Americans love their pets. We have more than 135 million canine and feline companions and we are pampering them like never before. Not surprisingly, the pet industry is one the fastest growing segments of the U.S. economy.

The booming industry has created jobs at all levels for people with varied backgrounds — from entry-level animal care and customer service trainees to professional groomers and experienced managers. In this issue of the newsletter, we introduce a series of profiles of Best Friends associates, describing their backgrounds and career paths. For more information about job opportunities with Best Friends, visit our www.bestfriends.com/indexB.cfm.

Li Hayes, Manager of Associate Development
Li Hayes' love affair with animal began early. She was a cat lover at by the age of five, and took her first job, as a stable hand, at age 14, to work with horses.

That job was a turning point for her. The owner, who also happened to be her riding instructor, hired her, but warned her that it was such hard, manual labor that he didn't expect her to last a week. She proved him wrong, making it through the entire summer, and leaned a valuable lesson about believing in oneself in the process.

Li spent one summer vacation during college working as a riding instructor and bought her horse Zephyrus,whom she still has, with her earnings at the end of the summer.

A college degree in marketing from University of Connecticut led her to a job in advertising for Packard Industries, a classic and antique auto aftermarket care parts company. She soon discovered that she wasn't happy in a career so far afield from her first love and decided to make a career change.

She took a job as a kennel technician at an animal hospital in New Haven, CT. "It was a lucky choice, because New Haven Central Animal Hospital is was a teaching hospital. I was able to study to become a vet tech, and passed the certification exam two years later."

Li worked for several years as an emergency and surgical veterinary technician, then decided to combine her animal care skills with her business degree and took a job as Business Manager for Pet Shield Veterinary Hospitals.

She joined Best Friends in August 1997 as a Manager-in-Training at the Norwalk, CT Pet Resort, later becoming the General Manager of that facility. In the fall of 1998, she was assigned responsibility for opening the just-constructed Rocky Hill, CT Resort. In August 1999, Li was named to her current position, Manager of Associate Development. Her responsibilities include recruitment, administration of bonus and incentive programs and a variety of special projects relating to human resource issues.

Li sees her career as an example of the opportunities offered by working for a national company with locations across the U.S. "This is a company that prefers to promote from within, so it's a great choice for people who want a career in pet care."

"Certain positions do require prior experience or special training, but there are definitely opportunities for people new to the industry. In fact, we look for people who love animals and then prepare them with our own training and certification program."

Li encourages people considering a pet care career to start slowly. "Pet care is different from any other industry," she explains. "You should find out what it's all about and whether it's right for you before making a career change. Because pet care is a seven-day-a-week business, you might try volunteering at a shelter or taking a part time position on weekends to find out if it's right for you."

The choice was definitely right for Li. "If I had stayed in veterinary medicine, my options would have been limited. Best Friends is the only company I know of where, even as a manager, I get to spend time with animals every day!"