Name: Chelsea Angelo
Employer: City of Urbana, Police Department
Job Title: Animal Control Warden and Safety Education Coordinator
Years with Current Employer:12 years
Educational Background: Chelsea received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Illinois in 1997.
Job Description:Chelsea currently handles all animal control cases for the city of Urbana, Illinois and works as an animal cruelty investigator for the city. Public education and outreach for animal control issues fall into of her job description as well. Other duties consist of being the safety education coordinator for the local police department, being a co-coordinator for the National Night Out community event designed to heighten crime and drug prevention, and conducting research and writing grants for funding of both these programs.
Favorite Component of Her Job: Chelsea states, “My favorite thing about this job has always been the ability to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. I’ve always been driven to “fix” that which is wrong. Since I was a child I’ve always been driven to make things better for animals. After so many years working with the people that are attached to the animals, I’ve come to realize this job gives me the opportunity to help the people in my community as well. I sleep well knowing that I do what I can, when I can to ease the tension between the people and the animals in my community. And while heartbreaking at times, I know that there are many animals in better living conditions because I was able to be their voice when they were invisible to so many others.”
Least Favorite Component of Her Job: Chelsea admits that “the least favorite thing in this job is the suffering I’ve been witness to over the past 12-years, 16 if you count the amount of time I was with the Humane Society. Not only the animals, but the people in my community as well. I live and work in this city. I know all too well the darkness that dwells in the heart of us humans. And make no mistake; PEOPLE are the majority of what we deal with in this line of work.”
A Special Experience or Story about Her Job: Chelsea recalls one particular experience, “In February 2007, we were hit with 14 inches of snow in one night. Most of the city was shut down. The following day I responded to a check animal welfare call on the city’s north end. What I found will forever be burned into my mind. Three dogs, Pit Bulls, living in a filthy backyard. One of the dogs was dead; the other two were nothing but skin and bones too thin and weak to even walk. They were curled around their dead friend almost keeping themselves and their dead friend warm from the cold. “Poe” as she is now called, had to be carried to the animal control van because she was too weak, sick and injured to walk. It appeared that she had been hit hard enough in the head that there was obvious disfigurement to the right side near her eye. It was later learned her owner had kicked her for refusing to fight with other dogs.
The dogs, including their deceased friend, were taken to the animal control facility. They were cared for and a necropsy was performed on the one that did not survive. It was determined the deceased canine had starved to death; Poe and her friend were not far behind. We were not sure if they would survive, but they did. Poe went on to be adopted by a friend of mine and she lives a very good life with five other canines right here in Urbana. I have the pleasure of visiting her often. She suffers from seizures and has had some lingering effects from her abuse and neglect, but all in all she is a happy and well socialized animal.”
Chelsea Angelo’s Recommendations to Those Interested in a Career Similar to Her Own: “Someone interested in animal care and control needs to be aware that people are the majority of what you will be dealing with. You should volunteer or work at a shelter to prepare yourself for what you will encounter while working with homeless, stray, abused or neglected animals and the people they are linked to. I would also recommend taking a course in criminal justice to prepare you for the legal end of what you will be asked to enforce. A full working knowledge of animal husbandry, veterinary care, and shelter management will give you the best foundation for taking on the issues that surround animals in every community. The more shelters, clinics, police departments, and prosecution departments you can visit the better!”
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