Burn Out

Today one of my favorite staff members left the shelter.  I don't know all the circumstances, but I saw some of the signs, and suspect she was burnt out by the environment of the shelter, especially by the leadership there.  It's ironic because the reason I took leave of absence from my career (business consultant for Accenture) which is what brought me to the shelter to begin with, was because of my own burn out from dealing with the hectic, day to day rigmarole that consulting is.  Now, I see another person in an entirely different industry at a completely different stage in her career, burning out just as I was about to.

The sadness is that her heart was in the right place, her enthusiasm was spot on, and although she's relatively young (at least in comparison to me), she had so much to give to the shelter and wasn't entirely in a fair or fostering environment.  Because she is gone, another staff member (or two) have to compromise their days off, have to come in again, and so am I to going to the shelter on a day I would not normally be there.

I cannot exactly explain the right combination of personality, energy, intuition, and maturity it takes to work at a shelter.  Some are more compassionate, others more professional, and some...well...some aren't so great -- just like you'd find in any workplace.  But she wasn't one of the 'not-greats' she was one of the 'will be greats' with the right mentoring, right grooming, and right leadership.  Obviously she wasn't getting what she needed from this environment, despite her desire to help animals.  I don't know all the circumstances, I just know she felt the need to escape, and all the animals she helped in a day just have one less person to care for them.

Today I walked Beetle, a large pit bull terrier mix with more energy than he can contain in a 3 x 3 kennel.  I ran him up a hill, let him scamp in the field with as much slack as the leash and my legs would give him, and finally ran him in circles (literally) chasing another leash I had like a game a kitten might play chasing a string.  Walking him back down the hill, I stopped him and gave cuddles, pets, praise, and acknowledgement he was important; Beetle matters to me.  Back at the kennel I found him a squeaky bone to play with and for the first time in days, I saw a little relaxation on his very weary face.

I walked Beetle while I found a small gap in other things I was doing today.  Now, with one less staff member at the shelter I don't know if I'll be able to walk him tomorrow, him or the other dogs that have been there so long they are showing signs of kennel-rage.  Whether the leadership at the shelter valued the staff member that left is not in question - she would not have left if felt valued.  Whether I valued her will be truly felt tomorrow when she's not there.