The Behavioral Sciences Team (BST) plays an integral role in the ASPCA's commitment to champion good animal welfare and protect animals from cruelty. The BST supports behavior programs across the ASPCA to safeguard the behavioral health of our animals. The BST’s work focuses on promoting a holistic approach to the care of ASPCA animals that balances physical and mental wellbeing, ensuring organization-wide alignment of shelter behavior best practices, foundational tools, and behavioral data management. They advance science-based processes and protocols in shelter behavior, including enrichment, socialization, and behavior modification, to improve the quality of life of sheltered animals, reduce euthanasia of animals with treatable behavior problems, and expedite pathway planning decisions for animals unsuitable for rehabilitation. Through strategic applied research in shelter animal behavior, they prepare themselves and the field to care for a growing number of at-risk animals. They are also establishing psychological harm as legally cognizable animal cruelty so that animals suffering emotional trauma receive the same protections under the law as animals suffering physical harm. The team supports ASPCA’s cruelty and disaster operations through forensic behavior documentation, consultation, research, and subject matter expert testimony. They work closely with Legal Advocacy & Cruelty Response, National Field & Disaster Response, Forensic Science and the Cruelty Recovery Center (CRC) by deploying for animal removals, providing low stress handling, conducting forensic behavior evaluations, and supporting shelter behavior programs at temporary field shelters.
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Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Education Level
High school or GED
Number of Employees
101-250 employees