The C.H. Booth Library hosted a virtual program about pet professions, for ages 12 to 18, that was presented by the Connecticut Humane Society on August 5.

Ashley Marshall, community outreach manager for the Connecticut Humane Society, started off the event by asking attendees to list different jobs they can think of that relate to pets.

Responses included veterinarian, veterinarian technician, wildlife rescue and rehabilitator, people who train service dogs, ornithologists, and doggy day care workers.

Marshall praised the group for a good start and said, “My goal today is to expand this list. There are hundreds of careers and jobs that are directly, or even indirectly, related to animals in some way.”

When explaining what animal welfare is, she shared its definition on the screen that read, “The protection of the health and wellbeing of animals. Ensuring proper care and treatment, preventing cruelty and neglect, etc.”

Marshall shared that the Connecticut Humane Society focuses its efforts on animal welfare for companion animals, specifically with offering adoption services, low-cost and free veterinary care, legislative initiatives, and educational programs.

In addition to nonprofit organizations like the Connecticut Humane Society, she said, there are many types of places with jobs directly involved in animal welfare, including veterinary hospitals, animal control, schools, pet supply stores, law firms, pet boarding kennels, pet food companies, and universities.

She added that there are also state and federal government agencies involved with animal welfare, such as lobbyists, animal welfare advocates, and at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

For those interested in jobs specifically related to the Connecticut Humane Society, Marshall said, “At our organization, we have a wide range of positions.”

She explained that jobs range from kennel technicians, who clean the kennels and help with animal adoptions, to finance department employees, who manage various paperwork and deal with money, to maintenance staff, who handle what needs be fixed to keep animals and staff safe.

“One thing that is great about our organization is we offer a lot of on-the-job-training, which means opportunities for advancement,” Marshall said.

She then showed the group a video featuring about a dozen representatives from Connecticut Humane Society talking about their specific positions, the training they received for it, the skills needed for the job, and the best parts about the organization.

Marshall took questions and comments at the end of the clip, and one participant shared that after watching the video she is now interested in becoming an adoption counselor.

There was also a clip played about the work the Connecticut Humane Society does to utilize social media (specifically Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube). It cited how social media allows the organization to post about upcoming events, share educational information, receive donations, and promote adoptable pets.

“These are all great things social media can do,” Marshall said.

Anyone age 18 or older who wants to get involved in assisting the Connecticut Humane Society can volunteer as a dog walker, cat cuddler, laundry room assistant, front desk attendant, or photographer/videographer.

Children under the age of 18 can help by organizing a food or supply drive, applying to be a foster family, holding a fundraiser, or donating homemade toys and other crafts for the animals to enjoy.

Marshall concluded the presentation, saying, “Thank you all so much for joining us today. We really appreciate it. I hope that you learned a lot about the different career paths in animal welfare and with pets in general.”

She encouraged those who had any additional questions to contact the Connecticut Humane Society at outreach@cthumane.org.

For more information about the Connecticut Humane Society, visit cthumane.org.

Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at alissa@thebee.com.