Animal Caretaker (Part Time)

City of Suffolk•Animal Control, VA

14h•Onsite

About The Position

Under general supervision, this position is responsible for the care and feeding of animals in the shelter. The role involves maintaining the animal shelter in a clean and safe condition, feeding, handling, and providing custodial care to animals. The employee must exercise independent judgment and initiative in ensuring proper care for animals, and also exercise tact and courtesy in frequent contact with the general public. The employee is subject to the usual hazards of animal caretaking work. This position reports to the Animal Shelter Manager. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions. Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties.

Requirements

Graduation from high school or GED with some experience in caring for animals; or any equivalent combination or training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities.
Requires a valid driver's license.
Knowledge of animal breeds, ability to determine sex and age.
Knowledge of the geography of the City.
Knowledge of safety practices concerning the handling of animals.
Ability to prepare and maintain records concerning daily activities.
Ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions.
Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
Ability to exercise tact, courtesy and firmness in frequent contact with animal owners and the general public.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments.
Ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural, or compositional characteristics (whether similar to or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.
Ability of speaking and/or signaling people to convey or exchange information. Includes receiving instructions, assignments and/or directions from superiors.
Ability to read a variety of records and forms.
Requires the ability to prepare reports, forms and correspondence using prescribed formats.
Requires the ability to speak to people with poise, voice control and confidence, including communication over a two-way radio.
Ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions.
Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in a variety of technical or professional languages.
Ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
Requires the ability to assess critical situations and establish methods to resolve such situations.
Ability to utilize mathematical formulas.
Must be able to add, subtract, multiply and divide.
Must be able to utilize decimals and percentages.
Ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape.

Responsibilities

Maintains the animal shelter, office, records, and caring for the animals as according to State Code.
Maintains records of animals and forms as according to State Code.
Coordinates intake process of stray, domestic and feral (wild) animals.
Adopting out, redeeming and rescuing out animals.
Performs Euthanasia and disposing animal bodies as according to State Code.
Processes Fielding Citizen Complaints concerning possible cruelty to animals and giving these to the Animal Control Officers or the Police Dispatchers.
Administers prescribed medications to animals as directed.
Contacts rescue groups and gathering the needed information for the rescue groups to be approved to pull animals.
Maintains social media outlets of adoptable, missing and stray animals.
Keeps abreast of State Laws regarding animals.
Performs other related duties as required.