Many dogs and cats have good homes with families that love them, but sadly, many don't. Humane societies and SPCAs run animal shelters. Shelters are safe places for unwanted or abused pets. They provide temporary homes while shelter workers try to find the animals loving homes where they can live for the rest of their lives.
Lots of people work at an animal shelter. Some are paid staff and others are volunteers.
Kennel workers look after the animal guests. They do the very important but messy jobs like cleaning the kennels.
Adoption counsellors help people who want to adopt an animal find just the right animal for their family.
Shelter veterinarians, helped by veterinary technicians, make sure the animals are healthy. They treat wounds and illnesses, give inoculations and, in some shelters, perform spay/neuter operations.
Humane educators teach people about animals and how to look after them properly. Educators sometimes visit schools to talk to classes like yours. Other times they lead tours of the shelter.
Because humane societies depend on volunteers to do a lot of the work, many have a volunteer coordinator. This person organizes the volunteers to make sure the work gets done and the volunteers have fun at the same time.
And then there's the boss. The person in charge of everything that happens may be called the shelter manager or the executive director or even the CEO (Chief Executive Officer).
All the different workers have one thing in common - they all love animals.