One of the most defining aspects of working in animal welfare is that you never know what situations may come your way, especially in a county the size of Los Angeles. These surprises and challenges must be responded to and resolved, while also maintaining our ongoing operational effectiveness and planning for the future. This calls for superior leaders who are ready to face whatever comes their way.

Like most people who work in animal welfare, there have been animals I have come across in my career who have left lasting impressions on me. I still think about them decades later, sometimes with happiness and sometimes with regret.

Recent media reports about overcrowding and lack of exercise for dogs at some other Los Angeles area animal shelters has prompted discussions about animal shelter population management. This is a key operational issue for animal shelters and deserving of the public’s attention.

In the early 1990’s I was the executive director of a humane society in Kansas. It was a very rewarding job and we helped many animals. A number were dogs that fled in terror during the frequent thunderstorms that rolled across the prairie. Safe in our animal shelter, they still believed the world was coming to an end and could not be consoled until the weather had passed. Sometimes tornados swept down on us, leaving immense destruction in their wakes.

Some dogs and cats have lived remarkably long lives. In March, Guinness World Records named Chihuahua “TobyKeith” the oldest living dog at 21 years, 66 days old. The oldest dog ever recorded was an Australian Cattle Dog that passed in 1939 at the age of 29 years, five months. The world’s oldest cat, Crème Puff, lived to be 38 years and three days.

My first cat was a beautiful black and white cat named Murphy. Murphy was born at the home of the “cat lady” who lived down the block and fed dozens of cats, with no sterilization plan in place to reduce their population growth. Murphy was first taken in as a kitten by our neighbors, but their established cat would not tolerate another cat in the house. So Murphy came to live with us, and I had him for the rest of his life. My favorite memory of him was how he would sleep in bed with me with his cheek against mine and his arms wrapped around my neck, purring contentedly as we both drifted off to sleep.

In my early twenties I worked on a sheep farm in southern Illinois. The farm had about 1,000 sheep and two Great Pyrenees dogs to protect them. Great Pyrenees dogs are a type of dog known as a livestock guardian dog (LGD); they do not herd the sheep like border collies but are there instead to protect the sheep from predators. They are giant, white (mostly), hairy dogs that blend in well with the flocks.

Animals are a beloved and popular topic for film and television because they provide heartwarming stories and highlight the intrinsic reward of the human-animal bond. Many wonderful TV shows and films have helped elevate the public’s awareness of kindness towards animals, how to care for them, and the importance of protecting them in our society. Keeping animals in the forefront of peoples’ minds is a good thing.

The other night my husband and I were talking about one of our past dogs, a Great Pyrenees named Isabella, who passed away several years ago at 14 years of age. When we mentioned her name, our Golden Retriever, Rebecca, raised her head and looked around the room. She clearly recognized Isabella’s name and remembered her.

People often ask me why I didn’t pursue a career in veterinary medicine because I love animals so much. I had indeed considered it and was an avid reader of James Herriot’s books about being a veterinarian in 1930’s and 40’s Yorkshire, England. I also worked for a veterinarian when I was in high school and enjoyed my job tremendously.