- April 24, 2024
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It’s been a whirlwind of a career for Amy Wade-Carotenuto. But one thing has remained the same for her since she started in 1985.
“I’ve been knee-deep in animals, wherever I am,” she said.
Wade-Carotenuto is the new executive director of the Flagler Humane Society, a position she is taking after spending half a decade working for the Halifax Humane Society, some time as the director as the Flagler Human Society, as well as for an animal-focused organization in Edgewater and a low-cost spay/neuter initiative in Volusia County.
There’s no doubt about it: She’s an animal lover. Every day, she goes to work and helps animals who wouldn’t otherwise have a voice, she said. There is no end to personal or career satisfaction in her field.
Wade-Carotenuto has some plans for the Flagler Humane Society. For one, she hopes to extend its operating hours by at least one day. Currently, the organization is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
By opening daily — especially considering that one of its closed days is a weekend — Wade-Carotenuto hopes to increase the number of adoptions the Flagler Humane Society handles.
She also wants to speak with local property managers and owners of rental homes. One of the biggest deterrents she’s seen for people who wish to adopt is that it is difficult to find a place to rent where landlords allow pets. She thinks that often, landlords will stipulate that no pets are allowed without giving it enough thought.
Both of these goals channel in to Wade-Carotenuto’s ultimate goal: To increase adoptions at the Flagler Humane Society.
Working in the animal rescue business is always going to be challenging, but Wade-Carotenuto has hope. In the span of her nearly 20-year-long career, she said she has seen adoption rates rise and euthanization rates decline — a sign that things are moving in the right direction, she said.
“My goal is just to make life better for every animal I touch,” Wade-Carotenuto said.
