North Shore
1101 Western Avenue
Pittsburgh PA 15233
(412) 321-4625
Elizabeth
1680 Fallen Timber Road
Elizabeth PA 15037
(412) 751-2010
Humane Officer Kathy has worked with animals since she was 18. When she was younger, she worked with animals in obedience classes and grooming sessions, and even opened a pet supply store. She has trained dogs since 1971 – for forty years now. Considering the way her love for animals evolved over the years, it isn't surprising that she found her way to the Humane Society. Read Kathy's full profile.
A long time member of the shelter who only recently began working as a humane officer, Brian actually worked at the shelter kennel conducting behavior evaluations for four years until a law enforcement position opened. Interested, he sent in an application. After being accepted, he began training in the mandatory 80-hour seminar that taught self-defense as well as how to handle the law officer animal cruelty investigations. Other parts of the training that stands out in his mind include demonstrations and presentations veterinarians gave when it came to handling the people and animals. His training all came together when he went to work and began to enforce laws against cruelty to animals, and more specifically, section C1. He's worked in the field for about a year now. See Brian's profile.
Originally from Indiana, Ronald E. Smith came to Pennsylvania to help out his grandfather, who was in need of personal care. He noticed an advertisement for a job working in the kennel of the humane society that was coincidently within walking distance from his grandfather's home. He applied for the job and was hired. The job was very rough, and Ron almost quit after the first weekend! However, he stuck it out, and worked in the kennel for one year. In the fall of 1973, Ron saw an opportunity, and was promoted to the position of "humane agent". He was the first to be promoted from a basic position to one of great authority. Ron attended many conferences to gain additional information, and soon realized that he was the ONLY black humane agent in the entire area. For training, Ron rode with the top humane agent, known as a "super", for about a week. After that he spent several days with another agent. This was the entire extent of his training! He was then given a badge and told to "have at it". Ron explained how he was really thrown into the deep end of the pool. He found it shocking the power he possessed to easily obtain a search warrant. Also, when Ron started there was still a staff member who investigated the neglect of children! Few people know that when the humane society was first established it covered both human and animal cases. Read Ron's profile.
