PALMER — At the Mat-Su Borough Animal Care and Regulation Shelter, the work performed can literally mean life or death for the shelter’s residents.

Controlling the animal population of the state’s fastest-growing area can be a challenge, especially for those who work closely every day with the animals housed at the shelter. Sometimes the abandoned and wayward pets find good homes, other times not.

For longtime shelter employee Robin Daniels, her history of raising and being around animals made a career at the shelter an ideal fit.

(Use arrows above to view more photos)

Frontiersman: How long have you worked at the borough’s animal shelter?

Daniels: Nine years.

F: What about the shelter attracted you to want to work there?

D: I had taken an on-call position back in 1995 and did that for a couple years. Having been born and raised around animals, it was a natural feel for me.

F: On average, how many animals will be housed at the shelter at any given time?

D: It varies, but normally we have about 15 cats and about 15 dogs, give or take.

F: Have you had any unusual or interesting animals pass through during your time at the shelter?

D: Oh, yes. We have had hedgehogs, peacocks, rabbits, ferrets, iguanas, goldfish and ducks. We’ve had albino pet rats, turtles, guinea pigs and snakes.

F: What has been the animal you found most interesting?

D: Probably the iguanas. Oh, and we’ve also had chinchillas, as well as (livestock like) horses, cows, pigs.

F: What’s something about the shelter you’d like to tell people that they may not know?

D: That we are trying to hang onto animals longer. It had been 10 to 14 days, but that’s changing, so we have them longer than that now.

F: What about working at the shelter gives you the most satisfaction?

D: Seeing the animals get adopted or reunited with their owners. (Kids) come in and look, and it seems the little ones are drawn to the kittens or the puppies.

F: Who gets more excited, the animals or the kids?

D: It’s a toss-up. We have a lot of the animals that realize, ‘Hey, we’ve just got a wonderful home,’ and the kids are always excited about getting a new friend.

F: You’re obviously an animal lover, so how difficult is it when animals don’t get homes?

D: It can be hard, but then again, I’ve come to realize it’s part of my job.

F: People assume that pets not adopted are destroyed. Is this the case?

D: We do have rescue groups out there that will come in and rescue animals, or we’ll hang onto them for as long as we can. It’s definitely our last resort.

F: Today’s Monday; what’s happening there now?

D: We’ve had a busy morning adopting animals out and checking them in. I know there’s at least three that have been adopted and another one that’s about to be adopted.

F: How many pets have you taken home yourself over the years?

D: Over the years, I’ve have taken home three (from) the shelter.

F: Every once in awhile, do you find there’s a particular animal you develop a fondness for? What’s it like watching him or her be adopted?

D: It’s exciting. You feel good about it.

F: Have you ever been bitten, scratched or otherwise injured by an animal at the shelter?

D: Yes I have been bitten and scratched by cats and dogs.

F: Is there an animal you remember as having a particularly moving back story?

D: We had a dog by the name of Brooke once who came in as part of an activity and was very thin. She had a big bark, and once you get past that bark, she’s a wonderful, friendly dog.

F: Animals or people: Who would you rather hang out with?

D: Nine times out of 10, the animals. Although I work with the public, my druthers are being with the animals.

The Tuesday Q&A is a weekly feature in the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. If you know an interesting local person or someone who does an interesting job, contact reporter Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.