Meet the STAFF

~Christine~

Favorite part of job: I like playing with the animals and helping them. I love seeing cute stuff happen with them. The staff is sooooooo friendly!


	"Everyone thinks that the shelter is a bad place for animals, when they get such good care here. They eat a lot, get plenty of treats, and get walked quite frequently. We try to make their stay here as nice as possible!"

~Dan~

Favorite part of job: I like working directly with the animals the most.


	"I think it's a good place to bring animals who are in need of a second chance at a good home!"

~Mara~

Favorite part of job: Spending lots of one-on-one time with the animals. You get to know them in a special way.

"It is good that we have shelters because the stray animals are, at the least, not freezing and are getting food three times a day. They get a chance at a new home and new life, and get a place from us unlike their previous owners who abandoned them. They get attention, love, and a roof over their heads, and a chance that a new, home will love and care for them right. You get to know the kind of people that are out there pushing animals away, and how mean and cruel they can be. We are here for the animals when there is no one else. They depend on us. We are in control of their lives. I have respect for all those that try to reunite with your missing pets – there should be more like you."

~Aaron~

Favorite part of job: Finding homes for long-term animal “tenants,” and spreading awareness about the results of public ignorance and criticism.

"Sheltering is becoming a media of its own; unfortunately, it represents an all-too-often overlooked face of irresponsibility in American society. And seeing as Americans don’t take well to hearing that they are irresponsible, shelters are bad-mouthed and criticized when their sole purpose is to provide care to unfortunates. My word to those of you that fit into this category – come in and try to make some of these decisions yourself. We need your support, and so do the victims we house here."

~Dawn~

Favorite part of job: Keeping cages safe and sanitary; removing defecation and making the kennels clean and “homey” for the animals.


	"I believe that sheltering is a good cause. It helps to lower the expanding population of strays through spaying and neutering programs. I feel that the public should take more responsibility in becoming aware of the need for animal population control – it’s hard to watch how many dogs and cats we go through."

~Ehren~

Favorite part of job: Veterinary work – helping a sick animal achieve a point where it can survive on its own.

"Animal shelters are one of those institutions that shouldn’t be, but sadly are, a necessity in this world. And since they are a necessity, it’s essential that shelters get complete and positive support from the public. Let’s face it – if it weren’t for society’s ignorance, these animals wouldn’t need our help to find new homes. There’s nothing I’d like more than to be out of a job because all animals had good homes. Unfortunately, that will never happen."

~Karen~

Favorite part of job: Sending animals out to their new homes; knowing that I have made sure that their new home will be a caring, healthy environment.


	"I’m glad that we’re here to lovingly care for all the homeless animals that come our way. It gives me a great feeling of satisfaction that I can have a personal say on where an animal goes from the shelter; this way, I know for sure that their path ahead widens from the narrow kennels that their owners leave them in here."

~James~

Favorite part of job: Providing assistance in the exam room with dog and cat exams. It makes me feel good to be able to give our animals hands-on help.


	"Sometimes you have good days, sometimes you have bad days. Some days you want to tear your hair out, some days you want to tear others' hair out. It reminds me of a saying: "Out of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most."

~Judy~

Favorite part of job: When an animal that you think will never find a home, finds the perfect adopters; when a lost or found animal is reunited with its owner.

It can be very stressful or rewarding all in the course of one hour; however, I find sheltering very addictive and truly gratifying most of the time. I become very upset when people think we only kill animals here. Our sheltering staff has to love animals, or they couldn’t handle working here. Please, please put collars and ID’s on your pets – they make breakaway collars for cats; it would make the job of returning lost pets easier and result in many more happy endings if all of our strays had ID.

~Sarah~

Favorite part of job: Hugging and grooming the animals. I used to feel bad for animals in shelters. I thought they were alone and missing out on having a family. But in reality, the shelter acts as a family to them until they get their own. It helps a lot of animals and prepares them for a new life.

~Jillian~

Favorite part of job: It has to be getting to know the animals, then watching them go home! Working at the shelter has taught me a lot about how animals act, and how that if you show a bit of kindness toward them, they will give you a life of friendship!

~Andrea~

Manager

Favorite part of job: I love to see animals learn to trust humans again and to rediscover joy. I love to see “our kids” leaving the shelter to start new lives with loving pet parents. I love to see my staff having fun and I enjoy their antics; they give me lots of laughs to mingle with my gray hairs. It takes strength of character and a sense of humor to work here; they are a great crew.

What can I say? Sheltering is my life, and for me there is no greater cause than animal welfare. These animals are truly innocent. I believe that the public views the suffering that we see as being mainly the result of abuse by cruel people. The majority of the suffering that we see is actually the result of irresponsible choices made by “normal” people. To an animal, its family, or “pack,” is its world. It is cruel to rip that away from them. It is our job to rebuild that world whenever possible. It is our responsibility to promote empathy and to encourage change until the number of unwanted animals is drastically reduced. I feel that we are definitely heading in the right direction at CGHS.

~Ron~

President

Favorite part of job: Providing a bridge for animals from abuse, neglect, and abandonment to love, compassion, and kindness.

The environment of sheltering is slowly changing for the better. However, it’s essential that the public begin to play a role in the antidote of animal overpopulation. Far too often, animal shelters are held accountable for the action they take to control animal overpopulation, when in fact, it’s the public that creates this dilemma. Responsible animal ownership also includes spaying and neutering. The sooner that the public takes indiscriminate breeding seriously, the sooner animal shelters will be obsolete.

COMING SOON!

~Charlene~

Chairperson

Board of Directors

Favorite part of job: Simply said, all of it! I love the interaction from our talented, diversified and energetic board members. Our commitment to the success of the organization keeps us all energized! I love working closely with our CEO Ron Perez and Shelter Manager Andrea Walker, while we brainstorm about our role in not only plugging the leak in the dike of companion animal overpopulation, but STOPPING IT. As one who has always been interested in the plight of homeless people and animals, I take great delight in working with our fantastic staff as a “volunteer adoption counselor” and “in-home rehabilitator.” That’s my most favorite job!

Our mandate, the cornerstone of what we do, is to seek and provide loving, responsible homes for all adoptable animals in our charge. We then need to make sure that they stay there! We must also provide a safe, secure, healthy, and enriched environment for our animals while they await placement. The “end game” for me is to have long lines of families waiting for loving companions, instead of long lines of loving companions waiting for families.