The following is a message from Sumner’s Mayor Dave Enslow.

It seems no one can have a social media page or blog without at some point including pictures or stories about puppies and kitties, so I guess we’re long overdue.  You may not realize this, but Metro Animal Services is a program of the Sumner Police Department.  A very small staff and lots of volunteers serve Sumner as well as Puyallup, Bonney Lake, Algona, Edgewood, Milton and Pacific.  Puyallup is our partner in this, providing the shelter facility while we provide the staffing.  The other cities joined us by contract.

Metro officers help when animals are in distress, when pets need to be reunited with current owners, when pets need to find new Forever Families, when people need advice on how to handle their pets and when people are in danger from animals.  They have wrangled snakes, checked on alligators, and of course, found many homes for puppies and kitties.  In 2013 alone, Metro Animal Services served over 20,000 customers.  They adopted 539 pets to new Forever Families and reunited 287 pets with their worried owners.  They “Raised the Woof,” fundraising $3,500 to replace ceiling tiles at the shelter with new tiles that will prevent the spread of disease.  And, Sumner’s own Amazon.com distribution center donated $5,000 plus a lot of food and supplies.

You are a partner in this too.  By licensing your pet every year, you help fund all of this.  Even if your pet stays home and doesn’t stray, it’s a small investment to keep all of our pets happy, healthy and in good homes.  Take a look at the pets in the shelter right now, and share with your friends that when they need their next best friend, they needn’t look any farther than Sumner’s own Metro Animal Services.