While walking with Spot, the Denver Animal Shelter’s longest-serving resident dog, Josie Pidgeon discovered she was allergic to cats. Sinus infections, itchy eyes, and runny noses are common if you forget to take your allergy medicines.
“When I was cleaning the dog kennels, it was even worse,” Pidgeon said. “If you’re around a cat for too long, it’s only a mild nuisance.”
Pigeon is the first social worker at the Denver Animal Shelter. As the city deals with a surge in surrendered pets, the shelter hired her to help owners get their pets off the shelter, off the streets and into her own home.
“[Pets] It’s been a great support to us,” Pidgeon said. “They will provide unconditional love that many people can’t find anywhere else. And in the long run, taking care of your pet will also help you take care of yourself.”
Pigeon moved to Colorado from Arkansas to pursue a master’s degree in animal-assisted social work at the University of Denver.
When she started her master’s program, she knew she wanted to become an animal-assisted therapist, but her interest in big human-animal issues and social systems led her to pursue work at the intersection of animal welfare and social work. Now it looks like this.
Growing up in a state like Arkansas, where pit bulls are largely banned, was a major motivator for her to pursue a career in animal welfare.
“I come from a very different place where people still view animals as property guardians who live outdoors,” Pidgeon said. “If you’re going to study animal science at Arkansas State, you’re going to study livestock and poultry.”
Pidgeon graduated from DU during the pandemic, and there were no jobs available at the time that matched her education. She worked as an animal care technician at Riverdale Animal Shelter in Adams County. There she met Corey, a 3-year-old deaf pit bull.
“He’s my favorite child,” said Pidgeon. “He was so excited when he finally understood what people wanted from him. I loved him so much.”
Cory landed in Riverdale through the Families in Transition Program (FIT), which provides temporary care to pets of families in crisis due to homelessness, illness or domestic violence. While at the shelter, Pigeon worked closely with Cory, teaching her how to communicate with hand signals and gently shaking her kennel door so Cory could sense her arrival.
“If you’re deaf, you have no idea what’s going on around you,” Pidgeon says. “He’ll wake up and think he’s in danger.”
Cory’s family was unable to come pick him up, and despite several failed adoption attempts, Cory was sent to a shelter after he accidentally bit someone when they tried to wake him up. I kept going back. Sadly, Corey didn’t make it to the end.
“He was at the shelter a little bit longer,” Pidgeon said.
Pigeon joined the DAS Community Engagement Services team on July 31st and has since taken time to understand her new role.
“We all know that there is a housing crisis in Denver,” said Marissa Vasquez, DAS’s manager of community engagement. “Our programs are created based on feedback from the community. They may not only need it for their animals, but for themselves as well.”
Pigeon will join a team of community navigators who travel to areas to find people in need of assistance, most often the homeless, elderly, and disabled.
Pigeon strives to identify resources for both pets and people through door-to-door outreach, community events, and referrals from outside organizations. These resources may include free and low-cost pet medical services, supplies, food, leashes, grooming, social service agencies, food banks, and other community groups.
“A lot of what I’ve been doing is thinking about what this position is going to be and planning for the future how we want to change it,” Pidgeon said.
Apart from resources, Pigeon will also take on responsibility for providing mental health support to shelter staff and volunteers.
“It’s a very niche experience having to deal with people surrendering their pets, euthanasia, and the traumatic events that we see in the field,” Pidgeon said. “As someone who previously worked at an animal shelter, one of the main reasons I look forward to it is that we have people on staff with mental health expertise. I’m with you.”
Pidgeon will not work as a full-time therapist, but will help DAS workers report difficult situations, teach coping skills and connect workers with mental health services.
Vasquez said the costs of housing and training the animals are often the reason pets are surrendered to shelters.
“People own dogs and have the best intentions, but they don’t understand all the training a dog needs,” Vasquez says. “Many training resources are very expensive and not everyone can afford it, so dogs often end up back in shelters.”
To avoid a carousel of resources being thrown around, Pidgeon will become an internal referral for the Denver Department of Human Services. That means she will be able to connect people directly to caseworkers in the city.
“A lot of what I’m trying to do is reach out to organizations that I have connections with and make it a little more personalized, rather than just saying to someone, ‘Here I am, give me a call.’ It is to do. ”
“We are trying to bring many of these services in-house rather than relying on external veterinary partners,” Vasquez added. “We can refer them to our in-house veterinary clinic. We have volunteer groomers. We want to build as much in-house knowledge and resources as possible so we’re not so dependent on handoffs.” Masu.”
The Community Engagement Services team has helped spay and neuter more than 3,500 animals. DAS has also helped pay for necessary veterinary services such as vaccines, microchips, mass excisions, dental procedures, and medical grooming. More than 150 animals are on a waiting list to receive these free services.
For Pigeon, social work and animal welfare go hand in hand, as social issues that affect owners also affect pets. Food, housing insecurity, educational disparities, and the threat of violence all impact a pet’s housing future.
“if [Cory’s] If his family had had more resources available to him to find housing, he could have lived a healthy and happy life,” Pidgeon said. “If someone had been in my position, they might not have needed to adopt him at all. Then he wouldn’t have accidentally bitten someone. He would have gone home right away. I could have lived with my family and told happy stories.”