Name: Hailey Auriemma
Position: Animal Care Specialist Supervisor
Joining the ARL in 2019, Hailey’s dedication to caring for thousands of animals in our care has recently led her into the role of our Animal Care Specialist Supervisor, overseeing a team of ten people who work tirelessly every day to ensure the safety and well-being of our animals.
We asked Hailey a couple of questions to share with our community.
Name any pets with their age/breed/etc that you have at home!
There’s quite a few…
First, there’s Jeffree, a 20-year-old sun conure bird who loves goldfish crackers, laser pointers, and being a cranky old man. We also have Blue, a six-year-old domestic shorthair cat who is the light of my life. Azula is a one-year-old domestic shorthair who is the sweetheart of the bunch. There’s Heath AKA the wobble king, also a one-year-old domestic shorthair with cerebellar hypoplasia. Sugar, a one-year-old domestic shorthair who is the spookiest girl who loves to play fetch. And last of all, we have Worm, a five-month-old domestic shorthair who is known as Oscar the Grouch because he loves garbage.
How long have you been working in animal welfare, and what made you want to work in this field?
I started working for the ARL in June 2019. I never realized this could be a career until I came across the job listing online. I’ve always loved animals, so I felt like this would be the perfect path for me.
What is a day in the life of your job like?
A typical day for me can involve any of the following: packing up cats to take them to and from our surgery center, medicating, vaccinating, cleaning cages, moving animals through our system, writing adoption bios, taking pictures, catching semi-feral cats, making assignments for our team, doing extra tasks like laundry, and putting out any other fires that can happen in animal welfare.
In your role, you care for animal companions that will soon go home with a new family. What is your advice for anyone considering getting a pet?
Make sure you’re prepared. You’re bringing home a new family member. If you are looking for a new pet, please consider the ones that get overlooked. They can end up being some of the best and most unforgettable ones. Give them time. Your home isn’t their home (yet); be patient, and they’ll come around.
Tell us about a shelter animal you won’t forget.
Henry. Henry was a 10-year-old black cat that came in as a stray. He had the creakiest meow and always had something to say. We had to warn people not to stick their hand out to greet him because he was on the spicy side. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body, he just had absolutely no manners. He loved being petted and would start drooling because he was so happy. We had to put a soft cone on him because he’d over-groom if he was left alone; so you’d have this scrawny little thing wearing a mini inner-tube around his neck come screaming at you the second he’d see you and nip at you if you even hesitated to pet him. He was a hot mess, but boy did I adore him! It took time, but his spiciness must have been adored by another family because he was adopted a few months later.
What is your favorite memory at ARL?
I don’t have one specific memory, but I often think about all the animals that have touched my heart.
What do you love most about your job, and what do you find to be the most challenging?
I love helping our pets who are more challenging cases. Watching an animal who was once so scared become beloved by staff and find their forever homes is so fulfilling. The hardest part is when an animal has a difficult time overcoming their adversities despite our efforts to help.
If you could cross one thing off your bucket list right now, what would it be?
Learn how to tattoo. I love art, and it’s one of the few things I’ve never tried.
What is one thing you wish people knew about your job?
We don’t get to play with puppies and kittens all day. Caring for the amount of animals that come through our door is a lot of work. We’ve seen them at their worst. We love them and care for each one as if they were our own. We spend more time with them than anyone else, so when an outcome isn’t what we would have hoped for, we take it hard. But when an animal overcomes their struggles and begins to thrive, we’re so happy knowing all our hard work every day is paying off.
Any last words of wisdom?
Our job is not easy, but it is worth it.
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