Making a Difference: Long Term Staff Members

It takes a unique group of individuals to weather the ups and downs of working in an ever changing non-profit. We’re fortunate to have a group of four women, who over the past 15+ years, have helped shape our organization into what it is today.

Pictured clockwise from top left: Samantha Cheatham, Patty Powell, Kathy Daly and Deborah Kraus.

Following are their answers to questions we posed to each of them:

Samantha Cheatham, Animal Care & Intake Director

Q: What is it that has kept you here all this time?

A: Saving lives! I love seeing where our animals come from, watching their journey and seeing them blossom. Most of all, it’s seeing the smiles on peoples’ faces when they take their new family member(s) home.

Q: What is the biggest change you have seen in your 15 years at HHS?

A: More open ended, conversational adopter interviews, the fact that we’re able to help more behavioral/medical animals, and the power of social media in our industry.

Q: What is your most memorable story from your time here?

A: Testifying in court for Noah, the abused puppy, watching my soul dog Rudy walk in the door, Bubba (the very first dog that took a piece of my heart with him) and Powder Puff and Bruiser who made me start advocating for bonded pairs. Oh, and catching an injured fox!

Q: What do you think the future holds for HHS?

A: Growing our transfer partnerships and continuing to fight for the underdogs and cats.

Patty Powell, Animal Care Technician

Q: What is it that has kept you here all this time?

A: My love and compassion for helpless/ homeless animals.

Q: What is the biggest change you have seen in your 15 years at HHS?

A: Moving to this big building with a surgical suite so we can help more animals find homes faster.

Q: What is your most memorable story from your time here?

A: Being able to learn/work with Dr. Kristin. And too many adoptions to list.

Q: What do you think the future holds for HHS?

A: Becoming more and more united in our cause to save animals in need together.

Kathy Daly, Receptionist

Q: What is it that has kept you here all this time?

A: Helping animals and their people never gets old. Every day there is some new challenge which keeps us busy searching for ways to get and keep animals in homes.

Q: What is the biggest change you have seen in your 15 years at HHS?

A: Having a wonderful veterinarian (Dr. Kristin) right on site has made a world of difference. Animals are leaving the shelter already spayed and neutered and fully vaccinated. And the animals in the shelter are getting on the spot, quality care. So great!

Q: What is your most memorable story from your time here?

A: No, sorry not just one. From my own personal adoptions to fostering pregnant cat moms and dog amputees, seeing that long term shelter animal finally go home, to finally catching the scared stray dog that was outside for months and adopting it, and all the rest, both sad and happy. I cannot choose just one.

Q: What do you think the future holds for HHS?

A: If we can continue to educate the public on altering animals, proper care and training, puppy mills, feral cat colonies, etc., the future will be bright. There will be fewer homeless animals crowding shelters. But I don't think we'll ever go out of business! There will always be a need for training, education and low cost medical care.

Deborah Kraus, Development Director

Q: What is it that has kept you here all this time?

A: The passion we all have for helping those who cannot help themselves.

Q: What is the biggest change you have seen in your 15 years at HHS?

A: Expansion of our mission to include a breadth of community outreach: helping people keep their pets, helping young ones be responsible pet owners and custodians of animal life around them, and helping those in need benefit from the love, emotional support and therapy of interacting with a pet.

Q: What is your most memorable story from your time here?

A: So hard to say... the day I adopted my cat Sophie and then Liebchen. When we helped with Rusty, the stray dog, when we captured Corn Dog, when we took in Neville the therapy rat’s parents, when Grover got the attention of a severely paralyzed young girl at Rehab without Walls on a Therapaws visit, the day Tom Van Winkle secured funding for our Medical clinic, and our recent pet food pantries! Going back in history, there was a little puppy mill, Havanese Mix. Such a scared little pup. One of our volunteers, Eileen Z., actually laid on the floor trying to extend that human animal bond. Made my heart happy that we rescued such a pup and he was adopted into a loving home. So many years, so many memories. Hard to distill into a "most memorable" one.

Q: What do you think the future holds for HHS?

A: All great things. I so admire our leadership and what we've accomplished since opening the Tuthill Family Pet Rescue & Resource Center! We're rescuing more animals, educating animal lovers, and reaching out to help the community we serve, especially with Programming, the Zach Leathers Emergency Medical Fund, and most recently, the veterans’ community with the BJ Chiementi Angel Fund for Veterans and Pets. So very proud of the work we do helping pets and humans. 

Our gratitude for the loyalty, dedication and passionate work done every day by this group of caring individuals.