Danielle. The animal caretaker.

Danielle is used to caring for dozens of animals every day at the animal control facility she works at in suburban Chicago. Today, however, most of the kennels at the shelter are empty. 

In March, nearly every dog, cat and other pet at the shelter was adopted or placed in foster care in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Rescue organizations and individuals stepped in to provide homes for the animals during shelter-in-place orders. The incredible outpouring of support showed Danielle that in this moment of crisis, people really do want to help. 

“A lot of people who are not normally involved became involved,” Danielle said. “It all happened so quickly. It was a really positive and nice thing to happen.”  

The change in the animal population at Danielle’s shelter happened fast, too. In a matter of weeks, the shelter went from having roughly a dozen dogs to just one. Five of them went to foster homes in a single day. Of the 20 cats and nearly the same number of rabbits the shelter had, now just six cats and two rabbits remain.

Even animals that are traditionally hard to find care for were successfully placed in foster homes last month. Take, for instance, a bonded pair of large, older dogs. Danielle said under normal circumstances, it is difficult to find a foster who will take in two dogs at once, let alone those that take up more space and tend to have more health issues. 

“It was surprising how quickly it happened because there have been times in the past where we have had difficulty placing animals,” Danielle said. “And then we had multiple rescues saying they had fosters homes for them.”

UNCHARTED TERRITORY 
Many animal shelters are having similar experiences. In early April, for example, Chicago Animal Care and Control reported that for the first time in its history, every single animal had been adopted. In the five years Danielle has worked as an animal caretaker, she has never seen her shelter so empty. 

“It is really an odd place for us to be in, not just my organization but the animal rescue community as a whole,” Danielle said. “No one has ever been in this position before.”

It is not a bad position to be in, however. It means the shelter can reduce the number of staff in the building at once to abide by current social distancing guidelines. During normal times, Danielle is one of five animal caretakers on hand during the day. Since mid-March, however, she has been the sole animal caretaker during her shift. The facility has gone from having 18-20 employees in the building at once — from front office staff and animal control officers to a veterinarian and vet technicians — to just four people. Danielle only goes into the shelter once every fifth day. She spends her other days working at home and staying busy, watching webinars and updating educational information the shelter gives new adopters, for instance.  

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE GO BACK TO WORK?
The ongoing shelter-in-place orders are keeping many of us at home right now, and Danielle believes that has a lot to do with why so many people are able to foster animals — “They have the time now to take care of them,” she said.

But Danielle also worries about what will happen to the animals once those shelter-in-place orders are lifted and people return to their jobs and busy schedules.

“All these people who were willing to open their homes, who took in pets  – are they going to realize they cannot or don’t want to care for them?” Danielle wonders. 

As someone who has a degree in animal science and regularly works with dogs on behavioral training, Danielle also thinks about the toll such a sudden change could have on the pets. For instance, if a foster parent or new pet owner is suddenly gone at work 8-10 hours a day, will the dogs have separation anxiety? 

Danielle wants to stay positive during this unprecedented time, but she cannot help but wonder if some of the animals who were adopted or placed in fosters in the last month will end back up at her shelter in the future. 

“Hopefully it will be fine,” Danielle said. “But there is still underlying anxiety of what is next and how will it play out?”

WHEN A PUBLIC SHELTER HAS TO LIMIT ITS INTERACTIONS WITH THE PUBLIC
Danielle’s job as an animal caretaker is to provide the ongoing, daily care for the domestic (and sometimes feral) animals brought into the shelter. She takes dogs outside, helps administer vaccines, assists the vet during surgeries and conducts behavioral training exercises to assess an animal’s adoptability. 

A typical day also usually involves numerous interactions with the public, as her facility is an open admission shelter. When shelter-in-place orders went into effect last month, though, Danielle’s shelter had to limit the amount of people coming in. That has been an odd change to get used to. 

“As an animal shelter, you want to welcome people constantly,” she said. “You want people to come in and be involved.” 

The shelter is only conducting adoptions by appointment and only accepting stray animals and “emergency surrenders” — such as when a pet owner is hospitalized and is unable to care for the animal. 

Danielle said her shelter also discussed the possibility of people having to give up their pets due to financial strains during the pandemic. To help people struggling to buy pet food, for instance, her shelter is directing pet owners to specific local food pantries that provide pet food. 

“We want to do everything we can to keep (the pets) in their home,” Danielle said. 

SAVING AS MANY ANIMALS AS POSSIBLE 
Danielle does find herself more lonely than usual at the shelter these days. She is used to working alongside a team of animal caretakers and said it is “weird” being the only one at the shelter during her shift. 

However, Danielle has faith that the shelter is reacting responsibly to the pandemic and taking proper precautions to keep her and her coworkers safe. All the webinars Danielle is taking at home and research she is doing has shown the shelter is following current best practices. 

Above all else, she is grateful for her animal caretaker teammates and the entire shelter staff who are staying true to their organization’s mission of providing protection and exceptional care to pets. 

“It has been really nice to know and have confidence in the team I work with that we are doing a good job,” she said. “We are doing everything we can to save as many lives as we can.” 

LEARN MORE ABOUT DANIELLE…

WHAT IS YOUR INSPIRATION TO KEEP GOING?
"The animals that I work with every day. Even though there are not as many, and it is different, it makes me smile when I go into the building and there is a rabbit that runs up to me and wants me to give it treats. It is a very positive thing.”

WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR AT THIS MOMENT?
“I am grateful that I am still working and getting paid. I am grateful that I have a living situation that is comfortable because I am home more now.” 

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO WHEN THINGS “GET BACK TO NORMAL”?
“Sitting on a patio and drinking some beer and spending time with the people I am used to spending time with.”