Name: Dr. Steven Hansen, DVM

City: Scottsdale

Occupation: Arizona Humane Society President and CEO

Hometown: Muscatine, IA

Family: Married with two wonderful children, as well as three dogs and one cat that are always with us. Both kids also took one dog and one cat each with them when they moved out on their own. We often have theirs with us, as well!

Tell us about your role as president and CEO of the Arizona Humane Society, what does that look like on a day to day basis? No two days are alike at the Arizona Humane Society but at the base of everything we do, the focus to save the Valley’s most vulnerable pets is always at the forefront. Whether heading “Chat with the Chief” sessions with staff about upcoming projects and new lifesaving programs or calling a donor to personally thank them for their gift, my days always boil down to how we can continue to save even more sick, injured and abused pets in our community.

There is no greater feeling than seeing a pet who was down and out while undergoing treatment in our trauma hospital to walking out the door with their forever family. That is what it’s all about and I am beyond grateful to lead this incredible team each and every day as we work to save as many pets as we possibly can.

The Arizona Humane Society is in the midst of building a new campus in the Papago Park area. When will that open and what will it offer for Valley residents and pets? The new Arizona Humane Society Rob & Melani Walton Papago Park Campus is projected to open in winter of this year and we could not be more thrilled! This new facility will change the game for pets in Arizona by increasing our trauma care capacity by 25%—that’s thousands more sick, injured and homeless pets who will get a second chance at a happy life.

This campus will be a state-of-the-art medical facility to meet the needs of our rapidly growing community and allow us to offer comprehensive medical interventions in a world-class animal trauma hospital paired with behavioral care for pets at a level not seen in the United States. The new Papago Park Campus will be an unparalleled healing facility, AHS’ flagship campus in a network of locations and mobile units serving central Arizona.

The campus will also serve as a hub for adoptions, fostering, education camps and dog training classes to provide these services to even more of the Valley. To learn more about this incredible campus and how it will help our community, visit azhumane.org/new.

How did you get into your career? Have animals always been important to you? Starting as young child I had the typical dogs, hamsters, fish, birds, turtles, etc. I specifically thought about being a veterinarian starting in high school. Having graduated from Iowa State University and the University of Illinois, I have been practicing veterinary medicine and advocating for animals for more than half my life.

Prior to being named as president and CEO of AHS in 2013, I practiced clinical veterinary medicine in Houston and Chicago prior to my 15 years with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in New York, where I helped setup the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. Additionally, it is important to me to continue to give back and learn from the veterinary medicine field which is why I continue to serve on a number of veterinary medicine and animal welfare boards.

What are you most proud of at the Arizona Humane Society? I am most proud of what our team continues to accomplish. We have developed a culture of Innovation, Compassion and Excellence, which encourages our teams to test and pilot ideas. For example, our medical team came up with the concept of a Parvo ward. They determined how to test the concept and their success led us to where we are today with our incredibly successful Parvo Puppy ICU, which saves hundreds of adult dogs and puppies that have contracted this highly deadly, highly contagious disease each year. This is just one instance where AHS is able to give pets that are routinely euthanized in other shelters a second chance at a great life. Additionally, our team visits other shelters in search of new ideas and brings these ideas back to implement at our own facility. Staff are constantly looking for ways to increase our impact and save more even more lives, it is truly amazing to watch them in action.

Do you have pets at home? We currently have three mixed breed dogs: Sammi, an adorable Dachshund/Husky mix; Crosby the Chihuahua ; and Kevin who is a mix of Poodle/Chihuahua (all have been DNA tested). We also have one cat, Oliver.

What are the biggest challenges you see in your community? Just 10 years ago, Maricopa County used to be one of the worst places in the country to be a homeless pet – only second to Los Angeles. About half of the Valley’s homeless pets entering shelters were not making it out. Upon my arrival to the Arizona Humane Society, we recognized a radical shift needed to happen.

This led to the implementation of specialized ICUs and other lifesaving programs to help treat more pets, increasing collaboration between animal welfare organizations and implementing community programs to reduce needless euthanasia. Since 2013, our community has reduced euthanasia rates by about 83%, however the work is not done.

Our country is experiencing a crisis in animal welfare and AHS is not immune to this. More pets are coming into AHS than we’ve seen in about a decade due to many issues plaguing our community such as the housing crisis, economic instability, medical emergencies, lack of access to veterinary care and more. While AHS works to care for homeless pets, we also understand the need to help people keep their furry friends in their loving homes where they belong.

In addition to our lifesaving programs for sick, injured and abused pets, AHS is committed to keeping owned pets out of the shelter through education, increased access to low-cost veterinary care, assistance to provide pet friendly housing and more. Each year, our Pet Resource Center fields more than 100,000 calls for people who are in need of help with their pets.

Whether you are in need of temporary foster for your animals while navigating a crisis or resources to ensure your furry family members receive the care they need, AHS encourages you to visit azhumane.org to see how we can help keep your whole family together.

What do you do in your down time? I enjoy spending time with my family, running and biking. I love collector cars although I don’t currently have one.

What is your favorite book? Two favorites are classic leadership books which include “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” and “Outliers”, both by Malcom Gladwell. We actually incentivized both of our kids to read “Outliers” when they were in high school.

What advice would you give to people entering your field? I encourage young veterinarians and animal welfare professionals to follow their dreams. Don’t be afraid to work hard and never fear failure. I do believe success is part luck and a huge part effort. When opportunity presents itself, be prepared to respond.

What’s your favorite local restaurant and what would you recommend off the menu? My favorite local casual restaurant is Tavern Grille Scottsdale for the green chili chicken sandwich and my favorite date night is Soul Café in North Scottsdale for the fish tacos.