PROFILES |MAY 2015 space for them... we tend to take a lot of smaller dogs because we can keep two of them in a room while a bigger dog might have to take its own room.” Despite their business-worthy management, the animals are not referred to by their species or color of their coats, but by their names. It’s not that terrier mutt, it’s Milo, who suffers from eye and skin conditions as well as lung cancer. It’s not that chihuahua mix, it’s Leo, who has been there since 2011 due to his fiendish disposition. It’s not that half-blind poodle, it’s Clarence, who was abandoned by her owner with her medical procedure only half finished. After finding Clarence filthy, emaciated and trembling on the streets, Hollander had identified Clarence’s owner and dialed her home. The response, she recalls, was short: the slam of the telephone receiver back on its station. Silence, it seems, is the only response many people have for cruelty. “I’ve learned a lot about compassion — but you know, I’ve also learned that I don’t really like people,” Hollander says. “Working here, you realize that there’s a lot of messed up people out there who don’t care about their pets ... You meet people that have really big hearts and then you hear these stories about perfectly good pets running in the streets.” Future Goals Pets in Need moved into their current eco-friendly building in 2009, and features sanitary hospital vents and glass walls that are not only less stressful for the animals but also helps keep the noise level down. And, according to Alexandra Baggs, the development and marketing coordinator, Pets in Need has only been continuing on and spreading the word from their state-ofthe-art building. “We’ve been taking our mobile van to other locations in the bay area to do spay and neuter procedures, and low cost vaccinations,” Baggs says. “So we’re really trying to reach out, to really tackle issues like pet homelessness, abandonment ... I think Pets in Need is in a really good place to increase partnerships, and we’re really becoming a lot more visible, too.” Among these potential partnerships is with the Palo Alto Animal Services Shelter, which has declined to give news sources their 2014 euthanization, adoption and output statistics. “We’re just starting to talk to a few groups in Palo Alto, so we don’t have any details yet,” Baggs says. “But we’re really making an effort to expand our geographic reach through relationships with other animal welfare organizations.” Looking Forward With all that’s going on, Brody resides quietly in his stall. Right behind the glass is a little plaque that discloses all of his personal information. Out of eight different adjectives, the words outgoing, playful, and energetic are highlighted. He’s one year old. He gets along with other dogs. Brody is the epitome of what animal lovers want in a family, but just a few months ago, he would have been gone. “The best part about working here is giving these little guys a second chance at life,” says Patty Santana, the shelter manager. “Seeing them from when they are first rescued, watching them come around and trust people regardless of what they’ve been through, to seeing them go into their forever loving homes.” v
Clockwise from left page KENNEL staff members feed the shelter animals before taking them outside. The Kennel staff is currently looking for volunteers to help with manual tasks like walking the dogs and feeding the cats. TWO DOGS look straight at the camera. Both were adopted from Pets in Need before the end of April. BRODY presses his nose against a gap in the glass walls. A boxer mix, he is one of two power breeds (bigger dogs) at Pets in Need. REX looks at dogs outside while Foxwell hangs in the back. Rex had demodicosis, but has been treated and is at Pets in Need as of May 13. 57