HERE - the Santa Fe Animal Shelter and Humane Society

graduate, but I really tried to be an
advocate for shelter animals during
that whole time.”
Dr. Steketee returned to sheltering
work after nine years in private
practice. While she notes that privatepractice
veterinarians are important in
all aspects of animal care, she sees her
work at the Shelter as critical.
“Of course, most of private
practice is good, and important for the
general care and health of the whole
animal,” she said. “But I came to see
some of it as unnecessary – things like
declawing a cat or docking a puppy’s
tail. Some of these things can be really
superficial when you realize just how
important population control is, and
how many animals just aren’t receiving
basic care.”
U U U
Every animal that comes though
the clinic doors has a story, but the
animals aren’t talking — they are in
pain, or need immediate attention.
The staff is there to comfort them and
make sure they are healthy.
“Most of the strays and the
homeless animals that come in have
never been seen by a veterinarian,”
she said. “They’re skinny, matted and
scared. But once they get that care and
know they are safe, they become so
trusting and loving.”
The clinic’s fast-paced
environment is a draw for many of
the volunteers and staff, including
Dr. Snook, who returned to the
Shelter after an eight-year absence.
Dr. Snook said he is committed to
animal sheltering and the sometimes
challenging patients who come
through the doors.
On a recent Monday, Dr. Snook
had repaired a kitten’s back leg
fracture, stitched up a large wound
on a puppy and was about to tackle a
serious thigh-bone break that would
require several hours and several pins
to secure.
That kind of work gets
Dr. Snook’s blood going.
“We used to try and set all the
bones back in the exact same place,”
Dr. Snook said, noting an x-ray of a
dog that had multiple fractures. “Now
it’s more like gardening. We let the
Healing love for Burrito
Burrito, a tiny Chihuahua puppy, was brought
into the clinic in September with dozens of
open wounds all over his body. We’ll never
know how he initially got his injuries – either
by a human or in an attack by another animal
– but he developed an immune disorder
that made the wounds difficult to heal. After
several consultations with some of the nation’s
top specialty veterinarians, the clinic staff
was able to develop a treatment protocol
that included a special diet and alternative
therapies that helped turn him around.
We think the love that Burrito received
from his Facebook fans helped along the
way – we know that Zach and Kristina were
spellbound by his story, fell in love with him,
and, after fostering him for a few weeks,
adopted him. He may always need extra
treatment, but this special boy is worth it.
Spring 2013 | 5