Michael San Juan, a veteran Animal Control Officer with Hillsborough County Animal
Control—his career spans 22 years, including initiating it in New Jersey—recalls that animals played a huge role in his life starting when he was a kid, when he regularly tended to sick and injured wildlife and other critters. San Juan continued traveling on this path, naturally gravitating toward becoming an animal control officer–essentially recruited, he says, by many of those who’d benefitted from, or observed, his aptitude for rescuing animals and tending to them; they wanted him to be their animal control officer. Turns out neither San Juan, nor anyone he knew, had any kind of encounter with an animal control officer during his formative year, but he instinctively understood it was the right profession for him—not just because of his inherent passion for animals. And, more than two decades since he first slipped on the uniform, San Juan is brimming with enthusiasm—this is a person who clearly loves their job. It’s immediately apparent talking with him before our interview, as well as during our on-air conversation, and in a half-hour video piece recently produced by the Hillsborough County Media Relations department: “Animal Control: Unleashed”—which also offers a glimpse of San Juan’s problem-solving talent. The piece is posted here. Given this multitude of attributes and experience, it’s hardly surprising that San Juan’s job includes serving in a supervisorial capacity. Or that he mentors newer animal control officers, just as, he remembers, he was generously mentored by senior colleagues early in his career. San
Juan 
describes the traits required for aspiring animal control officers to be hired in Hillsborough County, and the array of training regimens new hires undergo before heading into the field. He discusses some elements of the job he loves most (and likes least), and…responds to my assertion that we’ve come a long way from the days of the so-called “dog catcher,” and the attendant attitudes—and I wonder how he thinks animal control officers are perceived these days. San Juan replies to an intentionally scattershot list of questions I’d assembled–interspersed with fielding listener queries, some regarding feral cat protocols—including:
–What should you do if you see a dog locked in a car on a hot day?
–Can you report suspected animal neglect or cruelty, and remain anonymous?
–What safety risks does San Juan face in carrying out his duties?
–Given a job that involves encountering hoarding situations, cases of neglect and cruelty, and other emotionally-challenging scenarios, what measures does he take to protect himself from burn-out or other conditions?
Hillsborough County Animal Control Website: https://hcfl.gov/locations/animal-control
ALSO: I spoke with Karen Schuenemann, an award-winning nature and wildlife photographer whose work has appeared in the London Natural History Museum and Audubon Magazine. Also a longtime instructor, Schuenemann will be teaching a Bird and Wildlife Photography class on Feb. 15 at The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, in Tampa. She provided an overview of the Museum, the kinds of exhibits it displays, the kinds of instruction it offers, and so on. With my prompting, Schuenemann then eased into an elevator pitch of sorts about her background (including that she and her husband are recent transplants from California), and her notable accolades as a photographer. She describes some of the topics to be covered in the Feb. 15 class, noting that iPhone photographers are welcome. (https://www.fmopa.org/learn/)
COMEDY CORNER: Brian Regan’s “Animals” (https://brianregan.com/)
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London”
AUDIO ARCHIVE:
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