Totally committed staff and management

Rating Details

Service being reviewed:

Olympic Peninsula Humane Society
Reviews: 19 | Posted: 10 months ago | Avg Rating: 4.5

Supporting Shelter: Olympic Peninsula Humane Society

Pros: Highly dedicated people who truly love their work

Cons: Building in serious need of renovations, inconvenient location

When my husband became the Executive Director a little over a year ago, the first thing we noticed about the shelter was the smell and mess. A perfect challenge for Scott, and he really rose to the occasion! In one short year, the transformation has been fantastic. The place is clean, both visually and scent-wise, and the staff do their tasks happily and professionally. He has a Board of Directors comprised of real animal lovers who are a genuine asset instead of a hindrance as is so often the case.

Scott is a true team-builder and never asks a staff member to do anything he isn't willing to do himself. What many in the community don't know is that his level of commitment is a direct reflection of his true calling in life. When we moved here we decided that this will be our permanent home, no more moves. We love Port Angeles and will NEVER leave.

Scott left a lucrative position in accounting several years ago and took a pay cut to do this work because he felt the need so strongly. It shows! This is the second such shelter he has "turned around". He does this not by mandating, but by making his employees feel valued, letting them know that their ideas are important, which they are. His dedicated staff often initiate tasks, such as painting and gardening, without being asked, and even work on their own time to do this because they are taking pride in their ability to care for these defenseless creatures. A clean, cheerful, shelter is much more likely to appeal to potential adopters than a dingy dungeon that smells like a landfill.

The other aspect very few know about Scott is that he is a voracious reader, and extremely well versed in all aspects of animal husbandry. He self-taught himself veterinary homeopathy and can be found scanning the "net" pretty much nightly for current trends and information.

His leadership skills are stellar, and he brings his past accounting jobs into the picture by efficient financial analysis and cost-control. While many such directors work a 40 hour a week job in a nice office, his approach is hands-on and he usually works 60+ hours each week. Even when he isn't actually at the shelter or off-site event, his phone is on 24/7 and it is extremely rare that he doesn't handle at least one work-related call in a given day off. I can't begin to count the number of times he has gotten up at all hours of the night to assist the law enforcement community in a crisis when they call.

For those of you fortunate enough to live in Clallam County, you will now be able to see Scott and his band of associates/volunteers, around the area in the newly-acquired adoption trailer which was provided by one very generous donor. This enables the shelter to "come to you" and make it even easier to adopt. It will also facilitate micro-chip, licensing, and other events.

Today is Christmas Eve, and he is out in the community even as I write this, handing out donated pet food to those who have fallen on hard times and are having a tough time feeding their "furkids".

Scott Chandler is a real Advocate for the Animals, please help us win this makeover!

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