11/01/2026
Animal Shelter Appreciation Week: Staff Spotlight — Ashley!
Today marks the start of Animal Shelter Appreciation Week November 1-7, and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate the amazing team behind Paws & Claws! Throughout the week, we’ll be introducing our wonderful staff members through special spotlights so you can get to know the people behind the scenes, learn a little more about each of us, and see the passion and dedication that goes into caring for the animals who come through our doors.
We’re kicking things off with our very own Shelter Manager, Ashley!
Meet Ashley, who has been part of the Paws & Claws family for 7 years and 3 months! Believe it or not, Ashley didn’t grow up with animals, but being around them was always something she dreamed of. When she was hired at the shelter, it felt like a dream come true. Getting to care for all the sweet animals who come through our doors and making a difference in their lives is what inspired her to pursue animal welfare.
Ashley is both a dog and cat person and has plenty of furry family members of her own, including Xiomara, her Yorkiepoo, and Igor and Nahya, her domestic shorthair cats! Her favorite current shelter resident is her sweet Midnight, and one animal who will always hold a special place in her heart is the sweet old man Arthur. 🪽
One of her favorite adoption stories is Lulu, an 11-year-old Toy Poodle who spent about three days in foster care with Ashley before finding her forever home with an amazing family in Lincoln. Needless to say, there were plenty of tears when Lulu left! Ashley has also adopted Igor and Nahya from Paws & Claws herself, making the shelter a part of her own family’s story, too!
For Ashley, one of the most rewarding parts of her job is seeing scared animals learn to trust again and watching animals who arrive in heartbreaking conditions get healthy, happy, and eventually find their forever homes. She loves knowing that even when an animal’s story starts out difficult, it doesn’t have to end that way.
She also wants the public to understand that shelters unfortunately cannot take in every animal in need. Space and resources are limited, which is why spaying and neutering, responsible pet ownership, and exploring other rehoming alternatives are so important. Animal welfare takes an entire community, and shelters cannot do it alone!
The hardest part of her job is seeing animals shut down in the shelter environment and experiencing the sudden losses and difficult decisions that come with this work. Despite those heartbreaking days, she continues showing up because every animal deserves compassion, patience, and a second chance. Working in animal welfare has taught her many things, but patience is definitely one of the biggest lessons!
One of Ashley’s favorite memories from working at the shelter was during COVID, when they had only about 10 cats in our care and went approximately five days without a single dog in the shelter!
Outside of work, Ashley enjoys traveling with her sister (especially to colorado), thrifting, spending time with her fur children, collecting vinyl records, baking, and attending music festivals and concerts. She’s always up for a good show or festival, although you definitely won’t catch her in the mosh pit again… she learned that lesson the hard way. She also has a growing plushie collection that may or may not be becoming a problem!
Her favorite animal breed is the Xoloitzcuintli, she’d love to own a sloth someday, and her dream vacation is visiting South Korea. Visiting all 50 states is also on her bucket list!
A few more fun facts about Ashley: her favorite drink is a Sugar-Free White Peach Red Bull (although drinking three during a busy shift is NOT recommended), she can talk with her mouth closed, and if she could switch places with any shelter animal for a day, she’d choose her fat boy Sammie.
Her coworkers would describe her as cringe, stressed, and scared. She’s most definitely a bit of a scaredy cat 😵💫
To Ashley, working in animal welfare means being a voice for animals who cannot speak for themselves, showing compassion, patience, and care, and giving them the second chances they deserve. It’s not always easy, but knowing we can make a difference in their lives is what makes this work meaningful.
When asked what makes her proud to be part of Paws & Claws, Ashley says it’s having a team of hardworking, dedicated people who share the same passion for animal welfare and continue showing up for the animals every single day. She’s grateful for the coworkers who make even the hardest days a little easier.
And when it comes to saying goodbye to adopted animals, the best part is knowing they’ve finally found their forever homes and will get the amazing lives they deserve.
We are so proud to have Ashley as part of the Paws & Claws team. Thank you for being a voice for the animals who cannot speak for themselves and for continuing to show up for them, even on the hardest days!
