Honoring Jim Schuler’s Legacy and Service
Every day, clients, staff and volunteers at Seattle Humane’s shelter are greeted first and foremost by our sign on Eastgate Way, proclaiming campus to be the home of Seattle Humane and the Schuler Family Medical Center. Once on campus, dogs and cats who come in through the doors are treated with utmost compassion, sensitivity and thoughtfulness. Whether for a spay/neuter procedure, a wellness check-up, or something more serious, the clinic is home to tremendous lifesaving and life-affirming care.
Today, we are honoring the namesake of the Schuler Family Medical Center, Jim Schuler, who recently passed away. Jim embodied the values that underpin the work that happens in the veterinary clinic, as well as the whole of Seattle Humane. Our community is deeply saddened by Jim’s passing, and at the same time, we are filled with abundant gratitude for all that Jim has done for pets in need.
Jim was a lifelong animal lover who recognized the importance of affordable, accessible veterinary care in ensuring all pets lead thriving, healthy lives. He served on Seattle Humane’s Board of Directors during a period of important growth and change (2012-2023). This included the capital campaign that built Seattle Humane’s shelter that today serves over 100,000 pets and their people each year. In the previous building, veterinary staff did surgeries in closet spaces, navigating cramped quarters and challenged by the constraints of the space to provided needed services. With Jim’s generosity, Seattle Humane’s shelter includes a state-of-the-art medical center and teaching hospital where upwards of 40 surgeries are performed daily, as well as many wellness checks and vaccination appointments for income qualified families.
Jim loved and cared for many dogs throughout his life. It was this love and care he gave and that was reciprocated that motivated his transformational investments in animal welfare. The Schuler Family Foundation has been able to support so many pets in need, and Jim and his wife Bet worked together to help provide generously for Seattle Humane and other animal welfare causes near and dear to their hearts.
Seattle Humane’s lifesaving work would simply not be possible as we envisioned without Jim and Bet’s generosity. Their support of the shelter building, the veterinary clinic, and all aspects of Seattle Humane’s work has meant countless families found their new four-legged family members and that thousands of pets received vital medical care. Jim’s legacy is truly one of generosity toward pets and their people. Seattle Humane and our community are better for all of Jim and the Schuler family’s involvement and support.
We extend our sincerest condolences to the Schuler family, all friends and colleagues of Jim. May the animal lives saved and families completed every day in the shelter and Schuler Family Medical Center be a worthy tribute to his memory.
