Dr. Gene Mueller, manager of Regional Animal Services of King County, is retiring after 12 years at the helm, effective Friday, Dec. 6, 2024.
“Regional Animal Services wouldn’t be the model of caring, compassionate animal care it is today without Gene’s leadership,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “As he heads into a well-deserved retirement, Gene leaves RASKC in great shape for the future.”
“I’d like to thank Executive Constantine, our staff and volunteers, and our whole community for trusting me to lead RASKC for the last 12 years,” said Dr. Mueller. “It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the people and pets of King County.”
Dr. Mueller came to King County in 2012, shortly after the agency was established as a partnership between two dozen cities and King County. During his tenure, RASKC has cared for more than 50,000 animals, returned more than 10,000 stray pets to their owners, and issued more than one million pet licenses. In addition, RASKC is one of the few municipal open-admission animal shelters in the nation to achieve no-kill status, with a live release rate of over 90 percent.
“Gene has always led with professionalism and efficiency, focused on delivering excellent service,” added Executive Constantine. “His impact will last for years to come.”
One of those lasting impacts is planning for a new animal shelter. The main building at the King County Pet Adoption Center in Kent is over 50 years old. Dr. Mueller helped develop a plan to fund a new facility, which was included in the Executive’s 2025 budget proposal recently approved by the County Council.
New Interim Manager is Tim Anderson
Tim Anderson, who currently serves as the assistant operations manager at RASKC, will take over as interim manager. The county expects to launch a nationwide search for a new leader for RASKC in the coming weeks.
