Congratulations are in order for Captain Denise BonGiovanni, who was recently promoted after nine years of continuous service in the field as an Animal Control Officer.
I was not surprised when I heard this. We have all seen or run into Denise at San Francisco’s public shelter, Animal Care & Control (ACC), because she is always working. An extremely dedicated animal welfare officer, Denise has often worked overtime and spent her own money to help injured and abused animals rescued on her beat.
Denise’s path to helping animals is a story of fate – or maybe divine intervention. Before she worked at ACC, she was walking through S.F.’s Mission District one day and noticed a small field mouse caught in a glue trap next to a pile of trash on garbage pickup day.
The mouse was still alive and Denise took it home, called in sick to her job, and spent hours removing the mouse from the glue, which took specialized tools and a lot of patience. When the mouse was free and she saw that it was ok, she took it to Bernal Hill to release it in an open field. But instead of running off, it followed her.
“It was as if the mouse and I had formed a bond, or at least it knew somehow that I had helped it.” She tried to nudge it toward freedom and it followed her again. Finally, it got the hint and disappeared into the bushes.
Denise realized that her life’s purpose was to become involved with helping animals in some way. She had been earning her living in electronics repair, and after volunteering at the SFSPCA she got a job as an Animal Care Attendant there. Then she heard about ACC’s volunteer reserve officer program and enrolled; eventually she became a full-time ACO, working her way up from Sergeant to Acting Lieutenant and now to Captain. In this position, she will supervise and train field officers and serve as liaison for enforcing local and state animal welfare laws.
Some volunteers and staff members may remember Tiny Dancer, an ACC rescue. The small Staffordshire terrier is now Lupe, living with Denise. Soon Lupe will also be sharing Denise’s office once or twice a week.
San Francisco has its nasty share of abuse, neglect, and even animal ritual sacrifice, though the latter is rarely publicized. I asked Captain BonGiovanni what keeps her going when she sees so many tragic circumstances with animals. “My grounding rod has a lot to do with my personality. I try to stay calm and transfer that to the animals and people. What motivates me in general is trying to make positive change.”
She enthusiastically supports the expansion (by Friends of SFACC) of Humane Education at the shelter — “teaching kids to care about animals is so important.”
Like all of us, Denise hopes for increased funding for the department. “It’s amazing what ACC does with its limited budget. Think of all that the shelter could do if it was properly funded!”
Lisa Stanziano is a volunteer with San Francisco Animal Care & Control. Her story about Denise BonGiovanni originally appeared in the shelter’s newsletter and is reprinted here with permission.
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Main article photo by: Courtesy SFACC
