QUALIFIED VS NON-QUALIFIED

Animal Behaviorist for the town of Hempstead Animal Shelter

The town of Hempstead has two candidates that applied for the behaviorist position and the board is about to vote on which candidate to hire.  The role of the animal behaviorist is probably the most important job in an animal shelter because this is the person who will assess animals’ temperament and determine what kind of a home best fits their needs.

Making the right choice based on qualifications and not political connections is critical.  Candidate 1 belongs to the CSEA which is the union for the Town of Hempstead and for the government shelter the candidate works for. This is a position at a salary of over $100,000 per year without required hours indicated.

Supervisor Santino put together a 5 person interview committee made up of town officials who have no experience in animal sheltering or animal behavior.  When asked, Supervisor Santino refused any outside expert to participate in the interview and selection process.

These are the candidate’s objectives that are on their resume….You the tax payer decide who best meets the needs of our shelter animals

Candidate 1 – To utilize my skills as well as gain knowledge (?) in the field of animal behavior and care.

Candidate 2 – To provide training & behavior modification for canines in homes, shelters, rescue and foster. Dogs need to be guided in the right direction and learn to live amongst us. Some dogs display common behaviors such as digging, jumping, chewing, etc., while others have more complex behaviors such as reactivity, fear and / or aggressions. My goal is to create a loving, harmonious relationship between humans and canines. By providing factual information to obtain the most current scientific research and studies, affords the opportunity of a better understanding of why the behaviors are occurring and how to alter them.

Dogs that are at rescue facilities or shelters have a much greater need than those who are living in homes. They require understanding of the emotional duress created by their living environments, the proper meaning and understanding of the communicative behaviors and what steps are necessary to diminish the stress.  Special care must be taken to provide proper cognitive & environmental enrichment so that these dogs can be content while waiting to be placed in a loving home.

THIS IS NOT AN ON THE JOB TRAINING POSITION