it is accelerating efforts to further improve its security by enhancing its system access management, network segmentation, and deployment of additional endpoint and network-based platforms.

What You Can Do

As a best practice, we recommend you remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious activity or suspected identity theft to us and to the proper law enforcement authorities. Please review the sections below for further information on actions you can take to protect yourself.

For More Information

We sincerely apologize for this incident and regret any inconvenience it may cause you. Should you have any further questions or concerns regarding this matter and/or the protections available to you, please do not hesitate to contact me at (425) 488-4444 ext. 4005 or .

Review Your Account Statements and Notify Law Enforcement of Suspicious Activity

As a precautionary measure, we recommend that you remain vigilant by reviewing your account statements and credit reports closely. If you detect any suspicious activity on an account, you should promptly notify the financial institution or company with which the account is maintained. You also should promptly report any fraudulent activity or any suspected incidence of identity theft to proper law enforcement authorities, including your state attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

To file a complaint with the FTC, go to IdentityTheft.gov or call 1-877-ID-THEFT (877-438-4338). Complaints filed with the FTC will be added to the FTC’s Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse, which is a database made available to law enforcement agencies.

Obtain and Monitor Your Credit Report

We recommend that you obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies once every 12 months by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com, calling toll-free 877-322-8228, or by completing an Annual Credit Report Request Form and mailing it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348. You can access the request form here, or you can purchase a copy of your credit report by contacting one of the three national credit reporting agencies. Contact information for the three national credit reporting agencies for the purpose of requesting a copy of your credit report or for general inquiries is provided below:

Consider Placing a Fraud Alert on Your Credit Report

You may want to consider placing a fraud alert on your credit report. An initial fraud alert is free and will stay on your credit file for at least 90 days. The alert informs creditors of possible fraudulent activity within your report and requests that the creditor contact you prior to establishing any accounts in your name. To place a fraud alert on your credit report, contact any of the three credit reporting agencies identified above. Additional information is available at www.annualcreditreport.com.

Take Advantage of Additional Free Resources on Identity Theft

We recommend that you review the tips provided by the Federal Trade Commission on how to avoid identity theft. For more information, please visit IdentityTheft.gov or call 1-877-ID-THEFT (877-438-4338). Taking Charge: What to Do if Your Identity is Stolen, a comprehensive guide from the FTC to help you guard against and deal with identity theft, can be found on the FTC’s website.

Security Freeze

You have the right to put a security freeze on your credit file. A security freeze (also known as a credit freeze) makes it harder for someone to open a new account in your name. It is designed to prevent potential creditors from accessing your credit report without your consent. As a result, using a security freeze may interfere with or delay your ability to apply for a new credit card, wireless phone, or any service that requires a credit check.

Contact the three credit reporting agencies listed above (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) to request a security freeze. The credit reporting agencies’ websites explain how to request a security freeze.You must separately place a security freeze on your credit file with each credit reporting agency.  

To place a security freeze, you may be required to provide the consumer reporting agency with information that identifies you including your full name, Social Security number, date of birth, current and previous addresses, a copy of your state-issued identification card, and a recent utility bill, bank statement, or insurance statement. 

We have big news: Homeward Pet is now a certified Service Enterprise! This means we’ve been recognized as part of the top 11% of nonprofits nationwide in strategic volunteer management across all leadership levels and departments. Simply put, Homeward Pet is able to engage and extend the impact of our volunteers in service of what we’re all here for: finding animals homes.

What’s required to be recognized as a Service Enterprise? Quite a few standards need to be met…which is why we’ve been working on this project with coaching from Best Friends Animal Society for about two years. From outreach strategy to more in-depth tracking and evaluation of our volunteer program, it’s been a long road with so many benefits for the animals at the end of it. To read more about the details of certification, visit this page: https://www.pointsoflight.org/service-enterprise-program/

This is an incredible honor that we couldn’t have achieved without our stellar volunteers. We’ve missed you all during our time away from the shelter, and we can’t wait to get back and see you all more regularly. Below are a few quotes from fellow volunteers about what keeps them coming back to HPAC; we hope we’ll be able to see you all in person soon!

What has never failed to draw me back to volunteer at HPAC is the community of the shelter itself. It brings me so much fulfillment to interact with so many kind and giving souls who are all dedicated to the same cause; improving the lives of displaced dogs and cats by finding them permanent and loving homes. I typically lead a very busy life as a student and a healthcare worker, but being able to come to the shelter every weekend has been a fundamental stress reliever for me since 2018, and I look forward to returning to reconnect with my HPAC family and to continue doing my part!

• Audrey, Volunteer Dog Walker & Socializer

I miss the dogs a lot. I have three cats which I adore, but there is something so special and hopeful about the dogs.  Mostly though, I miss the people. The crew I work with on Wednesday mornings with Will, and all the wonderful friends I have made in our group. Debera Verlinda was a part of this Wednesday group, and she was such a positive force. Some of us have stayed connected through this; however, working together on a weekly basis is something I really miss. 

• Lynette, Volunteer Dog Feeder/Cleaner & Walker

As a shelter volunteer for about 10 years (not just at Homeward Pet), there is nothing more rewarding than seeing rescue animals make little improvements from day to day, week to week. Whether that means watching a scared little dog turn into friendly-wigglebutt who wants to greet everyone or a rambunctious puppy with little skills become a master at sit and stay, it’s the little changes that are the most rewarding. I miss giving animals, that are seeking a fur-ever home, the time and attention they all truly deserve. I know that it makes me feel amazing, but to be able to give them that feeling while in a shelter environment is the greatest gift. 

• Erica, Volunteer Dog Walker & Receptionist

Here’s what keeps me coming back to Homeward and what I’m looking forward to when we return: the kind community of fellow volunteers, the cats that I get to spend time with and care for, and kitten season (crazy but so fun).

• Anonymous Cat Care Volunteer

We’ve got big news ahead! As the public health landscape continues to change, our policies and procedures will evolve with the CDC’s and local government’s best practices. Policies may change frequently; we’re thankful to you for remaining patient and flexible as we continuously evaluate and adjust as necessary for everyone’s safety over the next several months.

Please note that we are not open to the public without a previous adoption appointment. We are still not open for visitors who wish to stop by “just to look” at the available animals. In order to make an adoption appointment, see the instructions in the tab below.

Below, you’ll find information on how we are currently operating in King County’s Phase 3.

Each year, we look forward to sharing our past successes with you, our amazing, supportive community. Inside this year’s annual Impact Report, you’ll read the story of Amber, an older cat who required intensive care when she suddenly stopped eating. (Don’t worry, it has a happy ending!) You’ll also see snapshots of each program and its growth. In 2019, we saw record-breaking adoption numbers. We trained more pets in one year than ever before, and we continue to grow the Homeward Pet Food Bank.

We hope you’ll join us in celebrating all that we accomplished together last year.

View the 2019 Impact Report.