At Dane County Humane Society, we’re caregivers, family makers, support raisers, community ralliers, comfort providers, and above all – we are animal lovers. We work hard to provide top-notch care to thousands of animals in need each year. We heal their wounds, we reunite loved ones, we build new families, and we build a more humane tomorrow. In short, we help people help animals. Every month, we recognize an employee who epitomizes those qualities. For June, that employee was Kaitlyn Zimmerman.
Kaitlyn started at DCHS in September 2018 as a Shelter Resource Counselor. Later, she moved to working in the Adoption Center as an Adoption Counselor, and in November 2020, she was promoted to Senior Shelter Resource Counselor, the role she holds today.
“I’ve always had a love for animals, and I knew I wanted to work with them when I was older,” says Kaitlyn of her choice to work at DCHS. She grew up with a family cat, but started acquiring more pets when she finished college and moved out on her own. “My love for animals has only grown by working at the shelter. I get to work with so many different species.”
She works in the front office four days a week and in the Adoption Center one day a week. When she’s working in the Adoption Center, she can be found running the desk to get potential adopters checked in, or she might be counseling them and eventually bringing an animal to meet their potential new family. If she’s working Reception, she has many different tasks, from answering emails or the phone to reuniting lost pets with their owners.
Kaitlyn also works for the Lost & Found department, overseeing and training volunteers who come to help out there. Together, they make lost reports and found reports, cross-check to find matches between lost pets and found pets, and take phone calls and answer emails. This small but mighty team is making a big difference for local families. Their lost reports, found reports, and cross-checks have helped return to their families 2 out of 3 stray dogs and nearly 1 out of 5 stray cats who have come through our doors, which is three times the national average!
“My favorite part of my job is that no two days are the same,” she says. “I have new experiences every day, and I can work through odd or difficult situations that I haven’t encountered before.”
And why should people apply for a job at DCHS?
“Because it’s fun!” says Kaitlyn. “And educational. And has great people to work with. And you’re constantly learning new things.”
What might be next for Kaitlyn?
“My ultimate career goal is to work in an AZA-accredited zoo where I can specialize in a specific family of animals that I haven’t decided on yet.”
Until then, Kaitlyn works here at DCHS, bringing her passion for helping people help animals to everything she does.
Inspired to work at DCHS alongside dedicated and hardworking animal-lovers like Kaitlyn? Check out our job listings now!
