Pet Talk

    I can’t tell you how much we love this girl. From the very first day that we interviewed her, we just wanted to hug her. I remember when we did those interviews, we had at least a dozen applicants, and Courtney stood out like a little star. Not much more than a teenager back in those days, she was quiet but with a ready smile and you could tell that she just loved animals with all her heart.
    Over the years we have watched her grow. She has this instinct about animals that people are either born with or they’re not. You can go to school and you can learn about all these diseases and all these medications and all these procedures and that’s just great, but with Courtney it’s pure instinct. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked into the shelter over the years and there’s Courtney cleaning a cage with a cat curled up on her shoulder or in her pocket.
    I can’t tell you how many animals she has personally taken home and fostered and cared for while they were sick or recovering from an injury. I can’t tell you how hard she works to make sure that every single animal gets just the right home.
    It’s not an easy job. For one dog we might have five pre-adopts, and Courtney has to decide just what home is the exact right match for this animal. And then she has to try to find a way to let the other four families know that they were not chosen this time for this animal. This is not an easy job. Just today one family, when advised that a particular cat was not appropriate for their family with little children, left the shelter air blue with their cursing and swearing. If only they could understand that this particular cat hates children and will eat them up and spit them out, they might have been a little more appreciative of the effort the entire staff takes to make the right placements.
    It’s also not an easy job when the Shelter is full, and some lady calls and wants you to take her male cat because he is spraying her house, and you have to try to work with this person to educate them on what might be causing this and what they might do but at the same time let them know that right now we don’t have room for any owner animals.
    It’s not an easy job, but Courtney has managed to handle herself with poise and grace, she is just wonderfully understanding and sympathetic, she will spend all the time needed to work with someone and help them understand how to fix a problem, and she will do everything and anything it takes to save an animal’s life and make sure each and every single animal goes to just the right home.
    So please join me in congratulating Courtney on her promotion and please let her know how much you appreciate her nine years’ of service and everything she has done to save so many animals.
    And while I’m at it, let me just say that we have the most awesome group of individuals working at the shelter right now – this is just the best group of hard working animal loving people I’ve ever had the honor and privilege of knowing. Our volunteers and staff have put their hearts and souls into this labor of love every single day and I don’t know what we would ever do without them. Thank you all. I know you don’t do it for me, or the Board, you do it for the animals, but we all appreciate each and every one of you.