Esteban Rodriguez has come prepared. He has over 15 years of experience in animal welfare, all in government municipal sheltering, and has held almost every position there is to hold in a shelter environment. We sat down with Esteban to dive into his vast experience, what motivates him, and his vision for the shelter’s future.
Let’s start with your background. Where did you start out?
Esteban: In 1999, in El Paso, Texas, I started as a kennel technician. In 2007, I left El Paso Animal Shelter and started a business in order to provide for a sick parent. But in 2014, in Dallas, Texas, I came back to animal welfare work. I worked there for two and half years, and then moved to San Antonio, where I worked as a supervisor to Animal Control Field Officers.
I paid attention to what was happening in the animal welfare world – what was new, what was trending, what were different organizations doing, what were the most progressive measures being taken? That led me to Austin in 2017. Five years prior, Austin had become the largest no-kill municipal shelter in the country. After learning and experiencing a lot about progressive animal welfare measures in Austin, I took the opportunity in 2019 to become an External Operation Manager at Pima Animal Care Center, in Tucson, Arizona. From there, I became an Operations Manager for two and a half years at Santa Barbara County Animal Services in California. Finally, in 2021, the Director position for the Seattle Animal Shelter opened up – and it was the perfect match.
What drew you to Seattle Animal Shelter?
E: Throughout my career, while I had good ideas and different things that I knew would make an impact in our community, a lot of those would only get so far and then fall flat. I saw the opportunity come up in Seattle and it really spoke to me because it talked a lot about diversity, equity, and being a progressive organization. And with the Director role, you have a little more opportunity to move things along and knock down the barriers that are there.
With SAS, I’m able to speak and build relationships with people directly involved in SAS operations, based on respect and honesty, and work towards becoming a more community-centric organization. I felt I needed to get into this role, because I could do the most good with this organization for the people and the animals in this city.
My belief is that it’s not just the animals we should care about, it’s the people as well. Animals don’t arrive at the shelter on their own. When you start to involve the community in the solution, you’re going to see a different organization. That means involving people from all walks of life, and meeting them where they are.
That makes a lot of sense. Shelters are intricately connected with the people in the community because of that relationship between people and animals.
E: With any animal, comes people. We want to do the best thing for the animal, but sometimes the best thing for the animal is to stay with its people – because they understand the animal and they love the animal to the best of their ability. It’s our job to be a resource to make sure people have the ability and the opportunity to live their life as a responsible pet owner with their pet.
Animal services are a gateway to social injustice as well. People are struggling, and their connection to the world and reality is their pet. We have to ask ourselves how to do justice by them and their animals at the same time. As public servants, we are always asking ourselves these questions and evolving in order to address multiple needs at once to serve the community best. We’re not going to leave animals uncared for, but we want to be empathetic to individual situations and make the right call on a case by case basis, while at the same time providing the right kind of support.
Do you have any pets? What’s their story?
E: I have two dogs. One is Goli, short for Goliath, a 6-year-old Giant Schnauzer, from a shelter in Arizona. I initially fostered him, and he’s been with us ever since. Our other dog Vedder is from SAS, and another foster-turned-forever dog.
What are your goals for SAS?
E: What I want for the Seattle Animal Shelter is when the public sees us out in the community, they’re not running to close their doors. What I want them to do is to open their doors and come out and speak to our officers and ask for assistance if they need help. That takes relationship-building, and is our ultimate goal for becoming a more community-centric organization.
Specifically, we want people to be a part of the solution. We’re transitioning to a more case-management style of animal welfare: being able to have those conversations with pet owners, giving them the proper education, the resources, and the support that is needed to become a responsible pet owner. This way we have a relationship, and are able to keep animals and people together.
Becoming that community-centric organization means including people of all cultures, language, background, walk of life, into the solution of creating responsible pet owners. If we can do that successfully, the animal shelter becomes a place where community members come to seek help, or come to help other community members.
What are some of the greatest challenges SAS faces? And how can we solve them?
E: A few things have slowed our progress – the pandemic, a shortage of animal welfare professionals to fill vacant positions, and our building’s construction. Our shelter was built in 1982 for an evolving kind of sheltering, so our physical location has some limitations on space, but we are working through it. We utilize fostering as much as possible, and gradually we are changing how we support animal welfare in the community.
We are also building up our staff and volunteer forces, which will help us really push forward on what we’re trying to do for the future. Eventually, I’d like to be out in the community more, offering free services like simple vaccinations and spays/neuters, creating meaningful relationships within the community.
What are the best ways people can get involved with SAS?
E: The best way to get involved is to become a volunteer with our organization. Also, be informed; know about the current municipal code (which outlines pet owners’ responsibilities in the City of Seattle jurisdiction; what is needed or allowed in the City of Seattle to be a responsible pet owner). Share us on your social media platforms, spread the word about things we share online. Be an advocate in your community for SAS, and share us as a resource.
What motivates you to do this kind of work?
E: What drives me is creating opportunities for the people and animals that need second chances. Seeing animals come into the shelter scared drives me to create programs and outreach with people to prevent that separation. Making sure we can keep people and animals together, rather than having to bring them into the shelter, is my goal.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
E: My favorite part of the job is connecting with people. It allows me to navigate how my role can have the most impact in our organization and position my work as a tool for change.
What’s been a favorite moment or memory of your time with SAS so far?
E: When you’re working in the animal welfare field it is hard to pinpoint favorite moments, because there are so many. I have loved seeing the community support for the Shelter via Furry 5K and Fund- A- Need participation. Another treasured moment has to be the Train-a-Chicken training we did with our entire staff. The philosophy and intent of the training was to demonstrate that if you can train a chicken with time and patience you can train a dog or cat. The reason this is at the top of favorite moments is we were figuring out what post-pandemic looked like for SAS and this gave our team the opportunity to all be together doing something impactful and fun. It really kickstarted how we functioned as a team.
What’s something about SAS that stands out from other animal shelters?
E: The thing that stands out about SAS is how pet friendly City of Seattle communities are. What I see is commitment, compassion, and the willingness to do better for all Seattle pets.
What is the importance of the SASF/SAS relationship?
E: The importance of the SASF/SAS relationship is for us to work together toward a common goal: the health and well-being of animals in our community. Our partnership thrives when we have a shared vision and consistent message for our supporters and the broader community. We each play a critical, yet distinct, role. SASF as a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to enriching and enhancing the lives of animals cared for by the shelter. SAS as a public shelter with municipal code responsibilities to ensure public health and safety while caring for animals with oversight from the Finance and Administrative Services Department.
What is the importance of SASF donors to SAS?
E: SASF donors are integral to the SAS and the community it serves. While they contribute financially, their emotional contribution is just as important. They share a passion for the welfare of animals. These donors play a pivotal role in ensuring the success of the shelter’s initiatives and programs. Their support reinforces the shared commitment between the foundation and the shelter to the well-being of animals. Together, we can continue to make a positive impact on the lives of animals in Seattle and strengthen our community’s commitment to their welfare. I’m eternally grateful for their dedication.