Name: Brandon Gooden

Position: Medical Manager

Do you have any pets at home: Yes, I have 3 cats- Pea, Flower, and Ellie and 2 German Shepherds- Magic and Saint. 

What does animal welfare mean to you personally: To me, Animal Welfare means providing any service to the community that helps animals and people, specifically those with financial and medical constraints.   If these services, like low-cost Veterinary clinics, Animal Protection services, and open intake of strays.  Without these services, many people and animals are forgotten and don’t receive the care they need.  

How do you balance the needs of shelter medicine with the emotional side of caring for so many animals: The way that I balance it is to look at things in the bigger picture rather than focusing too much on each incident. I have been in the industry long enough to have seen the positive impact that may not always be easy to see in the moment.   

What do you find most rewarding about your role: What I find most rewarding about my role is the gratitude people show when you help them when no one else would.  When you face adversity, a moment of compassion from someone can give you hope to keep going. 

What’s one area of the medical program you’re particularly passionate about improving or expanding: I would say expanding the spay/neuter clinic and TNR services is what I am most passionate about.  I oversaw a TNR program for 4 years, and seeing the number of stray cats we took in decrease over time was one of the most impactful things I have seen in my career.  Before the program started, we were flooded with cats year-round, but eventually we began taking in transports of cats from other shelters.  TNR allowed us to help our community first, but it eventually allowed us to help other communities in the same way. 

Tell us a fun fact about yourself: I have 4 daughters, and I love being a girl dad. 

Any last words of wisdom: Keep searching until you find something you are passionate about and never settle for anything less.  You will spend most of your prime years in life working, so make sure you do something you enjoy.