A love for animals was just the beginning for a little girl in Racine, Wis. This love is what started Jane Bernard on her journey from a little girl with a huge heart, to the beloved Director of La Porte County Small Animal Shelter that we know today.
When she moved to La Porte in 1984 she began working for a local veterinary clinic, after a few years living in the small town of La Porte, its traditional characteristics had taken a small toll on Bernard, and she chose to return home to Wisconsin. But, she could not stay away for very long. The tight nit community called her back for reasons she had not known. Late in 1989, the La Porte County Small Animal Shelter had come up against accusations that the animals were being sold off to bunchers, who are people that buy unwanted animals and sell them for research, or even worse, killed due to lack of space and funds.
The county needed someone to come in and make some major changes. Someone with high morals that could give the animals a safe place to be found and returned to their owners, adopted, or even use the shelter as a stepping stone for great animals to be sent to other rescues where they could get the training and attention they needed. Bernard was just the person for this job. It was her challenge to do something that was bigger than her.
As the Director of the Small Animal Shelter, Bernard has learned to wear many hats. Sometimes she wears the hat of a social worker, while trying to understand and cope with some of the living conditions these animals come from. Sometimes, the hat of a counselor is more fitting when she would take phone calls from people who have lost their pets, and even though it was one of her biggest fears, the hat of a public speaker has become a large part of her job. From one day to the next, she could be seen as the leader of a staff, a teacher to children, an advocate for animals or really an all-around great person. Her favorite parts of her job are the moments when she gets to reunite pets with their owners, or watch a pet get adopted by a good home. The best part of all is getting to see the animals years down the road after they have been adopted at the Photos with Santa Fundraiser, and seeing that the hard work and effort she puts in every day is for a reason. That reason is the Pets.
Bernard goes on to say that she believes that her position as Director is not a popular one, and a lot of people believed that the shelter was just a dirty place where the animals were not well taken care of, and in the past some of that may have been true, but Bernard has made so many changes in personal, that now the county has people in place with dedication to the animals and their jobs. (As an outsider looking in, the staff seems like a very close bunch of people who work well together, and probably spend a lot of time together even outside of the shelter.) This crew handles the stressful emotional conditions of its position very well, and continues to dedicate its time and efforts to finding these stray animals forever homes. Bernard has also taken charge of changing the programs that help support the Animal Shelter as well as implementing new policies in regard to the rules and regulations of responsible pet ownership. But, the largest change Bernard has seen is the support from the community. The outreach from the public at fundraising events is huge, the length of time it takes to find forever homes has been divided in half and even the local media allows Bernard to promote the adoptable pet of the week. Bernard is pleased to announce that the shelter is about to embark on an expansion. Thanks to and Delbert Stephens, who left a generous donation to the Small Animal Shelter, this donation will allow the Shelter to add a treatment room on to the existing location, which will reduce the amount of euthanized animals.
Resisting the urge to take all the animals home is a hard part of her day-to-day life, but she has a husband who reminds her of the load she bears already. Bernard is a firm believer that you have to take care of your pets and take care of them properly. So knowing that, she has two dogs, two cats, four donkeys and boards three horses. She believes she has enough to take care of. Donkeys are her passion. Bernard started a mini donkey rescue at her home with the approval of her husband. She said the donkeys she has are a great alarm system, and are entertainment all by themselves. She loves that they are like kids, you could be out working on the fence and they would come grab your tools and trot off with them, like a child would. However, it still is truly a struggle every day not to become an animal hoarder.
Bernard truly loves the people of La Porte and the gratification she gets from her job and the support of the community. The tight nit qualities that La Porte offers are what make her continue to face challenges and strive for a more successful tomorrow.
Please feel free to donate blankets, newspaper, food, treats, toys or your time to the La Porte County Small Animal Shelter.