by Suzyn Barron, President of Warwick Valley Humane Society, Inc.
Did you know, prospective applicants are always so excited to come and work at the animal shelter? The recent ad garnered over 36 responses of which only a handful met the minimum qualifications of being over 21 years old with a clean background and driver’s license and live within twenty minutes of the shelter. Very few that applied had any actual animal experience. The job interview consists of shadowing a couple of our staff for a few hours which exposes the applicant to the daily routine of caring for the various species of animals. After job shadowing other aspects of the job ie. laundry, vet runs, feeding, medicating, assisting the public etc. are explained. Although their enthusiasm remains, certain obstacles surface like availability, transportation, school commitments and the like. Of course, everyone wants to help animals, but this job isn’t about playing with puppies and kittens all day. It’s a lot of work to care for them properly for ten hours on your feet most of the day. Without the passion for the animals and doing what it takes to give them the best life while they wait to be adopted, that person’s employment is short lived. Not keeping the animals as priority and thus losing one’s focus is the downfall of many in this work environment.
This job takes initiative as there is always something to do including spending time with the animals, and the need for compassion, patience and tolerance as no two animals are the same. Having common sense and a healthy and controlled fear so as not to sustain an animal related injury are very important traits. Learning how to handle each dog or cat’s personality and the unexpected situations that arise while remaining calm and in control are mandatory for the animals’ sakes.
It is important to keep in mind that staff ride an emotional roller coaster on a daily basis. Rejoicing in an adoption at one moment and taking a call for a pet surrender the next or having a breakthrough in training a dog to in-taking an emaciated, dying kitten. This can lead to what is known as “Compassion Fatigue” defined as “emotional exhaustion, caused by the stress of caring for traumatized or suffering animals found among the animal rescue community’s underserved, underappreciated, and uncomplaining caregivers” according to Missiondriven. “Compassion fatigue is an occupational hazard of animal rescue work. It’s the emotional distress and burnout that comes from trying to save every animal. Animal shelter work is not an easy job, does not pay well and takes its toll on your emotions. But if your heart is in it, it’s more than worth it.
Finding the right person for the job is both a challenge and a gamble at getting it right.
If you think this is the purr-fect job for you, apply today.
“Saving one animal won’t change the world, but it will change the world for that one animal.”
Our Pets of the Week are:
Adoption applications are available at wvhumane.org or call 845-986-2473 for more information.
