Lynette Hogart is the Butte-Silver Bow animal services director. That is a position she has held for the last year and a half.

It is not an easy job by any means. In fact, it ranks right near the top on the list of thankless jobs in the county government.

Hogart and her staff are so often placed in no-win positions.

When someone calls for an animal control officer, everyone seems to be mad. The person who called is mad. The person who owns the animal that led to the call is mad.

When people have their dog picked up by animal control, they often blame animal control for the fees they have to pay.

However, Hogart says the job is a very rewarding one. She says nothing beats seeing the immediate love connection between a dog and its new master.

Hogart’s tenure so far has seen a renovation of the kennel room at the Chelsea Bailey Animal Shelter. A renovation of the lobby area is coming in the no-so-distant future.

She made the adoption process simpler for people looking to take home a new best friend, and she has worked to help feed pets for families who cannot afford pet food.

A lot of that, though, gets lost on social media when someone is complaining about a loose dog in their neighborhood.

The shelter waves adoption fees for veterans, and those fees are waved for everyone through the end of 2024. So, if you are looking for a new pet, now is the time to get one.

Leskovar Honda also donates money each month to help pay for adoption fees. So, it is never too expensive to adopt from the Chelsea Bailey.

Also, the shelter could use some more volunteers. In particular, it is looking for people to walk help walk all the dogs each morning. You can also fill a need as a cat cuddler. If you’d like to volunteer, click here to find a volunteer application.

Today’s podcast is presented by Leskovar Honda, home of the 20-year, 200,000-mile warrantee and lover of pets.