Note: All animals in the photos below have been adopted! See what furry friends you can take home at the Everett Animal Shelter’s website.

It doesn't matter if you're a dog person, a cat person, or a pet whisperer who can make both get along, we can all agree: pets make your life better. If you live in or around Everett and love animals, you should get to know the Everett Animal Shelter.

It's likely you've never even seen it unless you hang out at Langus Riverfront Park. The location is remote while not being far away, and quite ideal for the work they do.

Manager Glynis Frederisken recently showed me around.

The building is ten years old but is by far the nicest shelter I've seen. Each pod off of the main hallway contains multiple roomy enclosures shared by up to two cats. All the cats who weren't sleeping came up to say hi.

Dogs get their own pods, though it's harder to get good photos in them because of their drool and nose prints.

All dogs are walked outside three times a day in a spacious enclosure, and there are even trails on the property that volunteers can explore with them.

The shelter, simply put, couldn't function without volunteers. Over 300 of them help the 14 full-time employees with essential functions like dog walking, helping in the vet clinic, fostering animals, working at events, doing the laundry and washing the dishes. With 5,300 animals moving through the shelter in 2018, the dishes and laundry alone are huge jobs.

Fredrikson told me the live release rate at Everett Animal Shelter is over 90%, which is the animal welfare industry's threshold to be considered a "no kill" shelter. There's no time limit for adoptable animals, either, so you can feel confident bringing any lost animals you may find there.

It's a much better way to reunite pets with their owners than a post to your friends on Facebook; the shelter can scan for chips and post pictures immediately. People with lost pets know to check the shelter website, but it's unlikely they'll see strangers' social media posts.

Does your pet still need to be chipped? Just bring it by the shelter during regular hours. Chipping is $40, no appointment necessary.

Dogs and cats aren't the only lost pets who end up in the shelter. They get guinea pigs and rabbits often, but have also seen pigs, peacocks, turtles, iguanas, ferrets, chickens and even goats.

Puppies at the shelter aren't likely to be lost pets, though. Everett Animal Shelter's high success rate has led to frequent transfers of pregnant dogs and litters of puppies from other states and even other countries where they would otherwise be euthanized.

They're quarantined at the shelter to ensure they don't import any diseases or parasites. Then, up to six litters of puppies at a time are sent out to foster homes for socialization before being brought back in for adoption events instead of being put in with the rest of the available pets.

These are promoted via Facebook and people often camp overnight to be among the first to meet the lucky puppies.

Keep an eye on the adoptable pets page if you're ready to provide a forever home to an animal who needs one. If you'd like to get involved as a volunteer, check out the Volunteering and Fostering page. Operations Coordinator Dee Cordell runs two orientation sessions each month for people interested in working a 2-3 hour shift every week for at least three months.

You can also donate money and goods directly to the shelter. Food donations are especially important and appreciated.

Whether you're looking for a new pet or a rewarding volunteer opportunity, the Everett Animal Shelter is an ideal place to start. I'll always be grateful to them for introducing my inlaws to this cutie, Bella. She's been keeping them company since 2011.

Everett Animal Shelter
333 Smith Island Rd
Everett, WA 98201
(425) 257-6000

Christopher Bragg works from home in Everett and loves walking, swimming, and cats. You can find him all over town, but only if you keep weird hours and avoid crowds like he does.