By Cathy Davis
In every organization there is exists a group of dedicated individuals who set policy, review paperwork, prepare documents, oversee operations and basically are kind of like the workings of a good watch. The watch, however, is useless if the face of it is blank. You need to be able to tell time, and those little hands that go round and round, working tirelessly day and night, tick, tick, tick — those are what do the real work of the watch. Neither can exist without the other and neither is more important, or less important, than the other.
Can the watch run with just the little wheels spinning behind the scenes? Yes, it can. Will the watch do its job with only those little wheels spinning? No, it won’t.
Now if you are 20 years old and have worn a digital all your life, you probably have little question marks dancing over your head, so that’s maybe not such a great analogy. Let’s go here: cell phone battery — without it your phone doesn’t work. That battery is the board of directors. Push a button and you can see your text messages. That working visual is the paid staff. Doesn’t do much good if your battery is fully charged but your phone won’t turn on.
Having now painted you this picture, I would like to introduce you to those people who truly are the hands on the clock, the people who come in at 8 every morning, who check every animal in the shelter, see whether they ate well, whether they have any signs of illness, give them a little loving first thing.
These folks clean cages, top to bottom, every single day. Food dishes are washed, bedding is laundered, fresh food prepared for each animal according to its need. Kittens need a little soft food, older cats might need a little canned mixed with dry, puppies need a special blend, etc. Floors are swept, phones are answered, customers are waited on, supplies are put away, and on it goes, all day, every day. These people, and in our case they are young ladies, work hard.
Ramona Conrad is the shelter director. Hired in February of 2016, she comes from a background of animal compassion, is an adopter from the shelter and a prior board member. Ramona is trained as a CNA, which comes in very handy in her job. In her free time Ramona likes to spend time with her kids, work on her hobby farm and garden, read and ride horses.
Kelly King has been working at the shelter since 2012. You can tell how much she enjoys working with the animals as her face lights up as she works tirelessly to care for them. Kelly has earned a great deal of respect from her fellow workers and her skill and dedication are much appreciated. In her spare time Kelly enjoys camping, fishing, going to the lake and spending time with her two dogs and her cat.
Sasha Lynds started working at the shelter in November of 2015. She always tells everyone that this has been the best and most rewarding job that she has ever had. Like Kelly, Sasha just beams when she’s snuggling with a kitty. Her true heart for the animals just shines through her eyes. Sasha enjoys spending time with her four children in her “spare time,” and “spare time” is a strange phrase for a mother of four; we all know she has none. She loves to take the kids fishing and just going to the lake to relax.
Kiara Lord has been a volunteer at the shelter for over a year and just joined the staff part time last month. Kiara would like to become a vet tech and is planning on starting college next spring. In her spare time she likes to go hiking with her dogs, hang out with her friends and go to the beach.
One more part-time employee profile is not yet available; we will introduce you to her next week.
These are all part-time positions. With animals needing care seven days a week, these ladies work weekends, holidays, come in for emergencies, come back at night to walk dogs. The work is hard; they are on their knees, they are scrubbing and bending and probably walk 20 miles a day. With all my heart, I thank them for their service and their dedication. Stop by the Shelter and say hello to these fine women and let them know how much they are appreciated.
