Name: Genesis Gomez-Perez

Position: Pet Placement Specialist

How long have you been working at ARL?

I started back in July of 2021, so a little over two years now!

What is your favorite part about your job? What is the most challenging?

The best part of my job is helping families adopt a new pet. I love when people know exactly what animal they want to meet, and it turns out to be the perfect match for them. Or when families come in not knowing exactly what they want in pet, I love playing match maker and helping them find the perfect one.

Of course, the most challenging part is seeing how long some animals stay in the shelter. We could have a whole litter of kittens, and every single kitten gets adopted except for that last one, even though it was just as cute and friendly as its siblings. It’s also hard when our dogs stay in the shelter day after day simply because of their energy is high, or as we often see, landlords won’t allow a specific dog breed or size.

Tell us about animal you will never forget.

This is a tough one because all the pets I work with are unforgettable with their own little story to tell. But I guess my favorite would be a dog named Benny Bones. He was brought to the shelter as a stray back in October 2022. He was an extremely friendly and excitable dog to the point where his energy level got the best of him. Benny had multiple meets with different people and families. But again, Benny Bones just had so much energy and could be a little hard to handle at times. Then, in March of this year, he found his perfect home. After all those meets and our behavior team working so hard to help him control his energy, Benny Bones finally got the chance he needed to go home!

What is one thing you wish people knew about your job?

We do lot of work one-on-one with the animals behind the scenes. We are spending so much time with them daily and care for them as much as we care for our own animals. Everything we do is to try to help the animals and the community to the best of our ability; but sometimes we need a little help from the community as well.

If you could cross one thing off your bucket list, what would it be?

I would love to go paragliding one day! I’m afraid of heights, so I’m not sure how that would go, but it could be fun.

Is there anything else you would like to share with your community?

Our job can be hard and emotionally draining at times, but it’s worth it when we see the wonderful impact we make on the community. We love working with you just as much as we love working with the pets we care for!

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Want to learn more about the day in the life of a Pet Placement Specialist? Check out the video blog below, where you can follow Pet Placement Specialist Amanda Mellinger as she takes you through a day on the job!

Did you enjoy this article? Check out our other employee spotlight interviews in the blog!