Animal Care and Enrichment Specialist

Kentucky Humane Society•Louisville, KY

About The Position

The Animal Care and Enrichment Specialist provides daily care, cleanliness, comfort, and enrichment to KHS animals while helping maintain a safe, healthy, and welcoming shelter environment. The role includes caring for animals, monitoring their health and behavior, maintaining accurate records, supporting volunteers and shelter operations, and transporting animals and supplies as assigned. The position works with animals in an indoor/outdoor kennel or shelter setting and may involve varying weather conditions, allergens, zoonotic diseases, chemicals, loud noise, and emotionally challenging circumstances. New employees complete New Employee Orientation and Shelter Services Training.

Requirements

General dog and cat knowledge is preferred.
Ability to work independently with little direct supervision.
Strong interpersonal skills when communicating in person and by phone with clients, staff, and volunteers.
Attention to detail and ability to process paperwork accurately and efficiently.
Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
Humane attitude toward animals.
Ability to manage the emotional aspects of end-of-life services and humane euthanasia, and to support staff in emotionally difficult circumstances.
Ability to accept, support, and represent KHS core values, programs, policies, and procedures.
Basic computer knowledge.
Support the use of approved AI tools when they can improve efficiency and reduce time spent on routine or administrative tasks while meeting quality, accuracy, confidentiality, and professional standards.
Ability to lift or otherwise move large animals weighing up to 50 pounds; full range of motion, including stooping, bending, and reaching.
Valid driver’s license, clean driving record, and willingness to drive KHS vehicles.
Background check required.
Ability to frequently bend, reach, kneel, walk, and stand while performing job functions.
Ability to frequently lift, carry, or otherwise move and position objects weighing up to and exceeding 50 pounds.

Nice To Haves

General dog and cat knowledge.

Responsibilities

Provide daily care, cleaning, sanitation, housing, bedding, food, and water for animals in care, following disease-control protocols.
Provide animals with daily enrichment and mental stimulation, including toys, food enrichment, walks for adult dogs, social interaction, and appropriate interaction with their own species.
Provide basic grooming services to shelter animals as needed.
Maintain clean, uncluttered animal and common areas; perform spot cleaning and tasks such as sweeping, taking out trash, washing windows, doing laundry, and washing dishes.
Follow and maintain knowledge of organization, cleaning, sanitation, safety, and disease-prevention practices, including proper use of personal protective equipment.
Unpack, sort, and organize donations; help monitor shelter-supply inventory and communicate supply needs to the appropriate manager.
Patrol shelter grounds daily and pick up trash and fecal material.
Monitor animal health and behavior, identify potential issues, report them to veterinary staff, supervisors, the Behavior team, or the Cat Coordinator as appropriate, and record observations in Petpoint.
Use knowledge of animal behavior and body language to handle dogs and cats of all sizes and temperaments safely.
Provide professional and compassionate customer service to visitors, callers, volunteers, donors, and staff.
Assist as needed with foster, setup, behavior, and other critical shelter operations.
Use shelter and employee communication systems to maintain accurate animal inventory, write behavior and other memos, and stay current on staff communications.
Work with and supervise volunteers to support a safe, clean, organized, and pleasant experience for animals and people.
Communicate unusual activities, significant problems, and concerns to the supervisor on duty.
Transport animals, supplies, donations, and mail to and from KHS locations and deliver them promptly; provide backup transport support as needed, including trips to special events and offsite veterinary clinics.
Clean, sanitize, and disinfect transport crates and vehicles after use, and maintain a clean, odor-free vehicle.
Perform other duties as assigned.