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While Friendship APL has a significant number of volunteers, they also have a strong staff of employees there that keep things on track and moving forward. One of those employees happens to be one of the more seasoned veterans at Friendship who has seen and done quite a lot in her time there thus far.  With that being said, our February spotlight is on none other than our beloved Denise.

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Gregg: You’re one of the few Humane Officers on staff here at FAPL.  What interested you in that position?

Denise: To be honest, it was never what I thought I’d be doing.  When I first started at the shelter in 1999, I did a little bit of everything around the office and at the front desk.  After doing that for about a year, I ended up becoming a Humane Officer and I’ve never looked back since.  It’s a been a wonderful job.

Gregg: What all is involved in being a Humane Officer?

Denise: It can be intense at times.  There are a number of prosecutions and resulting court appearances that must be made.  There are investigations, roughly 400 to 450 a year, that lead up to those prosecutions and a lot of reporting to document all of these situations.  Another facet of the job is seizing animals, most commonly dogs in unfavorable living conditions/situations.

Gregg: Cats too?

Denise:  Cats not so much, but we do seize a few cats from time to time.  The vast majority of the cases are definitely dogs and even the occasional farm animal like horses and pigs.  Since we can’t bring horses to the shelter, we have special foster homes set up for them.  One of the most important aspects of the Humane Officer position, however, is educating people.  It is very important to inform the public on how to properly care for their pets and what to look for in reporting bad situations.

Gregg: That definitely sounds like it keeps you busy!  Anything else on your résumé?

Denise: Yes actually.  I’ve been involved in the Grafton prison program with the shelter for the past 17 years.  It’s been pretty rewarding and it’s great to see how far that program has come.

Thank you for all your effort, Denise!

It sounds like she has a full plate so we’ll let her get back to work.

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