Today we’d like to introduce you to Katrina Ross.
Katrina, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve been involved with animals for as early as I can remember. Growing up, we always had pets. Dogs, cats, horses, ducks, guinea pigs, you name it. Entering into an animal welfare-based job seemed like a natural fit. After finishing up my Bachelor of Science degree at Texas A&M at Galveston, I moved out to the Nashville, Tennessee area to pursue songwriting. Along the way, I launched a rescue operation focused on providing shelter and rehoming opportunities for animals in rural, underserved Middle Tennessee, coined The Black Dog Society. Through The Black Dog Society, with the help of my mother and co-founder, we helped people get their animals spayed and neutered to reduce the pet overpopulation issue and give unwanted animals a new lease on life. Upon moving back to the Galveston area in Summer 2018, I joined up with the team at Galveston Island Humane Society, originally as a Health Technician. Before I was employed by the Humane Society, I had served as a core volunteer to the community/feral cat program. I would take part in weekly trappings at various Galveston colonies as a part of the Trap-Neuter-Return program. So, returning to the shelter was an effortless choice!
In my time at Galveston Island Humane Society, I have grown into the Animal Health Manager role, providing comprehensive care for the medical and behavioral needs of communities’ animals. Since starting at GIHS, we have worked tirelessly to help as many animals as we physically can: growing our foster programs, opting to treat for conditions that traditionally were grounds for euthanasia, implementing behavior modification regiments, and so much more.
I’ve definitely dedicated my life to animals and animal welfare. It is something I feel very passionately about, even going so far as to get a Master of Science degree in International Animal Welfare, Ethics, and Law. I believe that my life’s purpose is to advocate for as many animals as I can, because, at the end of the day, I may not get to every single animal out there. But for the lives I do touch, it’s their entire world.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a journey, to say the least. Between a personal string of bad luck, finishing a master’s degree, and having periods of time where intakes consistently outnumber adoptions, it has definitely not been an easy road. One huge hurdle we faced at the shelter was in the spring/summer of 2019 when there was a massive ringworm outbreak. For those who don’t know, ringworm is a totally treatable fungal infection that is very common in kittens but can spread like wildfire in a shelter setting. The infection can be made worse by stress, and the shelter environment is one of the most stressful places for a cat or kitten to be. Couple that with the treatment, which is a dip in diluted Lime Sulphur – doesn’t sit well with the kitties! In years past, the standard in animal sheltering was to euthanize for ringworm because of the lengthy treatment process and contagious nature. However, we battled it out (for months, many months), without reverting to euthanasia for a treatable infection. Then, to see them be adopted into love homes – that’s what it’s all about.
Galveston Island Humane Society – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Galveston Island Humane Society is a 501(c)3 non-profit animal welfare organization that serves the animals and residents of Galveston Island. We provide shelter for unwanted and stray pets, low-cost veterinary care programs, pet food assistance, host injured wildlife, raise awareness and run educational lectures for children about responsible pet ownership, assist Galveston Police Department’s Animal Services Unit in their cruelty and neglect cases, and so much more. We are known for providing anything and everything within our capabilities to help the community out, both two-legged and four-legged.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I definitely filled with pride when I completed and submitted my dissertation, a year-long project in which I analyzed data trends of all dog intakes and outcomes from GIHS. I had slaved away many, many hours behind my computer crunching numbers and trying to identify and rationalize data patterns. This was all in an attempt to be published in a scientific journal (still working on that part!) and further help other animal shelters identify risk factors within their population.
Another moment that makes me proud every time is whenever I foster an orphaned animal, either puppy or kitten, and they make it to be adopted out. Sadly, orphaned neonatal animals have all odds stacked against them, and not all of them survive, despite the best efforts. The most difficult and largest litter I’ve bottle raised was a litter of 8 lab mixed puppies. We transferred them in from another partner facility who was not equipped at the time with any fosters for them, and mom was nowhere to be found. Upon arrival, it was clear they had been left in unsanitary conditions and had urine scalding and dermatitis on their little paws and stomachs. For one pup in particular, the runt, it was touch and go for a while. During the worst of it, I went to sleep for a few hours and genuinely didn’t know if he was going to be alive when I got up to check on him. Miraculously, he pulled through, and I ended up a “foster failure.” Fostering and bottle raising especially is a lot of work, but so rewarding when they all grow up and get adopted into loving, forever homes.
Pricing:
- Most puppies and kittens have a $99 adoption fee. Most adult dogs and cats have a $70 adoption fee. This fee covers age appropriate core vaccinations, spay/neuter, microchip, Rabies vaccination, deworming, and any other care provided prior to adoption. We also have other animal types available for adoption at any given moment, such as birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, snakes, lizards, etc.
- If you cannot adopt, please consider donating to the cause on our website, or by purchasing our annual Heroes & Hounds 2021 calendar, a collaboration with GIHS and the Galveston Fire Department. Calendars are on sale now and can be purchased for $25!
Contact Info:
- Address: 6814 Broadway St, Galveston TX 77551
- Website: galvestonhumane.org
- Phone: 409-740-1919
- Email: info@galvestonhumane.org
- Instagram: You can follow me personally for lots of animal related stories @yallitskatrina, and you can follow GIHS @galvestonhumane
- Facebook: facebook.com/galvestonhumane
- Other: https://galvestonhumane.networkforgood.com/events/22055-heroes-hounds-2021-calendar-sales
Image Credit:
Adri Richey Photography
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