Name: Jessie Wickersham

Position: Lead Surgery Technical

How long have you been part of the ARL team: 3.5 years total 

What does a typical day at work look like for you: We usually have around 40 surgical patients per day. Most are spays and neuters, but we also do other surgeries as needed for the animals of the shelter and surrender prevention.  

What are some of the biggest challenges, and biggest rewards, of the work you do every day: The pace is super-fast, and there are always multiple things happening at once, but honestly, I’d probably get bored if it wasn’t like that lol.  Knowing that we are making an impact on the community by offering an affordable, quality service and helping to better the lives of animals are definitely pretty awesome perks of the job.   

Favorite thing about working with your team: I love the surgery team! Everyone is full of compassion and brains! We all work very hard and care very much about our patients.  

Can you share a memorable shelter pet or recovery story that has stayed with you: Survivor/ Asteroid/ Frank. He came into the shelter with a puncture wound through his leg. I took him home to foster that weekend, so that he could have round the clock care. We ended up amputating his leg that Tuesday. He was so small, under 2lbs, but his leg was definitely trying to kill him at that point.  So there really wasn’t another option. He stayed with me while he healed. Then later we noted that he had a healed wound on his prepuce that was interfering with urinating. Luckily, we were able to manage that until he was over 2lbs and was a better candidate for that surgery. All the humans and animals in my house fell deeply in love with him.  He was the perfect blend of sass and love. He ended up hitting the owner’s jackpot and got adopted by a couple I know. I get updates often and love them.  

What keeps you motivated, especially on long surgery days or during particularly challenging cases: I actually love challenging cases.  I love being able to keep my skills sharp and learn.  On hard days, I just remember this too shall pass, and I have a loving human and animal family waiting for me at home.  

What’s one word that describes your experience working at ARL, and why: Seesaw. Anyone who works in animal welfare knows there are incredible highs and not so great lows. It could be a complicated medical case that had a terrible life before walking through our doors. We do everything to save them, and we actually do! That’s the best! Other times you do everything you can, but the outcome isn’t as happy, but you know that animal felt what love was while they were in our care, so there is solace in that.  

Do you have any pets at home? Tell us about them: Hazel- pitbull mix who has to thank everyone for coming to her party. 

Possum- Shih Tzu who does not believe strangers exist; everyone is friend shaped.  

 Noodle- a cat with no eyes but always knows where her humans and treats are.  

Tuna- A one eyed pirate cat who has stolen all the hearts.  

If your pets had jobs at ARL, what would they do: Hazel, Possum, and Tuna would obviously have to be greeters of some sort.  

Noodle prefers quiet time and isn’t big on strangers, so maybe she could help assemble the food boxes for the dogs.  

Final words of wisdom: Animal welfare and vet med can be emotionally taxing at times. Celebrate all the wins and good outcomes!  Don’t take the sad stuff home with you, leave it at the door.