BY BRITTNEE NAVE

STAR CORRESPONDENT

Since November of 2016, Shannon Posada has been working as the director at the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter.

Posada, who had previously worked for Dr. Brown at the Elizabethton Veterinary Clinic for 16 years, was encouraged to check out the shelter and begin working there. She went to take a look, and after thinking about and praying about it, she took the job.

“After thinking about it and praying about it, I realized that is what I was supposed to do,” she said.

Posada said people often ask her how she does her job.

“I tell people that I live at the shelter and I sleep at home,” she said. “I have my animals at home that I go home to, but I continuously keep the animals at the shelter in mind. If I have one sick here, or is from a bad situation, it is always on my mind. I’ve been known to be in the office at 12 or 1 in the morning to make sure the animal has eaten and checking up on things. I feel like this is where I’m supposed to be.”

According to Posada, her love of animals began at a young age.

“Ever since I can remember, I had animals,” she said. “So it has been a compassion of mine and it’s just brought me to where I am today.”

Posada’s role at the shelter begins by laying eyes on every animal throughout the day and making sure that they receive proper medical care if needed, as well as ensuring that the facility is clean to keep viruses out. She also works on budgets and makes sure there are enough supplies for the animals. Additionally, medical appointments needed for animals, even for spaying and neutering, are done, with Posada even taking them herself if needed.

“Anything in this shelter, I’m not above doing,” she said. “I would not ask anyone who works here or a volunteer to do anything I’m not comfortable doing myself. I consider everything here is part of my job as well.”

With her work at the shelter, Posada is always open to suggestions from the public, such as days the shelter could be open. Volunteers are also always welcome.

“We welcome anyone who wants to come in and give an idea or volunteer sometime,” she said.

“If you’ve got free time, we’ve got a job for you. We’re thankful, we’re blessed to have people in our community who want to come spend time at the shelter. We just tell them, welcome to the shelter family, which is pretty much what we are here, one big family that loves these little animals.”

Posada said that volunteering is not just beneficial for the animals but for anyone going through tough times.

“If you’re having a bad day, you can always come here and find something that will brighten your day,” she said.

Posada credited, and appreciated, the improvements made to the shelter and the health of animals at the shelter to the employees of the shelter because of their dedication and hard work.

“It’s an emotional job, but is so rewarding when we can sit and love all over these puppies or kittens and just see where one animal came from and look a few days later and it looks like a whole new transformation,” she said. “This is such a rewarding job.”

Future events for the animal shelter include an upcoming event for Valentines Day as well as regular events with Petsense.

For more information on the shelter, you can go to

www.cartercountytn.gov/government/departments-services/animal-shelter, call (423) 547-6359 or check out their Facebook page. To volunteer, you can go to the shelter and fill out an application.