Rep. Sherry Appleton (D-23, Poulsbo) was awarded the 2018 Humane Legislator of the Year Award in Olympia, honoring her for her work on behalf of animals. She adopted her 130-pound Rottweiler, Bear, from Kitsap Humane Society!

Rep. Sherry Appleton, D-23

Appleton was joined at the ceremony by Eric Stevens, executive director of KHS, who said, “I can’t think of any legislator who is a stronger advocate for animals and animal welfare, year after year, than Sherry Appleton. Besides being an animal lover herself, she recognizes that people love animals. Sherry’s not just advocating for animals; she’s advocating for people who love animals.”

One of Appleton’s key animal-welfare contributions as a legislator was her successful efforts to have bittering agents introduced into antifreeze sold in retail-size containers. The deceptively sweet taste of antifreeze masks the deadly poisonous effects of ingesting even a small amount – a threat to domestic and wild animals, as well as to children, when it pools in driveways and parking lots.

“I’m so touched by this award,” Appleton said. “I work every day to try to make Kitsap and our whole state a better place to live, work, raise our families, and retire, but I try never to forget that we’re not the only species around.

“A society, a culture, can be judged by how it treats those with the least power: children, seniors, persons living with disabilities, and yes, our animals. I’m grateful to have colleagues in the Legislature on both sides of the party aisle who recognize this and work with me to make this a better place for all of us.”

The award was presented in February by Dan Paul, director of the Washington state chapter of the Humane Society of the United States, an animal-welfare lobbying group based in Washington, D.C.