Name: Lisa Bahr 
Employer: Centre County PAWS
Job Title: Shelter Supervisor
Years with current employer: 4 years
Educational Background: Lisa received her Bachelor’s Degree from Ohio State University where she majored in Animal Science and minored in Rural Sociology.
Job Description: Lisa is in charge of the shelter’s daily operations. She is responsible for caring for the animals' health and acting accordingly if it is compromised. Lisa also keeps track of adoptions, oversees intakes, and makes sure that things at the facility are generally running smoothly. Finally, when time allows, Lisa also works on improving the organization in terms of policies, standard operating procedures, customer service, fundraising, volunteering, and membership.
Favorite Component of Her Job: “My favorite thing is when animals come to PAWS and you know that despite everything they have been through, they are safe now. It is upsetting to see the mistreated dogs and cats that come through our door, but I breathe a sigh of relief for them every time an owner signs them over to us”
Least Favorite Component of Her Job: “It can be emotionally exhausting to hear sad story after sad story (people are very often compelled to share their sad animal stories with me because of my position) but more than that is the disappointment when you simply cannot help an animal for one reason or another. It is hard to not be able to save every animal I hear about who is in need. In response, since I refuse to completely accept the notion that there will always be animals I cannot help, I put a lot of attention toward spaying and neutering. I know spay/neuter is the only reasonable solution to pet overpopulation and the yearly euthanasia of millions of animals.”
A Special Experience or Story about Her Job: ”My favorite memories at PAWS have been the large intakes we've done. Last August, we rescued 6 huskies living in a backyard pen from euthanasia. Two years ago we took 6 dogs and 19 cats from someone who originally rescued them from Hurricane Katrina. This year we took over a dozen cats from an abandoned trailer. Just last month we took in 11 dogs from an abandoned property. PAWS is not set up for large scale rescues, yet we find ourselves responding again and again. I love PAWS for the flexibility we have to rescue the animals that need us most. It is so emotionally rewarding to see not just one or two animals rescued, but 6, 11, or 25! The goal is then that these animals are brought to safety, their health is restored, and then they are adopted into forever homes.”
Lisa’s Recommendations to Those Interested in a Career Similar to Her Own: “Spend as much time as you can volunteering at animal shelters and try to work in various areas so you get a good picture of what goes on in shelters and read as much as you can about animal rescue. There are so many areas of animal sheltering that can be explored - shelter medicine, shelter management, volunteer management, fundraising, animal behavior, community relations, etc. There are tremendous books that will get you thinking and provide a lot of information. There is also a lot to be found online through credible sources.”
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