The head of the RSPCA in Canberra says she has been subjected to threats, harassment, and vexatious court action in the three years since she took up her post with the animal welfare group.
Similarly, she said frontline inspectors working for the ACT arm of the organisation were "abused daily" in their efforts to check in on at-risk animals.
ACT chief executive Tammy Ven Dange said while the RSPCA held enormous goodwill with most of the community, she had experienced harassment over everything from the fact that she was not a vegan, to her stance on charged issues such as greyhound racing.
"Most people are completely unaware of it," she said.
"Certainly when I signed up for this role I had no idea how dangerous it was.
"If you get enough threats ... then you know that your own safety's on the line.
"Inspectors get abused daily, I've gone out with them a couple of times, and verbal abuse is just such a common thing."
In the past, attacks against staff have ended up before the courts.
In 2015, Army veteran Shane Van Duren broke into the charity's headquarters and freed his therapy dog, which had been impounded as a stray.
When an inspector went to Van Duren's house, he choked her, later pleading guilty to strangulation, along with other charges.
As with any service that offers veterinary care, Ms Ven Dange said clients' emotions often ran high - another factor putting staff in peril.
"A couple of months ago we had a vet that was trying to help a person, but the dog she had needed to be put down, it was clearly suffering," she said.
"And she was so emotional, she went out and she threatened the veterinarian, she threatened to hurt her family, destroy her car.
"We don't know what that person might do at that moment."
Work 'not all puppies and kittens'
As head of the organisation's Canberra arm, Ms Ven Dange said the threats at her work extended to her personal life, and she cautiously protected personal details lest they fall into the wrong hands.
"I've been threatened with defamation cases personally, not just [the RSPCA] ... for things that they never went on with," she said.
"There's been at least one time where I thought I was definitely being trailed with a car.
"I've had to make personal changes to the way that I live and the way I do things."
She said this was often coupled with ignorance from the broader public about the trauma her staff dealt with on a daily basis.
That was illustrated by a visit from an employee assistance contractor, enlisted to provide counselling and support.
"She said 'I don't know why you guys need us because you're all puppies and kittens'," Ms Ven Dange said.
"I know after I spoke to staff ... they were really upset that this person would walk in, they're here to supposedly help us, and to treat this place as like a party.
"You're dealing with death all the time, you're seeing the worst of humanity on occasion, when people do nasty things to animals."
However, Ms Ven Dange said her staff remained committed to helping animals in need and would not be deterred by harassment.
"At the end of the day we're trying to do the best thing for the animals, and it's my decision how far I go with it," she said.
"And that's more important to me right now."
