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Name: Adam
Job Title: Account Manager
Pets: Bean, a Boston Terrier
What were you doing before Mad Paws?
I moved to Sydney from Newcastle about seven months ago to qualify as a zookeeper. This took me to Taronga Zoo to complete a Cert II in Animal Studies and Cert III in Captive Animal Management.
While I was studying, I supported myself by working in a pub in Redfern. I had a lot of experience in customer service, and I was looking to blend that experience with something animal-focussed. When I saw the job at Mad Paws, I thought: “perfect!”
What do you love most about working at Mad Paws?
“Vibe” is a very vague word, but I love the vibe in the office. In so many workplaces, every different section is removed from each other. There’s no intercommunication, and you feel like you’re being monitored the whole time. At Mad Paws, everyone is trusted to do their job, there’s constant communication between team members, and everyone is very friendly. It’s a great way to work.
Tell me about something special you have on your desk
I have a stainless steel Sea Shepherd water bottle. I’ve volunteered for Sea Shepherd for a few years, running market stalls for them. I’ve also been to check out the ships, and I’m thinking about crewing one at some point in the future.
The water bottle on my desk was the first piece of merchandise I ever bought from Sea Shepherd. Since becoming involved with them, I’ve pretty much bought every piece of merch they’ve ever released.
What do you spend your weekends doing?
I surf, I skate, and I genuinely love gardening. My girlfriend lives just around the corner from me, and I spend a lot of time with her. My current roommate is one of my oldest friends from Newcastle, so I also hang out with him a lot.
What do you have as the background image on your phone?
It’s a photo of Bawley Point, which is down south past Ulladulla. My friend’s family have a tiny little surf shack down there.
Our group of friends is scattered all over the place, but whenever we can organise a few days together, we head to Bawley Point, camp, surf, and live off the grid. It’s deep in national park and has no reception, so we can really disconnect. I keep the photo as my phone’s background image because Bawley Point is my happy place.
If you could pet sit any animal, what would it be?
That’s a tough question. Wolves are my favourite animal in the world; in fact, I have one tattooed on my arm for that sole reason. However, if I were think about an animal I’d want in my house, I’d have to choose a sloth. I saw sloths in the wild at a rescue centre in Costa Rica, and I fell in love with them.
I realise they’re very different animals, but it would be one of those two species.
Quickfire Round
Lions or tigers?
Tigers
Hiking in the mountains or surfing at the beach?
In the past I would have always said surfing, but I’ve recently developed a real love for hiking. Hiking it is.
Netflix or podcasts?
Netflix
Pizza or Mexican?
Hard question! I love them both, but because of my Italian heritage I grew up eating more pizza. I’ll choose pizza, but really, I’m splitting hairs.
Ninja Turtles or Power Rangers?
Ninja Turtles, definitely.
Dogs or cats?
Dogs. I love cats, but I’ll always choose dogs.
