Matsusaka puts all at ease in quarantine
POSTED: Monday, September 29, 2008
| This story has been corrected. See below. |
Bruce Matsusaka says his job is like being a babysitter, except his charges aren't little kids - they're dogs and cats, doing time and needing his care at the state Animal Quarantine Station in Halawa Valley.
| Who: Bruce Matsusaka
Title: Animal caretaker II
Job: Takes care of animals confined at the state Animal Quarantine Station
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Except for about a year, Matsusaka has been working at the quarantine station since 1980, first as a summer hire while still in high school, then as a part timer. In 1986 he worked a few other jobs, including selling Kirby vacuum cleaners, before rejoining the station as a full timer in 1987.
Matsusaka said his experience of taking care of animals at his grandparents' farm in Waimalu Valley when he was a kid helped prepare him for the animal-caretaker job, and besides that, he said, he loves animals.
At the quarantine station, Matsusaka takes care of about 40 to 50 dogs at any one time, making sure they are fed, that they are healthy, and their quarters are kept clean.
He also makes a point to get to know the owners, who in many cases, he said, treat their pets as if they were their children. He tries to put everybody at ease - the pets and their owners - about the quarantine experience, which is mandated for varying periods of time for most animals coming into the state from the mainland and elsewhere.
Matsusaka, 44, is a graduate of St. Louis School. He has been married twice but currently is single. His first wife was a local girl; his second was from Georgia, whom he met while working at the quarantine station. With her he has an adopted daughter, Andersen, who will be turning 6 in November.
Matsusaka lives in Aiea.
Mark Coleman: What is your work title?
Bruce Matsusaka: Animal caretaker II (at the state Animal Quarantine Station).
Q: What are your work responsibilities?
A: Basically, to take care of the pets that come in from the mainland, from other countries.
Q: What kind of care?
A: Well, we feed 'em. Some of them might have special diets that they need. We clean them. Pick up their mess in their kennels. We hose out their kennels. We also give medications - pills, ointments, stuff of that nature. The only thing we don't do is give the shots. The vet here gives the shots.
Basically, for me personally, it's more than a caretaker position. It's more like babysitting, somewhat.
Q: Babysitting
A: Yeah, only because nobody wants to be here in the first place ...
...Q: You mean the dogs?
A: Well, the dogs and the owners. Basically, when they get here, they're scared, they don't know what's going on. My feeling is, it's like a parent leaving their child with somebody they don't even know. So, basically, what I do is, when the pet arrives in my area, I'll try and meet with the owner as soon as possible, and that way kind of put their mind at ease, so they know who is taking care of their pet - their child, basically.
Q: That's an interesting way to look at it.
A: No, really. Some couples don't have children, and their pet is like their child. But I think once they know who's taking care of their pet, it makes them feel a little more at ease, and it reflects on their pet, and it makes my job a little bit easier.
Q: How long have you been doing this?
A: Too long. (Laughter) Actually, I stared as a student hire back in 1980, and I became permanent in 1990. Been here ever since.
Q: What made you want to go into this field?
A: I just like working with animals. My grandmother got me the application for this job. They had a farm, which I would go to as much as I could, taking care of dogs, horses, pigs. So when I started working here, to me it wasn't really like work, because I just enjoyed what I do, and getting paid for the summer as a student hire was just a bonus.
Q: Where did your grandparents have a farm?
A: They had a farm in Waimalu Valley.
Q: What were you doing before you joined the quarantine station?
A: The quarantine was actually my first job, as a student hire. Then I quit for a while and did a few small jobs that didn't last very long. I worked for Honolulu Kirby for a year. Then I went back to the state. I just enjoy working with animals.
But you know, a lot of people don't know that the quarantine station even exists anymore, because they (the Department of Agriculture) changed the rules a few years ago. But we are still here.
Q: What did they change in the law?
A: They changed the time periods, whereas way back when all the animals had to do four months, but now it's broken down to a partial quarantine: one month quarantine, five days or less, or direct release from the airport - provided they have all their qualifications.
Q: So no more than a month?
A: Oh no. Some are up to four months. Puppies and kittens: automatically four months.
Q: Have you ever seen an animal come down with the rabies while it was in quarantine?
A: No, I haven't. There was one case where they had a dog that they thought had rabies, so they separated it from the rest of the animals, but it came up negative.
Q: What about other diseases?
A: Well, when the animal comes in, they're supposed to have all their vaccines, but there are some that come in with parvovirus.
Q: What's that?
A: It's usually puppies that get it. Also giardiasis.
Q: That's another disease?
A: Yeah. That's like they get dehydrated, bloody stool, diarrhea ...
...Q: Is it just cats and dogs that you work with?
A: Yeah, basically cats and dogs. We do have cattle and swine that come in, but that's another division.
Q: How many animals do you take care of?
A: I don't know the exact amount, but I would say between 40 and 50. Total animals in the quarantine right now are about 300.
Q: Do you work with a lot of other people?
A: Yeah, there are several other co-workers, and they all do an excellent job of taking care of the incoming animals. We're not perfect, but we try to do our jobs the best we can.
Q: You guys aren't perfect?
A: (Laughter) No. We're not perfect, but we try to give the animals the best care possible.
Q: Do you prefer working with cats or dogs?
A: I basically work with the dogs only. I've worked with the cats before, but I prefer working with the dogs.
Q: What kinds of dogs are the easiest to work with?
A: The easiest? (Laughter) I wouldn't say there's an easier dog to work with. I would think if they're well socialized, they're great.
I would say that 99 percent of the dogs are OK. They might come in shy and scared, but after a few days, they come around. Once they get to know you, it makes it easier.
I also put up name tags so I can call them by their names, because once they hear their names, their ears kind of perk up.
Q: What is your work schedule generally?
A: I'm off Saturdays and Mondays; 7 to 4 on Sunday, and Tuesday to Friday it's 8 to 5.
Q: Is there a particular part of the job that you enjoy the most?
A: I enjoy just getting to know the owners. They come from all over the world. All over the United States. In fact, I actually met my ex-wife here. She was from Georgia.
You know, a lot of the owners get here with a bad impression. They think it's probably dirty and cramped here, but I show them around and put them at ease. And especially if they're new to the islands, I tell them don't worry about your kid - your pet - let me worry about your pet. I tell them now is a good time to take a trip to the neighbor islands or whatever, because you don't have to take care of your pet.
Q: What do you like least about your job?
A: Well, probably that it's a seven-day workweek. Basically, you can't have the same days off as your friends do, and that kind of makes it hard. You miss family functions and holidays.
It depends what days you have, but like this year, for example, Christmas is going to fall on a Thursday, and I would have to work on a Thursday. But, you know, the animals gotta eat, so somebody's gotta be here.
Q: Do you get all wet and soapy every day, from washing the pets?
A: Well, actually, I enjoy working outside, being in the fresh air, especially working with animals.
Q: Do you ever take the dogs out for walks and stuff like that?
A: Not on a regular basis.
Q: Why not?
A: It's just because, if we take one out, we're going to have to take all of 'em out, and that would be, like, 40 dogs a day.
Of course, a lot of the owners would love that, but there's just no way. And we can't let the owners take 'em out because we'd just have chaos.
Q: What kind of exercise do they get then?
A: Basically, just walking around. It's a quarantine, after all, so they have to stay in the kennel.
Q: Do you bond with the animals while they're there?
A: Oh yeah. I mean, you know, I try not to, because, you know, they gotta leave. But it's nice for the time being.
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