Lynne Ouchida
Lynne Ouchida is the community outreach coordinator for the Humane Society of Central Oregon in Bend, Oregon. Her job title covers public relations, humane education, and volunteer coordinating.
Graduating college with an interest in underdeveloped countries, the farthest occupation from her mind was animal welfare. Lynne became a partner in a startup business manufacturing and marketing a product to U.S. and Canadian consumers. It involved obtaining endorsements from major league baseball players and trainers, and creating press kits, releases, and advertisements for this market. After an intense few years, Lynne realized the business world was not her career of choice. Then Aussi, an Australian shepherd, entered her life.
Unlike most people in animal welfare, Lynne had only one family dog growing up. Fascinated by the human/animal bond and the intelligence of dogs, she sought out knowledge from anyone willing to give it. During the search, she met a Humane Society of Central Oregon (HSCO) board member who got her on the fundraising committee. From there it grew into a 12-year involvement with the organization as a volunteer and employee.
Job titles at HSCO were primarily volunteer and events coordinator, media relations director, humane educator, and community outreach coordinator. Lynne's dogs Aussi and Sydney have passed their job of educating the community on to Maty, a great canine ambassador with three legs.
The city of Bend has grown from 20,000 in 1990 to 65,000 today. Keeping pace with a rapidly growing community is one of the challenges. Animal welfare is a 24/7 job, as Lynne shares her life with the animal welfare director of the same humane society and lives with Maty and a feline named Kona.
