Conversations with Autumn Davis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Autumn Davis

Hi Autumn, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The world of animal rescue can seem pretty dismal – there are so many that need our help while they are abandoned, injured, starving or worse. I remember growing up on a remote dirt road where pets were often dumped – thus the need for animal advocacy was instilled in me very early on.

The COVID pandemic really set rescues back, having been closed to people as the overpopulation of felines sky-rocketed. Rescues today are often in a state of “no-intake” and resources are scarce. It was becoming so hard to relinquish a homeless pet to any place that could help that one day I got together with a few like-minded members of my local community and decided to found First Watch Rescue, a 501(c)(3) non-profit out of Farmington Hills, Michigan.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Forming a bonafide rescue with state and federal is one thing; delivering on the mission is another. I’ve looked at every challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow, and one thing that has served me well is learning not to say “No”, but to find a *different* way to say “Yes”. There is nothing worse than being turned away, so no one gets declined who contacts us with their need for help – if there is something beyond our scope of assistance, we will act as an agent to find the proper resources that person needs to help the animal in question.

Every day is different in rescue and it’s a lot of problem-solving. Maybe one day a kitten is trapped somewhere, or we’re transporting felines to a spay and neuter clinic for community members who wanted their feral cats fixed in order to stop the kitten cycle, or we’re building winter shelters to place outdoors – last week we had an elderly person in need of in-home euthanasia for a cat at its end-of-life, and we found a place to offer that service and saved them some finances by performing the burial for them. I don’t know what each day will bring until I answer that phone call or read that next message.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
People still recognize me as the loss prevention associate who worked the cameras at my local Best Buy! My career in retail taught me some marketing models and how to listen and understand a person’s needs. I was a sales manager for Ulta and Store Manager for CosmoProf for several years too – so between the leadership positions I’ve had, I think it prepared me to set up and run my own establishment with all of the necessary moving parts in a way that’s safe, secure and successful.

I believe in hiring for attitude and training for skill, which has allowed me to acquire people who wanted to make a difference and just needed a role to work in order to reach their goal. I’m also someone who does not model a lot of practices I’ve been exposed to because I think the best procedures are found when you think outside of the box. For example, why are so many shelters refusing to adopt black cats out during the month of Halloween? There is an old urban myth that black cats are purposely sought out and abused and I think it makes that shelter appear like they’re overly concerned for the sake of those cats – but in reality, you’re just preventing adoptions on the basis of something that isn’t real. Let black cats shine on Halloween and find them all good homes like you do on any other day!

What were you like growing up?
Never one to run around in a big group of friends, I preferred the quiet company of animals on any given day which I’d say hasn’t changed much. I was always drawing, singing or playing the piano in my spare time and I find it fitting, looking back, that for my very first concert recital as a child I performed ‘Ruffy and Tuffy’ – a song about animals!

I was an animal lover at the get-go, and I’m not afraid to say that back in the early 80’s there was still a lot to learn about animal welfare. Our cats were de-clawed in order to spare our furniture and we didn’t know back then that you were essentially de-knuckling the cat and doing it a great disservice. If we ever kept a small pet like a gerbil, it would live in one of those 10 gallon aquarium tanks (too small) with shredded pine bedding (which can cause respiratory problems) – nowadays we’re better educated on the proper space required for an animal and what mediums are healthy or harmful. You do have to be careful when shopping a big box store though – they still tend to sell you anything and don’t appear to all be up-to-speed on proper care. Do your research online!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.firstwatchrescue.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firstwatchrescue/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085240655171
• Twitter: https://x.com/1stWatchRescue