JASCOM details large cockfighting investigation, launches cruelty-response volunteer and foster program; receives major bequest

Joint Animal Services staff used the April 21 meeting to describe a large-scale cruelty investigation, announce a new cruelty-response volunteer and foster program, and report significant private donations that could support future capital planning.

Sarah Hock, the agency's executive director, said Joint Animal Services helped lead a major cockfighting-related seizure in unincorporated Thurston County earlier in 2025. "It was, in my understanding, one of the largest cockfighting cases that Washington state has seen ..." Hock said. The agency worked with the Thurston County Sheriff's Office, the state animal-fighting task force and at least eight other jurisdictions; staff said they initially seized 60 birds for evidentiary and medical reasons and later processed additional animals after obtaining court orders.…