SPCA Stories
SPCA Monterey County Content and Education Manager Dawn Fenton chats with members of the SPCA Monterey County team about who they are, what they do, why they do it, and the hopes for the future in Monterey County’s world of animal welfare and protection. Dawn Fenton has been with SPCA Monterey County since 2008 when she joined the Community Outreach Department, focusing on the growth of the education department and assisting with providing information to the community. She is passionate about the incredibly wide scope of work provided to the community by her organization, and the devotion of its hard-working, enormous-hearted, skilled staff and volunteers. The heartfelt hope and intention of “SPCA Stories” is to bring awareness of the SPCA’s contributions to the Monterey County community and beyond, and to stimulate responsible discussion and growth in the world of animal welfare and protection with compassion, empathy, and kindness. Original Music by Scott Fenton; original artwork by Araceli Hernandez. SPCA Monterey County is a nonprofit, independent, donor-supported humane society serving the animals and people of Monterey County since 1905. Their work is only made possible by compassionate, generous supporters. To learn more about SPCA Monterey County and how you can support their efforts go to www.spcamc.org.
Episodes
This week’s episode of SPCA Stories is a little different. We’re trying out a new storytelling format—bringing you closer to the moment, the emotion, and the journey of one very special dog.
Instead of our usual interview, this episode unfolds more like a story—one that lets you experience each step along the way, from rescue to recovery to a happy ending.
This is a story about compassion, resilience, and how one act of kindness ca...
When disaster strikes, people often have just minutes to make life-changing decisions—what to grab, where to go, and how to keep their families safe. For many of us, our animals are family. But what happens when pets, livestock, and wildlife are caught in the middle of an emergency?
Here in Monterey County, there’s a team trained and ready to help.
From evacuations and large animal rescues to sheltering and reunification, the SPCA ...
Meet Kennedy Rivera, one of our amazing Community Educators here at SPCA Monterey County! Kennedy is fun, smart, and incredibly creative, and she brings so much heart to the work she does with animals and the people who love them. She’s passionate about helping our community learn how to care for animals and build compassionate connections with them.
Kennedy also runs one of our most popular programs —SPCA Summer Animal Camp! With...
Meet Lisa Borne, SPCA Monterey County Controller! Brilliant with numbers and strategic to her core, Lisa keeps our financial world running smoothly. Lisa is fun to talk to, and she brings a genuine passion for animals to everything she does for us at the SPCA and beyond.
Meet Ciera Duits-Cavanaugh, SPCA Wildlife Center Manager. Ciera leads the day-to-day operations of our Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, where compassion, expertise, and dedication come together every single day. Under her care and leadership, our team rescues and treats more than 2,500 wild animals each year, giving them the opportunity to heal and return to the wild where they belong.
For more information on all of ou...
Meet Les Lamcke, SPCA Facilities Manager! Every door, kennel, and system reflects Les’ dedication to SPCA Monterey County - he knows our facilities inside and out. His dedication and passion helps the animals in our care to thrive. For more information about SPCA Monterey County visit www.spcamc.org!
Meet SPCA Dr. Jen Wernsing, one of SPCA Monterey County's exceptional veterinary staff members! For more information on SPCA Monterey County, visit www.spcamc.org.
Season 1 of SPCA Stories is coming to a close with this episode. We will take a bit of a hiatus, with Season 2 commencing in January! We will continue with the interview-style format - we still have many wonderful SPCA folks to introduce to you! We will also be exp...
Meet Sherrie McCullough, esteemed Chair of the SPCA Monterey County Board of Directors. For more information about SPCA Monterey County visit SPCAmc.org.
Meet Zack Young! Zack is an IT technician for Livewire Information Systems - the amazing company that takes care of all of the SPCA’s important tech needs. Zack is a great guy who loves animals and truly appreciates the work that is accomplished at SPCA Monterey County. For more information about SPCA Monterey County visit spcamc.org; for more info on Livewire Information Systems visit livewireis.com!
Meet Crystal Botello! Crystal is one of our incredible Customer Care Specialists. These vital team members welcome the public to both our adoption center and our intake shelter, holding a wide variety of responsibilities - all performed with the utmost compassion. For more information about SPCA Monterey County please visit www.SPCAmc.org.
Meet Jamie Doglione! Jamie is in charge of SPCA Monterey County's highly regarded Ruff Start program. Ruff Start provides a second chance for shelter dogs that need extra training, socialization or care before being placed for adoption - pairing these shelter dogs with inmate trainers at Salinas Valley State Prison. Learn more at www.spcamc.org!
Meet Christy Jacoby! Christy oversees the day to day operations of the SPCA Benefit Shop, located in Carmel, CA. The SPCA Benefit Shop is an amazing second hand boutique, and all proceeds go to help the animals at the SPCA. For more information visit www.spcamc.org
Meet Rosanna Isely, Vice President of Operations for SPCA Monterey County. Rosanna oversees our Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, the SPCA Barn, Humane Investigations, the SPCA Behavior Department and the Facilities Department. Rosanna is incredibly knowledgeable and experienced, she is passionate about her work and about the animals. For information on our programs and services and to support our important work please v...
Meet Susan Imwalle, Vice President & CFO for SPCA Monterey County! Susan leads and administers SPCAMC’s financial departments, helping programs develop and deliver on our mission. Susan has a great sense of humor and cares deeply about the SPCA. Enjoy!
For more information on SPCA Monterey County Programs please visit www.spcamc.org
Meet Chris Patton, one of our incredibly hard-working, compassionate volunteers. She currently volunteers in our Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation Center where she helps staff work with injured and orphaned wildlife. Chris also handles DD, our Education Red-Tailed Hawk. Chris and DD visit schools, libraries, and other events to teach our community about the incredible native wildlife in Monterey County and all the resources th...
Summer Animal Camp registration is in full swing, so we thought it would be fun to hear from a special guest who has attended our amazing summer camp in the not-so-distant past! For more information on our camps and all of our educational programs visit www.spcamc.org!
Meet Tiana McNair, one of our incredibly hard-working, compassionate Animal Care Specialists! Tiana and her team tend to the needs of the animals in our care - everything from feeding and cleaning kennels to administering vaccinations and providing extra love - for all pets available for adoption and behind the scenes awaiting their turn. Tiana is warm, kind, funny, and magnetic - and she clearly cares about the animals at SPCA v...
Meet Fernando, Community Outreach Coordinator at SPCA Monterey County! Fernando is responsible for creating content, tracking stats and trends for all Social Media, building digital communication, and a host of other duties. He's a great guy!
To learn more about SPCA Monterey County go to spcamc.org.
Meet Jamie Lima, SPCA Monterey County Barn Manager. Jamie is responsible for all of the day to day goings on in our barn, managing and coordinating the staff and volunteers who care for all rescued barn animals great and small. (A quick programming note - this episode was recorded in the barn, so there is a bit of an echo at times, wonderful barn animal sounds.....all the ambiance!)
Learn more about SPCA Monterey County (includin...
Meet Ashley Fessenden, Clinic Practice Manager for SPCA Monterey County. She plays a vital role - managing and coordinating staff and the day to day operations of our Spay/Neuter Clinic as well as working with shelter staff in facilitating medical needs within our animal shelter population.
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