Two new officers added to shelter

PALMER -- A love for animals and people led both Allison Barkhurst and Mark Whisenhunt to apply for two Animal Care and Regulation officer positions with the Mat-Su Borough, and both are excited about putting their skills to the test.

With Barkhurst and Whisenhunt on board, the ACR office is up to full staff -- for the first time in Chief Officer Dave Allison's tenure -- and the new officers have high hopes for the future of the department.

"With the addition of Allison [Barkhurst] and myself, we have literally doubled the amount of officers," Whisenhunt said. "It will make us easier to be more attentive to the job."

Barkhurst added that, with more officers and a faster response to calls, she believes the office has a chance to increase education of proper animal care, boost the public image of the officers and help people understand the part the office can play in promoting good pet stewardship.

Barkhurst moved to the Valley seven years ago, after trying to maintain two lives -- one as an Alaskan and the other as a photographer in Oregon. After moving, she said she was interested in becoming a Fish and Wildlife officer and became an aide instead -- a job she found fit her well. In the meantime, she continued working as a photographer. When she heard the ACR office was hiring officers, she applied without hesitation. She's been around animals her whole life, she said.

"This seems very natural for me -- I wanted a job where I'd be working outdoors," Barkhurst said. The job also gives her the opportunity to work with people, another strong area, she said.

Barkhurst said she hopes to help people in the community learn about more responsible pet ownership. Living in the Valley for seven years, she said she's noticed a lot of changes -- particularly in the way growth has necessitated more pet responsibility.

"It's so crowded here now that we have to have laws -- and enforce them," Barkhurst said. "I'm hoping to get involved with the community -- I feel I have a good rapport with people, and I'm a good person to get out and get involved."

Whisenhunt comes from a military and law-enforcement background. He spent more than five years as a U.S. Army military police officer, he said -- a job that also involved animal care. Although he's lived in the area for just a few months, he was stationed at Fort Wainwright previously and wanted to return to Alaska after exiting the military. He was hoping to become a canine handler, but said he saw the opening at the shelter and knew it would be a fit.

"I love having a good rapport with people, and I love educating people," Whisenhunt said. "I was a sergeant in the army; that's what I did -- I trained and educated soldiers."

Barkhurst and Whisenhunt are both still in training, and are currently accompanying other officers on calls to gain experience.

"I've been doing field training with officers [Matt] Hardwig and [John] Frey -- I've probably got a couple more weeks," Whisenhunt said. "It's always good to be very proficient and comfortable before you go out."

Barkhurst said she is a couple weeks behind Whisenhunt in training. She is learning the ropes of the shelter, and has gone out on a few calls, but doesn't expect to be field-ready until February. Neither officer will be flying solo until the senior officer they're training under and Allison agree they're ready, but both said they are looking forward to it, although they recognized there are some inherent challenges.

"I want to be more familiar with the community, and show them we're not the bad guys," Barkhurst said.

"You can't win everybody over -- you can try, but you've got to keep on going and doing your job and trying to interact positively with as many people as you can," Whisenhunt said.