Adam Parascandola
Director of Humane Law Enforcement
Washington Humane Society (WHS)
Washington, D.C.

How long have you been working in your current career? What did you do before?
9 years at WHS and before that I worked for PETA.

Why did you decide to pursue this career?
I wanted to work more directly with abused and neglected animals.  I wanted to both help animals in need and also work directly with those animals- versus advocating for them from an office.  I also personally like to be active and on the move and didn’t want an office job.

What traits would you say make your job “humane”? 
I can remove animals from neglectful and abusive situations and bring them to the shelter where they will be cared for pending the outcome of their case.

What kind of education and training did you get before you started your first professional job?
I have a bachelor’s degree in philosophy but it was not required and I could have gotten the job anyway but it did help me hone my writing skills which is actually a very important part of the job.  I did have experience working with animals from working in vet clinics while I was in college and before I went to college.

How did you find your first job in your profession?
A friend of mine left PETA and came to work at the Washington Humane Society as an Animal Control Officer and I heard about the job from him.

What are your duties in your current position?
I oversee the Humane Officers and their cases.  This involves going on the road to assist them, evaluating their cases, making decisions about the outcome of a particular case, reviewing the cases to see if charges should be brought, keeping in close contact with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to monitor the progression of our cases in the justice system and working to improve the department through outreach to other agencies and reviewing training and equipment options.  Also working with the shelter staff on the progression and care of the Humane Hold animals and their disposition.

What do you like most about your job?
Being able to take animals out of crummy situations and especially in those cases where the animal is adoptable and we can find them a new home where they get the care they deserve.  I also am very interested in the legal system and the law and like the fact that WHS is very progressive when it comes to making the law work for animals.  I enjoy pushing the boundaries of the legal system to get the system to recognize abuse or neglect where it has not formally done so.

What do you like least about your job?
It can be frustrating when you have a case where there is an animal who is not allowed to be a part of the family and lives in the backyard but the owners are in compliance with the law and though you have tried to educate them they refuse to make the animal a part of the family.  It is sad to go by and check on these lonely dogs.  I also do not like to have to discipline my staff.  It is important to do so when it is needed and I will do it but I hate to nag them about things.  I would prefer to think that we are all adults and old enough to understand and perform our responsibilities but unfortunately this is not always the case.

What’s a typical workday like for you?
There is no real typical work day in this field which is something else I like about it a lot.  But I usually start the day (assuming I don’t have court or a meeting first thing) by checking my emails and messages and then I will print out the list of animals under Humane Hold and check on these cases.  Sometimes there is an animal at the vet I need to call about or a letter which needs to be written to an owner advising them what they need to do to get their animal back or that we are not returning their animal and what their avenue of appeal is.  Often I will go and physically check on the Humane Hold animals and as some of these are housed off site I will have to drive there.  Other times an Officer will ask me to assist them in a call or to go look at a case with them and I will do this.  I have to review all the cases being closed by the Officers and sign off on them as well and there are always bills to be paid.  I try to intersperse some bigger projects we are working with.  For example, we just completed updating our training manual and are currently working on the U.S. Attorneys Office to prosecute more of our cases as felonies.

What types of training or experiences do you need to keep up-to-date in your field?
There are not a lot of training opportunities within this field once you have moved past the basics.  However, there are sometimes one day or evening seminars which apply and often we will attend seminars which other fields are sponsoring such as Domestic Violence seminars or juvenile crime seminars.  We also try to keep up with court cases regarding animal cruelty which we do via various publications and over the Internet.

What keeps you motivated to keep doing your work? 
Sometimes it can be very frustrating to work in this field as often people you need (prosecutors, police, etc…) do not take your cases as seriously as you think they should be taken.  Often it feels like you are in constant conflict even with people whose side you should be on.  But then a case will come along where you manage to get an animal out of a very bad situation or win an excellent court victory and this will motivate you to keep working.  And because no matter what happens with the person- if they are not prosecuted or get off- you still know you made a difference for that one animal.

What personal traits do you think someone needs to be successful in your field?
One of the most important traits is to be a calm person.  Often you end up in a difficult position with angry owners, aggressive dogs, or just frustrating situations and it is important to remain calm and professional and get all the information you need, or take your time and safely impound the animal.  But it also helps to have some writing skills and to be fairly organized.  That said I am incredibly disorganized but am forced to constantly organize myself so I don’t lose track of cases.  It also helps to be a good talker and though it helps to be congenial you also have to be able to be firm when that is needed.

What advice would you give to a college student or other young person considering entering your field?  What advice would you give to someone who’s changing fields and is interested in a career in your profession?
There are a lot of careers in the animal field and each person has to find out for themselves what are the best options for them.  One way to do this in the shelter world is to begin by volunteering at a shelter and seeing what the various jobs are.  Being a Humane Officer is not for everyone and there is nothing wrong with saying it is not the job for you.  There are many jobs within the shelter I could not do and others do so well.  I was lucky to find my niche and if you take the time to see what is out there you can find yours as well.  One of the key things to find out is how well you work with animals.  Having pets at home will not prepare you for dealing with an aggressive rottweiler in the middle of the night by yourself.  For this reason, it is good to get some experience with animals by working in a vet’s office or shelter and seeing how you like it.

Anything else you’d like to add about your work or about careers helping animals?
A career in helping animals can be very rewarding.  However, it is important to realize that there will not always be a happy ending for all your cases.  Sometimes the courts dismiss a case where the person should have been convicted and many of the animals will be euthanized.  Personally, I have learned to deal with this and realize that there are many things out there that are worse than euthanasia.  These animals removed from neglectful and abusive situations have already been rescued from a horrible life even if they are deemed unadoptable and euthanized.

May 2005