Rosemary Vozobule 
Senior Director of WHS/SPCA Programs
Washington Humane Society/SPCA
Washington, DC

How long have you been working in your current career? What did you do before? 
I have been with the WHS for almost 18 years, before that I worked in Howard County (MD) at the County Animal Shelter.  Before that I worked for the Montgomery County Humane Society in Rockville, Maryland.

Why did you decide to pursue this career? 
I started working part time at Montgomery County Humane Society and it wasn’t long before I was hooked.  Each day seemed to fly by, no two days were ever alike and I found the work very satisfying.   

What traits would you say make your job “humane”? 
I work both directly with animals and animal owners enforcing the DC anti-cruelty laws.  The Washington Humane Society operates the city’s animal shelter and a smaller animal shelter where our primary mission is to enforce the animal protection laws.  Animals who have been removed from various situations such as abuse and neglect are held at the smaller shelter. I supervise the Humane Law Enforcement Division which is responsible for responding to complaints of animal cruelty and neglect and the Animal Care Department which cares for the animals while they are in our custody.  Some of the animals are surrendered by owners and we also have an adoption program which I supervise.   

What kind of education and training did you get before you started your first professional job?  
On the job training.  I had a wonderful mentor, Jean Johnson, former Executive Director of WHS, who trained me.  I learned how to operate an animal shelter including adoptions, euthanasia and cruelty investigations.   

How did you find your first job in your profession?  
I found my first job purely accidentally.  I passed by my local shelter almost on a daily basis and wondered what an animal shelter did exactly.  I went in and applied for a job and found utter chaos in the front office.  I remember while I waited a staff person gasped, "Are you sure you want to work here?!"

What are your duties in your current position? 
Hiring and training staff, supervising managers who operate the Humane Law Enforcement program, directly supervise the Animal Care Department and until recently I oversaw the Humane Education Department which consists of two staff person who in a addition to many other duties, visit class rooms in the DC public schools and teach kindness towards animals.  

What do you like most about your job? 
Almost the same things I hate.  How do you explain how much you like the fact that you have the authority to remove an animal if necessary when it’s a shame to have to educate people on the very basics of proper animal care.  When we make a difference in an animals life I think that is the most satisfying aspect of my job.  Secondly, every time we hire someone they learn so much about so many things.  We have had staff work here and leave to other jurisdictions and work at various levels.  WHS’ standards, policies and procedures are then spread throughout the country, but more importantly that person has received an incredible education on issues on animal welfare issues.   

What do you like least about your job? 
There are so many negatives to my job.  I think that most jobs that deal with public service deal with similar problems such as an ongoing need for funding, dealing with limited staff and resources, losing good staff, ongoing space limitations for animals, returning to an address for cruelty violations (particularly generation after generation).    

What’s a typical workday like for you? 
I typically work Monday through Friday.  I look at the animals to see who came in from the day before, discuss what animals may be expected to come in that day with the Director of HLE via a search warrant or an case that the humane officers have targeted for that day.  I discuss pending adoptions with my adoptions manager, and on an ongoing basis  administrative related work such as pay bills arranging for any repairs or purchase of equipment, making euthanasia decisions, personnel issues, developing policies as necessary, and improving programs currently in place, recruiting volunteers……

What types of training or experiences do you need to keep up-to-date in your field? 
I try to read publications related to the industry.  I have attended and continue to attend classes on animal behavior, animal disease, workshops on laws and proposed changes to animal welfare law.

What keeps you motivated to keep doing your work?  
We do so much for the animals, every single notice we leave on a citizens front door, every day we interact with a dog who was removed from his back yard, every adoption, every phone call making an inquiry about an issue is a move towards an animal’s quality of life improving.  Sometimes our accomplishments are slow or maybe small, on occasion for example we may be disappointed in a judge’s decision during sentencing but I know that it takes time to change people’s way of thinking from the local prosecutor the animal owners.  So I guess the main motivation is that there is so much to be done.    

What personal traits do you think someone needs to be successful in your field? 
Patience but at the same time tenacity. 

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? 
Volunteer at your local shelter, shadow someone for a couple days.

Anything else you’d like to add about your work or about careers helping animals? 
There are so many options these days for those looking into the animal welfare careers.  So while an animal shelter may not be the place for one to be there are many other choices available AND the  field is still growing.

July 2005