By Heidi Dahms Foster
Prescott Valley’s newest animal services assistant has always loved critters. But anyone who meets this well-spoken, diminutive 19 year old would never guess her favorite task on the job.
“Catching the snakes! That is my favorite part right there!” said Alayna Caswell, who said she gained experience with snakes keeping them as pets, and working at a local pet store. Her snake encounters in Prescott Valley generally are rattlesnakes and bullsnakes in areas such as the StoneRidge and Jasper developments, and relocating them to areas safer for the snakes and for people.
A Prescott Valley Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center high school graduate, Caswell also earned her Associate of Science degree through the school’s partnership with Yavapai College. She finished the degree shortly after graduation. AAEC was a good fit for this animal lover. She’s an accomplished equestrienne, competing in cutting horse events with her horse Cash, who she says is “too smart for his own good!” and an Australian Shepherd named Shadee.
Animals are a family heritage for Caswell. Her grandmother, Linda Searles, who introduced her to the competitive cutting sport, founded Southwest Wildlife Conservation center in Phoenix. Her grandfather Bill is a team roper, and her folks are active in rescue.
Caswell admits, like many young people, she thought a lot about leaving Prescott Valley for other opportunities. “Sometimes, with a small town, you love it, and sometimes, everybody knows everybody, and you want to go get your own freedom and go do something different. But I just love the area, and it’s really nice to know so many people.”
For some time, she wasn’t sure what career path she wanted to take, but Caswell’s love of animals was drawing her toward veterinary school. She is now working toward a degree in wildlife biology, and then plans to enter vet school.
“I’ve had becoming a veterinarian in the back of my mind since forever. There’s been a couple things where I’ve kind of changed my mind, but (a career as a veterinarian) is what really what stuck,” she said.
While working, Caswell can do most of her wildlife biology and pre-vet studies online through Colorado State University. She knows it will be a long road, but she’s committed to seeing it through.
“It’ll take two to two-and-a-half years to complete my wildlife biology degree, and then I can start my veterinary studies with them. At some point, I would most likely go in person there, but that’s another four years out before I have to do that,” she said.
With her father and stepmother both police officers, Caswell is no stranger to law enforcement. But she admits she never thought about having anything resembling a police career.
“I never really thought about animal control too much. My mom had pointed it out to me and said, just go do a couple ride alongs and see what you think!” She rode a couple shifts with Animal Services Supervisor Tim Yogerst, and found she was interested.
Caswell knew the hiring process was challenging, so she wasn’t sure she’d qualify. She was required to pass a similar oral board interview to the one prospective police officers undergo.
“It was the same,” said her supervisor Yogerst, “because we do PD and Town business. So we had a couple people from the town and a couple people from the PD on the interview. And then I invited the animal control supervisor from Prescott.”
“Oh, that was stressful!” Caswell said, adding that she felt part of her success was because she came well prepared. “The questions truly were not that difficult. I did my research on what our job is and what’s expected. I think that kind of got my foot in the door a little bit. I didn’t know what they were going to ask me, so I just did research on everything, because I really don’t like not having an answer to a question.”
Caswell is also a bit obsessive about being on time, so she made sure she left plenty early for her interview. A good thing, because on the way, she spotted a loose dog running in traffic. “I’m just driving down viewpoint one way, and I just see a dog running on the road. I jumped out and called him, and he ran right up to me, so I popped him in the truck!”
She arrived at the police station, handed the dog off to another animal services specialist, and headed to her interview. She was successful, and joined Yogerst along with two other animal services colleagues – Sarah Lemons, and Liam Edwards, in December 2024.
Aside from the snakes, Caswell said she loves seeing lost dogs returned to their owners.
“My favorite thing is reuniting them with their owners and just seeing how excited they are. I love that. It doesn’t matter how they were here at the department with us. Sometimes they’re good. Sometimes they’re like, I don’t want to look at anybody else. It’s just really nice to see them go home to someone who loves them.”
One of the biggest challenges, and joys, for animal services specialists, Caswell said, is people. “I think they are the best part of the job and also the hardest part of the job. Some people do not like animal control, and some people love animal control. We have to keep a balance. We’re not here to take people’s dogs, and we’re not here just to harp on everybody. We’re here to help people and animals, to educate people and just keep the town safe. Sometimes it’s really hard to escape stereotypes or people who don’t particularly understand what our job is.”
She has gained more understanding for people and their situations.
“Working with so many different people, every single day is different for us. I really love that. This job has taught me patience, to have a lot more understanding for other people, their dogs and the situations that happen. Some of them can really break your heart, and just trying to find the best thing to do in really hard situations, it teaches you a lot. That sticks with you forever and it will help me throughout the rest of my life,” she said.
Caswell has come to understand how important it is for people to license their dogs, and she has become an advocate for education and technology to make it easier for Prescott Valley pet owners. She has assisted with the Town’s new licensing agency, DocuPet, a user-friendly online licensing option.
She also urges pet owners to adhere to the Town’s leash laws and vaccinate their animals, especially for Rabies. “This job really helped me understand the importance of having a leash on your dog, having your dog licensed, and making sure your dog is up to date on those shots. Because all of that makes everybody’s lives easier,” she said.
Caswell said she loves working with Prescott Valley’s Animal Services team, and she is focused on adding her part to the hard work they put in.
“I love the program that we have. Every single day, we’re improving – getting dogs back home, keeping everybody safe, getting our Rabies education and vaccinations done so we don’t ever have a breakout here. I know we’ve had a couple in Arizona throughout the year, and thankfully, none of that has been in Prescott Valley. I really think that’s due to the amount of work that we’ve put into enforcing all of that. Enforcing those laws keeps everybody safe and holds people accountable for the things that go on with their dogs and the situations that occur in our job,” she said.
She is sure to add to her cache of experiences and knowledge throughout her time at Prescott Valley, until she moves on to veterinary school.
“I love learning, especially when it comes to something that I’m super passionate about!” said the future Dr. Alayna Caswell, DVM.
