Four Legged Of (FLO)

1. Name. Rachael Magee 2. Where is your hometown? Norfolk, England. 3. What is your profession/career/title/self-label/designation? Adoption Counselor. 4. What was the journey like to get where you are (career wise)? When was the mental shift to start the journey? It’s been a rollercoaster of a ride to get to this point in my life! I studied interior design at College but struggled to find steady work. I was living in a small town north east of London and this didn’t help my career at all. I knew I wanted out of my 8-5 CAD (computer aided design) job. Working in a small office with artificial lights and mostly gloomy British weather just wasn’t where I wanted to be. A close friend recommended I look into cruise ship work as she was enjoying the perks of living at sea, exploring new places. I started researching my options and stumbled across the weird and wonderful world of Super Yachts! I was sold- this was my ticket out of the UK, but it came with big risks. I had to leave the security of my job and home life, sell my car, and work two jobs to save enough money to make the move to the South of France. And all without knowing for sure I could land a job as a Stewardess on one of the Super Yachts. It’s one of the scariest moves I’ve made. Read the rest of the answer here.  5. Biggest accomplishment since making the (physical/mental) move? My state of mind! I, like so many of my colleagues, have to deal with loss and suffering. It can be all too easy to slip into the doom. Yet we work towards the positive changes we are making on a daily basis. I am so proud of all the amazing changes our shelter has seen in the past two years alone. We are now at a 93% live release rate for dogs. We have spayed and neutered thousands of public cats and dogs for FREE with our MASH (Mobile Animal Surgical Hospital) clinics. We help hundreds of animals with extra medical needs thanks to donations towards our Hope Fund. We flew over 300 dogs to guaranteed rescues on the mainland last year with our Wings of Aloha program, opening up space for others in need. Our Beach Buddies program gets adoptable dogs out of the shelter for a day of enrichment. I am proud to be a part of this amazing team and am proud to be strong enough to see us through the next decade or two! 6. Advice for other women? This sounds so clichéd but follow you heart. I am so fortunate to have a loving, supportive husband who has welcomed and cared for the many fosters and sleepless nights worrying/planning. He’s a handy man and has been roped into many projects around the shelter! Could I do it without his support? Well, yes of course but not to the best of my ability. I am so thankful to him for helping me along my journey. You’ll know when you have found your place in the world- don’t be shy about taking opportunities given to you. 7. Where in the world do you feel “tallest”? At work- I’m at my “tallest”! There are no pretenses, I am who I am and I feel good about the work I do. Plus it’s a place filled with the most amazing animals you will ever meet!!! 8. What is the future goal/challenge (career goals in 5-10 years)? I would love to start training as a dog trainer. Not so I can leave the shelter but so I can offer free classes to those who adopt. I know basic skills and already counsel and advise the public on how to set their new furry friend up for success. But after spending time with Bad Rap and watching their Pit Education classes I am inspired to be able to offer a similar program. Training is a huge part of owning a dog, and for newly adopted dogs it’s beneficial to their long-term success. I would also love to follow this training with the Canine Good Citizen test. Being able to help the public get their dogs CGC certificates may just help them renting with their dogs. Maui is a tough place to rent with any pets and this is a huge cause of the numbers we see surrendered. I have recently read about the efforts of the ‘Coalition to Unchain Dogs’ and this is a movement I see a great need for here on Maui. We already offer low/free spay and neuter services to the public, but to be able to build fences and unchain dogs is the next step. This is now on my radar for future projects. 9. What fears are you still hoping to overcome? The main fear I have and I doubt I’m alone in this one, is not being able to do enough. As hard as you work, as much blood, sweat and tears you put into saving animals, you cannot save them all. This NEVER gets easier. Not only do you face the struggles in your own community you are also very aware of those much worse off than you in others. I follow many rescues and shelters on the mainland and we are all heading in the right direction, but some have bigger issue to face along the way. I know this is an exciting time for animal welfare. When I hear stories of how things were 20, even 10 years back it’s amazing how far we have come. Yet I can’t help but wish I could do more right here, right now. While I do not wish to erase this fear entirely I do wish to learn how to be happy with what I CAN do and not with what I can’t. 10. What inspires you? Other rescue groups working hard to solve pet over population. Pit bull activists, mainly Bad Rap who has been a source of education and inspiration to me. Success stories from families who chose to adopt/rescue and who are now proud animal advocates! And the animal’s themselves- we can learn so much from them. They live in the moment, forgive without grudges and love unconditionally. 11. Who is a “WOW Woman” in your life who inspires you (and why)? Our CEO Jerleen Bryant. She has taken a struggling shelter with a bad rap from the ‘“pound that kills animals’” to the “open admission shelter where you can find your new best friend”. I love seeing the look on visitors’ faces as they enter the newly renovated shelter. Listening to them comment on how innovative our programs are, how they are suitably impressed by the attentive, compassionate staff. And how much they enjoy visiting our wonderful animals. Adoptions are rising and the word is spreading. Adopt don’t shop- MHS is the place to find your new best friend. Jerleen used to run her own rescue in Oregon so she understands the need to educate the public and try to work with families to help keep pets in homes where possible. She also has ties with rescues on the east coast and has been an invaluable source of knowledge for our team. Where others see problems Jerleen sees the opportunities for change. Not only is she amazing at her job she is also very nurturing when it comes to staff. She knows this line of work offers little in the way of promotions (there are few tiers to work up to). Yet she strives to help her staff develop their skills and move between departments, helping them fulfill their own aspirations. For me, having a strong leader, one who I both admire and respect is invaluable. I have a lot to thank her for. 12. Where can others find you/your work (links to websites, blogs, etc.) www.mauihumanesociety.org https://www.facebook.com/MauiHumaneSociety [email protected]