By SHELLEY HANSON

MOUNDSVILLE — Abby Bateman spends her days helping some of the most vulnerable among us — homeless dogs and cats in need of good homes.

Bateman is director of the Marshall County Animal Shelter. It’s a job she loves, though sometimes it is hard for her to see the condition some animals arrive in after being abused or neglected by their former owners. But after the animals begin to heal and find new loving homes, it makes the heartbreak worth it.

She advises this to other women thinking about entering the field:

“Remember to let the bad stories go and not let them overshadow the successes,” she said. “You see the worst of humanity in this field. You see poor animals who have been mistreated, abandoned. Even though you don’t get to meet the owner, you get a picture of what the owners were like.”

After receiving abused and neglected animals, she said the shelter tries its best to help them find good homes.

“We teach them how to be a dog and get a loving home. Two years later you get a Christmas card and they look completely different. You can tell they’re happy,” she said. “With the right family and people who have patience and put in the work, it’s definitely doable.”

As director, Bateman said she is responsible for all aspects and management of the shelter. A typical day can include processing animals brought in, processing people’s adoption applications, answering phone calls and emails, getting the staff started on their work duties for the day, scheduling meet and greets and more.

Bateman said years ago she worked in an animal shelter while living in Virginia. She enjoyed the work. After moving back to the area she worked helping people, but always longed to help animals again. After her children entered school she went back to helping animals, starting out as a kennel technician for two years in Marshall County. She worked her way up to helping the director with office work. When he left she applied for the director position. She has been with the shelter for a total of 4½ years now.

Bateman said one of the bright spots in the Ohio Valley is how caring residents are of the local animal shelters when they are in need of supplies or other help.

“The Ohio Valley is really supportive of the shelter. Anytime we put a call out on social media we get a huge response. We tell them what we need and they reach out,” she said. “We have a good community.”

Bateman her philosophy in life is to “work hard and enjoy life because it is short-lived.”

“An honest day’s work is definitely what was instilled in me growing up,” she said. “And when I leave here I’m all about my girls and my family.”

Bateman has two daughters, Cathleen and Destiny. The family also includes three dogs, Patty, Obi and Tigger, and three cats, Cindy, Mama and Brent.