Friends of JAS

$585 raised by 7 donors

6% complete

$10,000 Goal

Helping Shelter Pets Find Their Home

Every animal who comes through the doors of Joint Animal Services has a story. Some need medical care. Some need a little extra time and attention. Some simply need the right person to notice them.

Friends of JAS helps shelter pets on the journey from arrival to adoption. Working alongside Joint Animal Services, we provide resources and programs that support the health, comfort, enrichment, and adoption of animals in our community.

Your support through Give Local helps us continue that work and respond to the needs of shelter pets throughout the year.

What We're Working on Now

Helping Dogs Find Their Home

Westley, a black shelter dog, stands on a wooden bench holding a green tennis ball.

Westley is one of the shelter dogs whose adoption fee has been sponsored by Friends of JAS.

Some dogs wait longer than others for the right family to find them. Friends of JAS is helping give these dogs an extra boost by sponsoring adoption fees for selected dogs at Joint Animal Services.

A gift of $110 can sponsor a dog's full adoption fee, while $55 can co-sponsor an adoption. By removing one of the barriers to adoption and bringing additional attention to these dogs, we hope to help more of them make the transition from the shelter to a permanent home.

Keeping Pets Healthy

Preventive veterinary care helps keep pets healthy and families together. Friends of JAS is working with Joint Animal Services to support community vaccination services and other veterinary needs.

This fall, we are supporting an upcoming vaccination clinic to help local pet owners obtain important preventive care for their animals. A gift of $25 can help provide a vaccination.

We also help Joint Animal Services obtain equipment that improves the care animals receive at the shelter. Recent support from Friends of JAS helped purchase a new surgical monitor, giving the veterinary team additional tools to safely care for animals undergoing surgery.

Making the Shelter Experience Better

Two tabby kittens rest and play among colorful blankets and toys in their shelter enclosure.

Shelter kittens enjoy comfort and enrichment.

While animals wait for their new homes, their quality of life matters. Friends of JAS funds enrichment, equipment, and improvements that help shelter animals stay active, comfortable, and engaged.

Our projects have included exercise and enrichment opportunities for dogs, scratching pads and enrichment for cats, improvements to spaces where animals meet potential adopters, and other projects identified by the Joint Animal Services team.

These may seem like small things, but for an animal spending days or weeks in a shelter, they can make a very big difference.

What Your Gift Can Do

Every gift to Friends of JAS helps make life better for shelter animals. Your donations support our general fund, allowing us to meet both planned needs and unexpected opportunities throughout the year.

For example, your gift could help provide:

$15 could help provide vaccinations for one cat.
$25 could help provide vaccinations for one dog.
$50 could provide two warming blankets to keep animals comfortable during surgery.
$100 could help sponsor an adoption, bringing a shelter pet one step closer to a loving home.
$250 could support enrichment activities that help shelter cats stay active, engaged, and comfortable while waiting for adoption.

These amounts are examples, not designated purchases. All donations go into the Friends of JAS general fund and are used where they can make the greatest difference, including veterinary care, enrichment, adoption programs, shelter improvements, and other needs identified in partnership with Joint Animal Services.

Every gift makes a difference for shelter pets!

Look What Our Community Has Already Accomplished

A brown-and-white shelter dog runs through a red and yellow JAS agility jump on a grassy course.

Shelter dogs enjoy exercise and enrichment on the agility course funded by Friends of JAS.

Thanks to our generous supporters and volunteers, Friends of JAS has helped provide:

A new dog agility course that gives shelter dogs exercise, enrichment, and a chance to show their personalities outside their kennels.
Improvements to the Get Acquainted Room, creating a better environment for animals and potential adopters to spend time together.
Cat scratching pads and enrichment that provide healthy, natural activities for cats during their stay.
Warming blankets and comfort items for animals recovering or needing a little extra care.
A new surgical monitor to support the veterinary team's work caring for shelter animals.
Volunteer-led improvement projects that help maintain and improve the shelter grounds and facilities.

Together, we're making the shelter a better place for animals and the people who care for them.

About Friends of JAS

Friends of JAS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Joint Animal Services and the animals and people it serves in Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater, and unincorporated Thurston County.

We work in partnership with Joint Animal Services to fund projects, programs, equipment, and improvements that enhance animal care and help connect shelter pets with loving homes.

Together, we can help more shelter pets find their home.

Learn More About Friends of JAS