Animal Care veteran picked as Shelter Manager

MAT-SU— A new Animal Care Manager is starting at the Matanuska-Susitna Borough on Jan. 3. Richard Stockdale, of Kalispell, Montana, was chosen as Manager from a field of 19 applicants from the Lower 48 and Alaska. Stockdale has been involved in the Animal Care field since 1985, including 15 years as the animal care director for Flathead County, Montana.

Planning for new shelter construction is part of his experience. Stockdale was involved in the design and construction of a new 8,000 square foot animal shelter that was capable of housing 3,000 animals per year. The MAT-SU has a newly remodeled animal shelter that was expanded by 14,000 feet in 2009. The attractive new shelter and the stepped-up outreach program here has brought more than a 100 volunteers into the building and helped lower the rate of pet euthanasia.

Katrina Zwolinski is the Veterinarian and supervisor at the Shelter. Stockdale joins 10 dedicated employees. The vacant Animal Care Chief position was changed to an Animal Care Manager position.

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