By Erin Freeman | Lynnwood Times
Lynnwood’s Australian-based department store, Anko, hosted a cat cafe event on Saturday, March 7 to benefit Sunny Sky’s Animal Rescue.
“This is a great opportunity for us because it allows us to promote our shelter,” said Sunny Sky’s volunteer coordinator Lee. “You’d be amazed that even in our little town, people don’t even know we’re there.”
Sunny Sky’s Animal Rescue is the largest no-kill shelter in Washington. The not-for-profit organization focuses on rescuing animals from euthanasia and finding them forever homes.
“We get a lot of animals from high-kill shelters,” said Lee. “We’ll pull animals that are on the list to be euthanized that day.”
Eileen, a volunteer at the shelter, said that while rescued animals wait to be adopted, their small staff of volunteers care for them. “If they don’t get adopted, we just keep them,” she explained. “They hang out at the clinic during the day and then get to go home with our vet every night. They’ll always have a home.”
During the free event, attendees also received a free beverage from Seattle Espresso courtesy of Anko. If a bond developed between interested adopters and a cat, Sunny Sky aided the adoption using established procedures, designed to ensure that the pet fits in well with the prospective family.
“People have complained about our adoption process because it’s not overnight. It takes about three to five days, but it was created with the goal in mind of them never coming back to us,” explained Lee.
One of the two cats at Saturday’s event was adopted.
Anko’s Lynnwood location has hosted three animal adoption events in the past. Store manager John Swartz adopted a dog last August, after the store partnered with Adams County Pet Rescue for a puppy pop-up event. This was their first time partnering with Sunny Sky’s Animal Rescue, and Swartz says that he’s looking forward to hosting future events with them.
“We’re hoping to host a dog event with them in the future, but that date is still to be determined.”
Sunny Sky Animal Rescue is located at 1102 E Main Ave, Puyallup, WA 98372. Visit their website to view their adoptable animals at https://www.sunnyskysshelter.org/.
