A Day in the Life: Why This Work Needed to Become Someone’s Job.
Most people picture animal cruelty response as the moment responders arrive on scene. But some of the most important work happens long before anyone steps out of a vehicle — and some of it happens long after.
This year, AIR hired our first Emergency Services Manager and Animal Cruelty Investigator, Kerri. Her role changed what AIR is capable of — not by replacing volunteers, but by giving them stronger leadership, faster response times, and the infrastructure to respond when the need exists, not just when someone happens to be available.
The Work You Don’t See
Many of Kerri’s days involve no flashing lights or dramatic rescue — just hours of evidence review, report writing, and agency consultation. Recently, that meant building law enforcement training materials on cockfighting, and developing a nearly 50-point Placement Partner database so AIR never has to start from scratch when an agency calls with animals who need somewhere to go.
The Moment an Animal Learns It’s Safe
During a cockfighting seizure of over 350 gamefowl in Irving, one especially ornery rooster named Stewy wouldn’t let anyone near him. Kerri took her time earning his trust. Days later, when his cage opened, he walked toward her instead of away. It was a small moment with a big meaning: he had learned that people could be safe.
Safety Comes First — Even When You Want to Help
Every response Kerri leads is guided by three priorities: responder safety, animal safety, and case integrity. Sometimes that means full protective gear before entering a hoarding site reeking of ammonia. Sometimes it means telling willing volunteers no, because the risk is too high. And sometimes — like the time a mother dog protected her puppies after a tornado — it means waiting, even when everyone wants to act immediately.
Why This Needed to Be Someone’s Job
Before this role existed, AIR depended entirely on volunteers juggling jobs and families of their own — meaning an agency might wait days for a response. Now, AIR can respond within hours instead of the previous 72. Kerri handles 120–150 hours of emergency services work in a typical month, and over 200 hours during a major deployment. That capacity — expertise on call, systems in place before a crisis hits, relationships built before they’re needed — is what your support makes possible.