As director of adoptions for the Humane Society Animal Shelter in Washington, D.C., Kimberly Harman regularly encounters animals who have endured appalling treatment. “I’ve seen animals that have been set on fire and brought into the shelter,” she says. “I’ve seen dogs that are so thin they can’t eat. There’s a lot of cruelty out there.”

Despite the horror she sees, Harman manages to find hope in her work -- especially when she finds a loving home for a luckless animal. Are you interested in becoming a shelter worker? Follow the joys and sorrows Harman experiences during her typical workday.

10 a.m.: “I’m hoping we finally found a home for Mr. Big,” Harman confides. Seven weeks earlier, a D.C. policeman discovered the young Saint Bernard mix tied to a tree, and took him in to the shelter. Since then, no one has applied to adopt him. But today, a young couple with two mixed-breed dogs, Dazie and Cujo, have come to meet Mr. Big. If the three dogs get along, Mr. Big will be one step closer to a new home.

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