I have a little "helper" in my office today. She’s a ten-week-old kitten who is all alone and waiting to go to her foster home. While she waits, this cute bundle of energy seems intent on teaching me how my computer keys are supposed to work! Needless to say, this letter is taking a bit more time than usual to write.

While she and the hundreds of other little ones PAWS cares for this time of year are hard to resist, it breaks my heart that during this season of little ones, the older cats and dogs tend to get overlooked by the adopting public. But this year, thanks to the creative efforts of our new volunteer marketing team, the "older" ones are getting the attention they deserve and are finding new homes. Targeted promotions such as "Tabby Tuesday" and "Fluffy Cat Friday" and special “Petite and Plus-Size sales days” have served to remind people of the uniqueness of each animal and encouraged adopters to seriously consider the adult cats and dogs who are competing for homes with the kittens and puppies.

The flood of kittens and puppies can be stopped by a simple preventative measure—spaying or neutering your dog or cat. PAWS continues our unwavering commitment to stop pet overpopulation and reduce the numbers of unwanted animals. Not only do we perform the surgery on every animal adopted from our shelter, but also we have for years encouraged all shelters to do the same. And this year we have celebrated two big wins. First in Edmonds, and now the city of Everett, making the Puget Sound region, from the Canadian border to Olympia, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country that alters all of its shelter animals prior to adoption! This is a huge victory for the animals.

I continue to marvel at the work at PAWS. The dedication, compassion, teamwork, professionalism and commitment to the animals is extraordinary. This month, we are embarking on a strategic planning process to chart our vision for the future. We will be involving many of you along the way, soliciting your opinions and ideas, as we build a bold and clear vision for the future.