ACA - Canine Team

Greater Palm Springs Animal Allies•Palm Springs, CA

About The Position

The Animal Care Attendant provides daily care and husbandry for shelter animals, including feeding and watering, cleaning cages and kennels, maintaining animals’ hygiene, and providing exercise, socialization, and enrichment. The role helps ensure animals have clean, humane, safe, and comfortable living conditions and follows the Palm Springs Animal Shelter’s standards, policies, procedures, and safety practices. The attendant maintains assigned shelter areas, supplies, equipment, and animal-care records; observes animals and promptly reports concerns about their health or wellbeing; and receives, kennels, and moves animals as needed. The role also involves communicating with volunteers and coworkers, assisting prospective adopters and medical staff when requested, and supporting shelter operations and outreach activities as assigned.

Requirements

Must be at least 18 years of age.
High school graduate or GED.
At least one year of prior animal-handling experience, which may include work at an animal hospital, animal shelter, animal rescue, or pet specialty retailer such as Petco, caring for animals in an animal facility.
Basic knowledge of animal care and dog-handling skills.
Comfortable working with animals of all types and sizes.
Basic computer skills and willingness and ability to learn new computer programs.
Willing and able to work varying shifts, weekends, and holidays.
Able to perform repetitive bending, kneeling, stooping, and similar movements.
Able to lift 40 pounds to waist height and physically restrain dogs weighing up to and including 100 pounds.
Able to work with exposure to the elements and constant noise.

Responsibilities

Provide food and water and clean cages and kennels for shelter animals.
Provide exercise, socialization, and enrichment as time permits and as requested by the lead Animal Care Attendant or management.
Clean, sanitize, and maintain assigned shelter areas to management’s standards.
Complete secondary cleaning and upkeep tasks, including dishes, laundry, sweeping, mopping, dusting, sanitizing furniture and equipment, and disposing of animal waste.
Keep kennel areas clean and orderly and restock supplies and equipment as needed.
Inspect donations to determine whether items should be kept or moved along, and put away animal-care donations when requested.
Greet volunteers professionally, answer questions, direct them to appropriate staff, and follow up in a timely manner.
Assist prospective adopters with animal visitations when requested.
Keep required records and documentation accurate and up to date, including animal records in PetPoint and current shelter locations.
Demonstrate a positive and respectful attitude toward staff, volunteers, and the public, and treat animals humanely and with care.
Handle and restrain animals humanely and safely to protect animals, staff, volunteers, and the public.
Carry and safeguard a shelter-issued communication radio and remain available to leads and coworkers during scheduled shifts.
Follow standard operating procedures and protocols for animal care, kennel maintenance, sanitation, parasite and disease control, and other animal-care practices.
Observe animals throughout the shelter and promptly notify appropriate staff of signs of stress, injury, or illness.
Receive and kennel new animals promptly and properly.
Move animals between housing areas or for medical checks, play groups, or transport preparation as directed.
Assist medical staff or adoption counselors with animal handling during exams, vaccinations, treatments, or introductions to potential adopters when requested.
Report maintenance issues to appropriate staff.
Maintain security by keeping animal housing areas and kennels locked and locking exterior doors and gates when the shelter is closed.
Take dogs outside when volunteers are unavailable or when dogs are designated for staff-only handling, as requested.
Transport animals locally in a shelter vehicle when requested.
Assist with training new staff or volunteers when requested.
Participate in adoption and community outreach events when requested.
Follow established safe work practices and attend safety-related training.
Perform other tasks and responsibilities as assigned.