CanineLink Alumni Spotlight: Alicia Obando
- Jul 9, 2014
- 3 min read
By Jamie Damato Migdal, CEO and Pet Industry Entrepreneur
Alicia Obando is a familiar and dynamic presence in the Chicago animal and social welfare communities. Her not-for-profit organization, Pets Are Like Family, has been instrumental in helping many pets stay healthy and remain in their loving homes. She is a graduate of Behavior Fundamentals, and has three of the cutest dogs you'll ever meet.
What is your background? I have a Bachelors in Early Childhood Education and Psychology and a Masters in Counseling Psychology, with a concentration in children and adolescents. I have spent decades working and volunteering with Chicagoland families to improve parenting skills, empower children, and connect families to available resources in the community. I began volunteering and working in animal welfare a decade ago to try to help animals find homes and help organizations raise money and awareness about the plight of homeless animals. I worked at The Anti-Cruelty Society for two years in the Humane Education department as Coordinator of Special Projects. I currently work at the Chicago Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Center, where I've been the Specialty Coordinator for four years.
How do you pay it forward? In the fall of 2011, I created Pets Are Like Family as a way to bridge my two passions – helping families and helping pets. I began to think that the family preservation model that I had learned in social services could be applied to helping pets remain in their families as well. Helping pets remain in loving homes decreases the number of pets that get relinquished to area shelters, or worse, put out on the streets. I have been the president of this organization for just over two years now. Our mission is to help Chicago pet parents have loving, responsible relationships with their pets by providing education, resources, counseling, and referral services to keep pets with their families and avoid pet relinquishment. We do outreach to the northwest side through community events and Pet Care 101 workshops as well as provide individualized home-based counseling to pet parents in need. People can call the hotline to request assistance, get food and supplies from our pet pantry, and get financial assistance for preventative vet care through our Healthy Start program.
What drew you to CanineLink? I enjoy learning as much as I can about topics that I am passionate about. CanineLink began offering classes to pet professionals to learn about canine communication and behavior. I thought that this information would help me in my work at the animal hospital as well as in my volunteer activities with Pets Are Like Family.
How has your CanineLink training helped you in the various aspects of your life? It is important for anyone who works/volunteers with dogs to know how dogs communicate with each other and with us. This allows us to better meet their needs and provide them with a safe, enriching environment. The information I have learned from CanineLink has helped me in the care of my own dogs as well as those that I encounter through work and volunteering.
How do you plan to use your CanineLink training in the future? I plan to build on the foundation that CanineLink provided and continue my education in animal communication and behavior to make me a better pet parent and a more successful pet professional. This learning not only helps me and the animals that I encounter, but it allows me to serve as mentor to others so that they too can better understand and live in harmony with their pets.
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