Mattersville - Wolf and Wolfdog Sanctuary Training

Mattersville’s mission is providing a safe community tor Veterans to thrive into a sustainable tomorrow. We exist to provide sustainable housing for Veterans suffering from PTSD and homelessness, to reintegrate them into civilian life. Part of this vision is involvement with the Pack22 wolfdog rescue & sanctuary. The Kennel/Sanctuary Technician is a critical part of our organization in ensuring the health and safety of our sanctuary animals. There are varied components to this role each day in completing both routine and special project work to make the environment more enjoyable for both residents and patrons of the sanctuary. All members have a common metric focused on the overall team cooperation, tour patron feedback, and general participation.

As a Kennel/Sanctuary Technician at Mattersville/Pack22, your main role is a dedication to ensuring the health and safety of our wolfdogs and other sanctuary animals. The training for this role is best absorbed in a 180 day program, however, many lessons can be derived from the program in as little as 90 days. Our animals require daily fresh drinking water and wolfdog prepared meals for their raw meat diet, as well as cleaned enclosures. In this process, it is important to socialize with the animals and check for any injuries or medical concerns as well as behavior anomalies. Some of the rescue animals are excited for their daily visits and show their affection liberally, some of them are just learning to come up to those involved in their care, and some of still very wary of people. The system of enclosure responsibilities changes throughout your time at the sanctuary, and as you build the skills and knowledge to care for the animals, you will build greater responsibility for helping to rehabilitate some of the more mis-understood or difficult wolfdogs. When the property director feels you may be ready to move up a level, the test to move through the different levels will be given. This allows more responsibility to move from green to yellow to red, as signified for each of the wolfdog enclosures showing the different care that is needed for each of the wolfdogs. All sanctuary animals are very susceptible to fly bites, so following procedure to ensure this is mitigated is very important for their well-being. In addition, during hot summer months, water tubs in their enclosures should be monitored for filling, cleanliness, and temperature.Awareness of the enclosure security and safety of the animals is very important, and using problem-solving skills to make minor repairs to fencing, gates, and dig guard and communicating those minor and other more critical or difficult repairs to a Property Director or Kennel/Sanctuary Administrator are very important. While working through the daily animal care process, it is important to be aware of important supplies that may be running low, and ensuring these are communicated to the Property Director, or Kennel/Sanctuary Administrator on duty. Horse and livestock pens must also be cleaned and enclosures monitored for issues to ensure they are kept in their appropriate spaces. Work ethic is an important trait in doing everything to ensure the daily animal care checklist is completed at the end of each shift to ensure records are available for leadership review.Some larger tasks, or those requiring collaboration and teamwork include filling in holes that dogs may be digging toward another enclosure or exterior to the enclosure, shade tarps that have fallen and need to be re-hung (this is critical to secure these timely in the event this is noticed). Shade cover is an important aspect of a dogs’ health, so installing as necessary, or notes indicated where it appears an animal may not be getting enough shade are very important. Trash from clean up of enclosures, daily meat bowl preparation, or other general trash receptacles, must be taken to trash bin as completed, or full. This ensures areas are free of bugs and odors. Meat donations are received 3 days during the week, and at this time, the freezers must be cleaned as needed and energy system monitored as the new load of meat is placed into freezers. Usage and monitoring of energy system will be taught by resident team, as they are the most closely involved in this monitoring. After animal care tasks are completed, there are always projects to be completed, including tasks such as general construction as necessary including building exterior and interior housing or shed structures, cleaning up vegetation in play yards, and keeping common walkway areas clear. We would consider the Kennel/Sanctuary Technician to have a personal stake in staying results focused, to ensure each day, that there are tangible results accomplished.

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