To the editor:

As Bainbridge board members of Kitsap Humane Society, there’s something we’d like Bainbridge Island residents to know and take pride in. And that is the fact that we have one of the most progressive animal shelters in the country right in our own backyard!

Kitsap Humane Society has been in the business of saving animal lives since 1908, but it’s in recent years that our shelter has taken especially noteworthy strides, as our euthanasia rate has dropped to under 5 percent.

KHS staff and volunteers share a common vision — that every adoptable companion animal deserves a home. And they’re willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. The amazing veterinary team provides life-saving medical treatment and surgery for pets in need, and behavior and training staff and volunteers perform assessments and offer enrichment and socialization when animals arrive with challenging behavior or become stressed in the shelter environment.

Those efforts paid off in 2014. A total of 5,192 animals were rehomed — a new record for the shelter! More than a thousand more animals were adopted out, compared to the previous year. KHS also continued efforts to reduce the number of unwanted animals in the county by performing 4,684 spay/neuter surgeries, more than ever before. Additionally, the quality of care shelter animals receive went up another notch as KHS added more than 300 volunteers and foster homes.

So, if you’re an animal lover, you too can take pride in the accomplishments of Kitsap Humane Society. We invite you to visit the shelter and see for yourself how everyone there is hard at work saving pets’ lives.

Who knows? You may want to join the many other Bainbridge Islanders who volunteer at KHS.

KAY FRITCHMAN, KELLY MORROW, CYNTI OSHIN AND ERIN THOMASSON

Kitsap Humane Society