Animal Services Earns State Awards for
Compassionate Care and Teamwork

The Pinellas County Animal Services staff earned three awards at the annual Florida Animal Control Association Conference.

A new cat/kitten adoption program earned the Outstanding Cooperative Team Achievement Award. Animal Services worked with other Pinellas County departments and local pet store owners to create a pilot program to display and offer cats for adoption. Today, cats from Animal Services are delivered and adopted through seven local stores. This is almost a double adoption rate over recent years.

Animal Services Program Coordinator Mary Taylor earned the Shelter Supervisor of the Year honor for her tireless, compassionate work. Taylor’s responsibilities are formidable. She supervises a staff of veterinary technicians, oversees technical operations, handles inventory management and assures cleanliness and order at the shelter. She also provides oversight for the Shelter Fostering Program. Taylor works with the public to educate them on animal health matters and talks about shelter policies. She was critical to the creation of the new cat/kitten adoption program. Taylor sacrifices personal time to support the adoption program and even serves as a foster caregiver.

Senior Animal Care Assistant Cindy Mazzaferro received the Animal Caretaker of the Year award for her strong work ethic, compassion for animals, ability to work with people and superior job performance. She provides daily care for animals in the shelter and has fostered numerous kittens and puppies to help them get a good start in life at the shelter. Mazzaferro shows much compassion when helping people seeking lost pets, turning in strays or adopting pets to make sure they leave the facility after having been treated with courtesy, empathy and professionalism.  She has a unique ability to treat fellow employees as well as she treats the animals in her charge.