Name: Amara Cordero

Position: Pet Help Lead

Amara joined the ARL team after a career in banking and finance. Her commitment to helping our community and their pets through the Pet Help Center Department has gained her the Pet Help Lead position at the ARL. An animal lover herself, she lives with Dan, 3 years old, Domestic Long Hair, and Smudge, 8 months, Domestic Short Hair.

We asked her a couple of questions to share with the community she serves.

1. Tell us about some of the roles you and your team take on to help the animals under our care.  
   
   In the Pet Help Center, we assist with stray animals, surrender prevention, end-of-life services, and much more. We handle clients on a case-by-case basis and offer our assistance or resources to everyone we work with based on what’s best for their specific situation.
2. How long have you been working in animal welfare? What made you want to work in this field? 
   
   I have been working in Animal Welfare for under a year, but I have been volunteering in shelters since elementary school. In 2021 I made the decision to turn a passion for helping both animals and people into a career.
3. Tell us about an animal you’ll never forget. 
   
   This would definitely be one of my fosters, a kitten named Rocky. A wonderful couple found him as a bottle baby and brought him to the shelter so he could be cared for until he was ready for adoption.  He struggled with some digestive issues and was a very emotional boy about it, but it made everyone love him more. His finders later became his adopters which is the SWEETEST ending we could hope for and he is very loved and spoiled in his new home.
4. What is your favorite memory at ARL? 
   
   I actually have a few, but most recently I helped at our kitten shower which was an opportunity to talk to people about the benefits of fostering and what kittens are like in different stages of life. On top of having the job of holding the cutest blind & deaf kitten ever, I loved seeing how excited people were for kittens and how open to fostering many people were.
5. What do you love most about your job, and what do you find to be the most challenging?  
   
   The thing I love most about my job is when we are able to help a pet stay in its home whether that is through medical surrender prevention, food assistance, or emergency boarding.  At times it can be a challenge to manage the ever-changing day, we may go from helping someone with food to an injured stray in a moment, but we have a great team that handles everything that comes along.
6. If you could cross one thing off your bucket list right now, what would it be?  
   
   To complete a bus conversion and take a cross-country trip in it with my family.
7. What is one thing you wish people knew about your job? 
   
   I’ve often heard people tell me things like they could never see themselves doing a job like mine.  While it does have its challenges at times, I wish people also knew how rewarding it is.  Seeing an animal transform, be reclaimed, or find its forever home is the most heartwarming thing and a constant reminder of why we are here.
8. Any last words of wisdom?
   
   Do what you love and love what you do. Don’t wait for “one day…”