Mary Powell is the lead dog technician at the Kootenai Humane Society. She does everything from hiring, training and managing animal caregivers to cleaning kennels to evaluating dogs for temperament to working with adoptive families.

According to shelter Development Director, Vicky Nelson, "People are always asking me, 'Does Mary still work there?' Mary has her own fan club here because she's so good with our animals. When they start acting up, she just kind of looks at them and they stop."

Where were you raised?

I grew up in Blanchard - not much happening in Blanchard back then. There was nothing, actually - maybe seven houses there. I grew up on a pig and cow farm and all my friends were animals. You know, pigs are a lot like dogs. Anyway, I named them all and at one time we had at least 130 animals and they all had names.

With that many animals, how could you tell them apart?

It's just this relationship I have with animals, I don't know how to explain it. Truth is I don't know how I got this way. My mom and dad used to call me Elly May - like on The Beverly Hillbillies.

Once I found this cat - it was definitely a stray and it was wild as heck. Anyhow, I was 15 years old and obsessed with animals and I wanted to make this kitty into a nice person. So I'd be sitting in a crate with it for hours and hours just trying to get that kitty to like me.

What did you do between your years on the farm and the time you got to the Humane Society?

After I left Blanchard, I moved to Phoenix, had my four kids and raised them down there. I was a stay-at-home mom.

I did have two snakes then. Big old boas - I really liked them.

When did you start at the Humane Society?

I started in 1999, but got a bad ear infection when I first got here and I missed some work. Because of this, one of the prior shelter directors asked me if I was really interested in the job. He told me he didn't think I was that eager to work here and if I wanted to keep my job, I needed to work for two weeks for free to prove it to him.

So I did.

What is it about animals that draws you to them?

I love their pure honesty. Animals don't lie to you because everything about them is true. They have this ultimately unconditional, fabulous love to give you. It's like nothing else.

Do you get attached to the animals at the shelter?

Absolutely. I just pretend they're all ours and we're finding them homes. Like people, they can go crazy if they're not touched and held.

Even after they leave here, I keep in touch. A lot of times when we've adopted out a puppy and it grows up and gets old and sick, people will say they want me to be the one to euthanize it because of the relationship between the family and me.

How does the adoption process work?

We try to get the very best homes and we're very good at making matches because we really know our dogs.

Yeah, dogs sometimes do come back to us - like Gunner, who's a 5-year old beagle. He gets along with little dogs, but when a bigger dog shows up, they'll just beat him up. One time, he got adopted by a family and their toddler was trying to stuff crayons in his ears. This last time he got adopted out, a pig beat up on him. So we've got him back again and he's just the sweetest dog.

If the adoption doesn't work out, we'd rather have them come back here than have their owners do something crazy to them.

Do you ever say "no" to someone who wants to adopt?

Yes, we do. I might tell them we don't have a match for them right now - that they should check with us again later.

Have you ever adopted any of your own clients?

I adopted Noodle and he was a Bassett-Lab - he was big and black and beautiful. When he was an eight-week old puppy, he weighed 35 pounds. He won first place for best costume at the Bassett Blast in Spokane and he's been Bob Marley, Julius Caesar and Robin Hood. He was 11 when he went to heaven last June.

I also adopted Pepper, who's a hound-German Shepherd mix.

What about the cats?

I love cats. Cats are people, too.

We get a lot of cats and kittens - we've got about 120 now. The public brings in cats and Animal Control brings us dogs. We have a three-month waiting period for cats because we have limited space and a small building.

How did you feel when the shelter went to a No Kill policy in 2003?

Way relieved. Sometimes I wonder how many good dogs I put to sleep that shouldn't have gone to sleep. Before the no-kill, an animal could stay for seven days and then, if we didn't have room for them, they picked the ones that were here the longest for euthanasia.

We were always in a hurry to find homes - sometimes I felt like a salesman.

Since we went no-kill, we've probably saved thousands of animals.

In the old days, I'd sometimes euthanize seven animals a day and then seven more the next day. Sometimes afterward I even had to take a day off because I felt so sick about it.

Euthanasia is sad, but it's also OK because everything goes to heaven and everything needs an end time.

What about the animals that are dumped here?

Recently we got a duffel bag of kittens on our doorstep and that was while we were open. Over the summer, someone left an adult cat in a hot plastic cage outside here and sometimes we find animals tied to the fence.

One time someone tried to give us a black lab named Trigger because the owner claimed he was always chewing things. I told the man we didn't have room that day, but to call me the next Wednesday. But the guy couldn't wait and went and tied the dog up overnight on a short chain at the dog park and just left him. Animal Control found him - he was so scared - and brought him in to us. He was a very good boy and got adopted.

Got any advice for pet owners?

Spay and neuter your animals. In the past, we used to have litters and litters of puppies. Now we barely have any puppies here at all, because people are finally getting their pets spayed and neutered.

You have to have respect your animals. They're not like people - well, they're like people, but better than people because there aren't any mean ones.

To be mean, the dog would have to be taught how. They want to be sweet - they like touch and compassion and all those things.

What would you miss if you left the shelter?

Everything. Everything - the people and the dogs and the cats.

At the end of the day here, I feel so tired, but it's a good tired.

Information: kootenaihumanesociety.com or 772-4019