Our Staff
Joe and Sunny
Joe Gauthier - Animal Control
Officer
Gauthier was a part of the police force in the 1960s when the animal control method was quarantine. "Every six months the city went under quarantine, and we would pick up the stray dogs. The city felt it wasn't enough," he said. The community decided to enact city ordinances allowing Gauthier and other city officers to more strictly control the flow of animals.
Joe is making improvements for the Cut Bank Animal Shelter and the way animals are handled. Gauthier along with his wife and son are working to model the shelter after the Great Falls Animal Shelter. They each take turns walking the dogs at the shelter and through their interaction they are able to determine the animal's personality. In addition, Gauthier is working on obedience training with the dogs. By taking the regular shelter activities a step further, it is easier for them to adopt their animals out.
Tina Gauthier -Special Services
Officer
Tina will then list it online. "The more people we reach, the better the success rate at the shelter," she said. "These are just little heroes waiting for a permanent, loving home. This facility is all about the unsung heroes," she said.
Tina answers phone calls and emails throughout the day and into the evenings at the after hours phone number. She has knowledge of all of the animals at the shelter and keeps logs and stats on each animal. Nothing gives her greater pleasure than adopting a pet into loving homes.
Joe Gauthier - Volunteer
ODE TO TINA AND JOE
Once upon a time, in a place not so far away,
Lived a lovely couple who brighten up each day.
A teacher is her trade and he is a cop,
They have a son named Joseph to call them mom and pop.
But their lives reach so much deeper, the world they work to change,
The animals all need their help from the alley to the range.
They’ve touched so many lives and softened hardened hearts,
One critter at a time, they’re helping ‘cuz they’re ever so smart.
They talk to people until at last they understand,
These critters need a home not thrown to the land.
They show the people how to train and make the dog be good,
So they can keep them in their home and love them like they should.
Sometimes the task can get you down and make you want to quit,
But they keep on fighting for the weak; they use up every wit.
The money is always tight and the animals get sick,
So they walk the dogs to get some cash the animals to fix.
Sometimes they get so weary, but still they come and work,
At clinics in the state, they never seem to shirk.
So much of them they always give and sometimes feel alone.
Joe’s many hours in his truck and Tina from their home.
They are great friends, nicer people you could never hope to meet,
There’s a place in my heart for them that is fuzzy and oh so sweet.
Christmas is upon us and a gift I want to give,
Something that will tell them it made a difference that they live.
My brain I vainly cudgeled, but no idea could I find,
I stayed up late thinking; I fear I’ll lose my mind.
An idea popped into my head, but then it fell apart,
Then another, didn’t work, I feel I’m loosing heart.
So I will have to send a check, that makes me feel so sad,
And tell you what to do, to make it work – egad!
I only write these verses and spiel a little prose,
For people that I truly love, it’s written just for those.
Lived a lovely couple who brighten up each day.
A teacher is her trade and he is a cop,
They have a son named Joseph to call them mom and pop.
But their lives reach so much deeper, the world they work to change,
The animals all need their help from the alley to the range.
They’ve touched so many lives and softened hardened hearts,
One critter at a time, they’re helping ‘cuz they’re ever so smart.
They talk to people until at last they understand,
These critters need a home not thrown to the land.
They show the people how to train and make the dog be good,
So they can keep them in their home and love them like they should.
Sometimes the task can get you down and make you want to quit,
But they keep on fighting for the weak; they use up every wit.
The money is always tight and the animals get sick,
So they walk the dogs to get some cash the animals to fix.
Sometimes they get so weary, but still they come and work,
At clinics in the state, they never seem to shirk.
So much of them they always give and sometimes feel alone.
Joe’s many hours in his truck and Tina from their home.
They are great friends, nicer people you could never hope to meet,
There’s a place in my heart for them that is fuzzy and oh so sweet.
Christmas is upon us and a gift I want to give,
Something that will tell them it made a difference that they live.
My brain I vainly cudgeled, but no idea could I find,
I stayed up late thinking; I fear I’ll lose my mind.
An idea popped into my head, but then it fell apart,
Then another, didn’t work, I feel I’m loosing heart.
So I will have to send a check, that makes me feel so sad,
And tell you what to do, to make it work – egad!
I only write these verses and spiel a little prose,
For people that I truly love, it’s written just for those.
Written by Penney Bergren 2007