After nearly 14 years of service to The Humane Society Serving Clark County, Shelter Coordinator Krissi Hawke turned in her resignation last week leaving the shelter without a director, office manager or coordinator.
Hawke first came to the shelter as a volunteer and was hired to the position of Shelter Coordinator after two years. She was responsible for many aspects of the day to day operation of the shelter including supervising the cleaning and care of the kennels, working to have the animals spayed or neutered and coordinating adoption events to name just a few of her duties.
Over her years of service, one of her personal goals was to assure that every animal that was adopted was either spayed or neutered. Through her grant writing efforts, Hawke obtained funds from the Ohio Pet Fund Grant and the Springfield Foundation. Last year was the first time that 100 percent of the animals were spayed or neutered prior to adoption. Hawke worked tirelessly in the early months of this year with a dedicated group of volunteers to raise $5,000 to supplement the fund due to the loss of some grant money for 2016. The group held Tail-a-bration at Snyder Park in late May with a zero operating budget and was able to achieve the goal with the help of donations from business and individuals around the county and beyond. This was the first fundraiser lead by Hawke and was extremely successful.
As shelter coordinator, Hawke lead the way to working with PetSmart in Springfield to expand featuring cats in the store. Her continuing efforts on behalf of the animals lead to a very successful partnership with the store to feature adoptable dogs nearly every Saturday throughout the year. Volunteer Marcy Beatty assisted by recruiting leaders and volunteer workers for the events.
In 2010 Hawke began posting the animals up for adoption on Facebook. With over 12,600 followers, her daily posts have spread far and wide even bringing adopters to Clark County from other states. It is estimated that about 80 percent of the pets who find new homes are seen on the social media site first.
Hawke also found ways to take dogs and cats that might not find a forever home without a bit of training and turn them into well mannered family members. The Pets Educated to Survive program held at the prison in Lima, Ohio helps out the shelter by taking in nursing mother cats and kittens or cats that are ill when they come to the shelter. Hawke noted in our interview that there are 4 cat handlers and 18 dog handlers in the program at the prison. They can handle up to 21 dogs in the program and by the end of 2016 it is expected if the program remains to have 1,000 graduates. Over the years, the program has worked to train and rehome 2,000 dogs and cats.
Hawke was the person responsible for photographing the dogs, cats and other animals so that they could make their appearance on Facebook or Petfinders. She recently attended a photography course presented by The Shelter Art Foundation. Hawke gained new skills from Steve Sloop the instructor who resides in California. The classes which are held at shelters around the country allowed Hawke to quickly raise her photos to a professional level making the images even more appealing to potential owners.
As the shelter coordinator, Hawke also was responsible for checking out the temperament of the dogs and cats that entered the shelter by release or as strays from the Clark County Dog Wardens. She has a keen sense of understanding and can identify a dog that needs to be separated from others or who may be ready for second chance with just the right family. She has been responsible for supporting animals who come in with special needs and talks with families hoping to bring a deaf dog for example into their home.
Hawke was one of the Cruelty Investigator for the Humane Society. She was one of the first on the scene when a hording case was being investigated at a property located on Lower Valley Pike several years ago. She spent days working with various agencies to assure that the animals were removed and received medical treatment.
One of the hardest parts of the job had to be the times when she was called upon to euthanize an animal. Hawke served as the Lethal Injection Technician for the Humane Society. There are times when an animal is brought in too ill or too injured and must be put down. Hawke had the duty along with a vet technician who also recently resigned from the organization of administering drugs.
Volunteers who worked with Hawke went through training at the shelter that also tested them. She made sure that the one thing they were most uncomfortable with was addressed during the training. If a volunteer was not comfortable taking a pit mix from the kennel to visit with potential adopters, Hawke worked with the volunteer to overcome those concerns. If they were not willing to bring a rough and ready puppy out of the kennel that is exactly what they needed to work on if they wanted to volunteer at adoption events.
The Enon Eagle was present when Ohio Representative Kyle Koehler paid a visit to the shelter last summer. It was the first elected official who had ever come to see just what the shelter provided to the community. Hawke spoke candidly about her experience with the animals and told Koehler what type of support is needed from the legislators to help reduce the unwanted pet population and to better serve those who find their way to a shelter across the state.
On a personal note, I witnessed Hawke on many occasions working with potential adopters to assure that they were the right fit for an animal they were considering. She never wanted to see an animal returned, but she understood that some matches just don’t work out.
I also watched her administer the required medications to an intake working with the Dog Warden to assure that the drugs were administered while using gentle restraint on a not so cooperative guest of the shelter. Her knowledge and techniques were freely shared with new shelter employees and Dog Wardens to assure that the animals were cared for while the humans received training.
On a daily basis Hawke witnessed the cruelty that some owners inflict on their pets. A dog coming is with a dozen puppies that had been left by the side of the road, so emaciated that she could barely stand. Hawke knew exactly what to do. An animal with a rope embedded in their skin around their neck. She also witnessed injuries and mental torment too graphic for publication.
Hawke’s resignation follows within weeks after the loss of the Office Manager Kathy O’Connor. O’Connor served the Humane Society for 11 years and was responsible for the day to day operations of the office and supporting both the executive director and shelter coordinator.
The Humane Society has been operating since August of 2015 without a full time executive director. Two interim directors have supported the shelter to date.
At press time there has been no word on replacing Hawke or hiring a full time executive director for the non-profit organization. It should be noted that The Humane Society Serving Clark County is not part of county government and is run by a volunteer board of directors. A public notice indicates that the board will hold their monthly meeting on Thursday, June 16 at 5 pm. They will be meeting in the Clark State Brinkman Education Center located at 100 S. Limestone Street, Room 104. The meetings are open to the public and held the third Thursday of the month per their bylaws.
