Interview! Dr. Dena Mangiamele, Author/Lecturer “‘Safety first’ does not exclude cats at all.” When Dena Mangiamele started to practice veterinary medicine with the City of Los Angeles Department of Animal Control in the 1990s, animal sheltering procedures and best practices looked very different from how they do now. Dena helped to implement groundbreaking (at the time) programs like early spay-neuter, which greatly lowered the euthanasia numbers in the shelter, as well as the shelter’s annual intake. Dena continues to propagate these programs in shelters across the country through her consultation service, and also teaches animal safety and handling programs for shelter volunteers and animal control officers. She is passionate about instilling the belief in these shelters that high-volume low-cost spay-neuter is possible for them, even if the results aren’t immediately apparent. To learn amore about Dena, you can visit her at www.doctordena.com or pick her brain directly by emailing contact@doctordena.com.