ARIZONA HUMANE SOCIETY NAMES TACY PASTOR 2009 EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

Until Tacy Pastor can find more hours in the day than there are animals to save, the 11-year Arizona Humane Society employee just won’t slow down.

That dedication to their well being and commitment to finding foster care for animals in dire need of extra care of attention are only two of the reasons the Arizona Humane Society has named Pastor its 2009 Employee of the Year.

“Her creative nature, passion and love for animals are nothing short of inspirational”, said Arizona Humane Society Executive Director Guy Collison.

The relationships she has fostered and built over the years have left a loving paw print on so many people’s hearts.

Over the past year, Pastor and her team secured foster homes for 4,087 animals needing extra care and have grown AHS Rescue Partners to nearly 125 animal welfare groups which collectively saved almost 2,000 animals not adoptable through AHS.

“Tacy has no spare time because she’s always on the move”, Collison said.  “On a daily basis she spends countless hours searching lost-and-found websites in hopes of reuniting pets with their owners”.

Pastor also collaborates with terminally ill clients of Agnus Fund to ensure that their companion animals receive veterinary care at AHS facilities.  She also secures foster services through the AHS Project Safe House program for animals whose owners are taking refuge in a domestic violence shelter.

“You would think that’s enough to keep anyone busy for an entire day, but Tacy doesn’t stop there,” Collison said.  “As manager of our Disaster Relief Program, she and her team provide services to people who have undergone life-changing events from illness, injury or the loss of a home due to fire or flood.”

After Hurricane Katrina hit, Pastor spent hundreds of hours on the phone with contacts along the Gulf Coast, ultimately reuniting 70 animals with their owners.

“She would engage anyone she could, from utility workers to postmen, to get the animals back to their owners,” Collison said.  “Even the airlines couldn’t say no to her request to fly animals back to their owners.”

“Tacy is an incredibly caring, compassionate and concerned human being and a dedicated employee who is most deserving of this recognition,”

He added.