Happy Holidays everyone! We like to highlight departments in our shelter, as there are so many people that are working “behind the scenes” to make Wayside Waifs what it is today. Previously, we showcased our Pet Memorial Services, and this month, we would like to showcase our Canine Care Technicians. They do such a wonderful job in overseeing the care of our canine companions, rehabilitating them towards getting adopted, and helping with after-hour duties as well.
Pictured above is Sarah, a Canine Care Technician with a former waif, Spice. Sarah has been with our company a little less than three years now, and she enjoys her time here! She does an excellent job in caring for our canine friends here, and excels in helping our shy and fearful and high energy dogs get ready for adoption. Thank you for all you do Sarah!
The CCT’s (Canine Care Technicians) as well as the Feline side of things, are the heart of our shelter. They are the people directly caring for our waifs, and see them everyday. They are helping them get ready for adoption, whether that be behaviorally or noticing medical issues. On top of that, they regularly clean up after our waifs to make our dog adoption and holding areas look really nice for visitors!
Elise is another CCT, and she has been here for eight years! Besides seeing the journey of all of the waifs, she enjoys working one-on-one with our behavior dogs. Those are dogs that need a little extra training or attention to help make them less stressed, or learn control. In fact, one of her favorite waifs right now is Shelby, pictured below. Shelby is a long-termer, and she was in our Peace Academy(high energy) for a while. She has a few restrictions, but is overall a sweetheart! Learn more about her here!
While taking care of our canine waifs is their main duty, the CCT’s perform a variety of odd jobs around the shelter. They take care of the laundry for the building, they help with adoption meet and greets and dog to dogs, they help with lost dogs, food pantry, and pet memorials during and after hours. They also handle our donation bin, and sort through things for each department. We are very thankful for our CCT’s! Below is CCT Jeff doing a move-over.
A move-over is what our CCT’s do when an animal is ready to be available for adoption. They are responsible for moving dogs over during the day and in the evening, after the Canine Care Manager Jess has done it in the morning. They are moving the dogs from our holding area to the adoption area, so they can be seen better! 
Jeff has been with the department for a year, and he has enjoyed working with the volunteers the best. We have over 1200 volunteers at Wayside, and all of them go above and beyond to help out around the shelter, canine care included! Here Jeff is taking care of our Puppy Nursery. This is where young puppies go if they are waiting to go to foster, or they are being held for an event. It is separate from other parts of the shelter for medical safety, and we had some cute Chihuahua puppies in there!
Another aspect of CCT’s is the Canine Isolation area. This is Kathi, and she has been with Wayside seventeen years! WOW! Kathi has pretty much worked in every department, but currently she works full-time in the ISO area. She is responsible for giving the dogs back there medicine, and giving dogs with ringworm lyme dips, pictured above. Hagrid is being a good sport and wearing his protective headgear!
The CCT’s in Isolation also work with the dogs to get daily exercise and TLC. When they are sick, they feel down, and can regress in shelter life. With the help of Kathi, and a few others, animals do not regress at all! They spend time working with them when they are on the mend, and they are equally as happy as healthy dogs! Kathi’s has many favorite things about working here, but currently, she enjoys the pace and style of Isolation. When there are less animals in the ward, she can work more individually with the ones in there, and she likes to help them get healthy as quickly as possible!
Others in the department, but not pictured, are Jess, our Canine Care/Behavior Manager, and Shea, Brittany, and Carolyn, other CCT’s. Thank you for all that you do, and we appreciate it!
Please visit us during our regular adoption hours as well!
- Monday: CLOSED
- Tuesday: CLOSED
- Wednesday: 12pm-8pm
- Thursday: 12pm-8pm
- Friday: 12pm-8pm
- Saturday: 10am-6pm
- Sunday: 1pm-6pm
Written by Teryn J.