She's good with animals
For ex-zookeeper Carie Peterson, life is about finding loving homes for orphaned creatures.
By ERIKA VIDAL
Published June 15, 2007
WEST TAMPA - When Carie Peterson was a girl, she wasn't allowed to have pets. So she sneaked 16 hamsters into her room.
Deep down she always knew she would work with animals.
Just a year ago, she was a zookeeper at the Lowry Park Zoo, where she cared for Enshalla, the Sumatran tiger who was shot and killed last August after escaping from the night house.
Peterson left her job at the zoo just weeks before the incident, and she was heartbroken when she learned of Enshalla's death.
Now, the 32-year-old Chicago native is a mobile adoption counselor at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
And she has plenty of love left in her heart for the many animals that filter through the shelter each day.
Peterson has been known to take animals from the shelter home with her.
Now that she's all grown up, married and a homeowner, she can have as many pets as she wants.
So just how many does she have at home now? Well, that depends on what day you ask.
First, there are her 19 "forever" pets: four dogs, four cats, three turtles, two chinchillas, two snakes, two blue-tongued skinks a type of Australian lizard, a hamster and a tarantula.
She's also been fostering a 9-month-old, 100-pound St. Bernard with a terrible drooling problem. She has fostered an entire litter of kittens.
"I know it sounds like a lot, " said Peterson, "but I feel comfortable with it."
As well she should - she's been working with animals most of her life.
Growing up, she would pet-sit and walk dogs in her neighborhood. When she was 16, she got a job at the zoo and worked there for about seven months. After that, she started working at a pet store, but continued to volunteer at the zoo.
Eventually, the zoo offered her a full-time position as a keeper in the Asian section, where she worked for eight years.
Enshalla, with her fierce, unapologetic demeanor, was always her favorite.
Peterson can't quite explain their connection.
"She wasn't a very friendly cat, " she said. "She didn't like anybody."
Except for Peterson.
Co-workers used to say that Enshalla wouldn't listen to anyone but her. She never believed it, until she came back from a three-week vacation to learn that the stubborn cat hadn't responded to commands the entire time Peterson was gone.
When it came to training, "she would do anything for me, " said Peterson. "She knew I loved her."
Peterson left her job at the zoo last July because she disagreed with certain management decisions.
"It was the hardest decision I've ever made."
Enshalla was killed just a few weeks later.
Peterson hasn't been back since, and she probably never will. She refuses to even drive down that stretch of Sligh Avenue.
"It hurts too much, " she said. "She was my whole world."
But Peterson believes that things are meant to be.
If she hadn't left the zoo, she wouldn't be where she is now, making perfect matches and finding animals forever homes.
Most weekends, she drives around in a 32-foot Winnebago full of dogs, cats and volunteers as part of the shelter's mobile adoption program.
She is happy in this small, hopeful building filled with orphaned creatures. Until they are adopted, the animals look to Peterson, her co-workers and the shelter's volunteers for love.
She says the hardest part of the job is seeing what people are capable of doing to animals. Abused and neglected animals are brought in all the time.
But this place relies on the kindness of strangers, and there are plenty of people who inspire Peterson's faith in humanity.
Take Joan Schroeder, a volunteer for the past two years. She helps find homes for animals and has adopted two dogs herself.
One man donated money toward a dog's adoption in honor of his own dog, who passed away recently.
Just last week, someone brought in a 9-week-old kitten that had been hit by a car. He needed to be put in foster care until he was well enough to be put up for adoption.
Peterson couldn't resist.
"My other kitten just fell in love with him, " she said. "I'll probably end up keeping him."
Erika Vidal can be reached at evidal@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3339.
Fast Facts:
Carie Peterson, 32
Family: Husband of 10 years, Brian, 19 "forever" pets and two foster pets. They have names like Will and Grace, Lilo and Stitch, Shredder and Akasha.
Home: Town 'N Country
Gig: Adoption counselor at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay
Spends: At least $500 a month on pet supplies. "I probably work just to pay for them."