In November of 2017, Brianna Bernhadt had no idea that volunteering at  Castaway Animals Rescue Effort (C.A.R.E.) would open up a door to a future career and a chance to help the stray animals of Springfield, Missouri find their forever homes. The Scoop sat down with Bernhadt to learn more about the shelter that changed her life for the better.

What got you interested in working for Castaway Animals Rescue Effort?

I am a biology major.  I’m mostly interested in working with wildlife but I wanted to get my foot in the door by working with domestic animals. Plus I wanted to get involved and help the community by giving dogs and cats that were on death row at animal control a second chance. By the end of August this year, I became an adoption counselor.

What is the most rewarding part of working at an animal shelter? 

Definitely when someone adopts an animal that has been at the sanctuary for a longer time than usual. Just this week, a dog who had been at C.A.R.E. for over two years was adopted. The dog, Jax, had been adopted out multiple times, only to be brought back because of some behavioral issues that no one else wanted to work with. Everyone was so excited to finally see Jax go to an amazing home where we know that he will receive the best care and be further worked with to calm his separation anxiety.

Is there a stigma about shelters that you would like to make clear?

 One misconception is that they’re difficult to adopt from and that’s definitely not the case. What we do is converse with potential adopters and go over applications thoroughly. To adopt, we’re not asking for the wealthiest people or only homes with backyards. We just wanna make sure that we know our animals are going to receive good care when they get adopted.