Going Above and Beyond for Animal Behavioral Research

For Sarah Zero, life is all about the animals — both at home and at work.

But this love for pets started well before moving to the Quad Cities and becoming an Associate Research Chemist for Kent Pet Group’s parent company, Kent Corporation.

“Before moving to the Quad Cities, I was fortunate enough to have an internship at a small zoo in Indiana,” said Zero, who has worked at Kent Corporation for the last eight years. “There, I learned a lot about animal behavior and enrichment through hands-on experience. After that, I started working at the Hinsdale Humane Society as an adoption counselor.”

It was there that Sarah said she performed temperament evaluations on both dogs and cats, an experience that she says ultimately enabled her to give valuable insight to prospective adopters about what homes would be best for specific pets.

“I had a wonderful mentor who had a vast background of animal knowledge that she shared with me,” she said.

Recently, Sarah was enlisted to collaborate in an animal behavior and training research project put on by Kent Pet Group. It was there Sarah says she was able to put her knowledge and experience with animals to good use.

“I hopefully was able to provide the insights they were looking for,” she said.

Outside of work, Sarah enjoys dancing and pretty much anything that involves her pets – which currently consist of a 17 year old Chinchilla named Lima, and four rescue dogs: Charlie (Treeing Walker Coonhound, age 10), Abby (Half Walker Coonhound, Half Beagle, age 7), Captain (American Staffordshire Terrier Mix, age 6) and Charmander (American Staffordshire Terrier Mix, age 5). She also volunteers to work with rescue dogs at Quad Cities Canine Assistance Network (QCCAN).

 “We train and certify therapy dogs that will go into the community to provide comfort, confidence, and affection. Currently, my two male dogs are certified therapy dogs. They each go on several visits a month,” said Sarah.

THANKS FOR CONTRIBUTING YOUR INSIGHT, SARAH.