Animal Care Attendant

POSITION: Animal Care Attendant - permanent full-time (40 hours/week)
LOCATION: 190 Hanlon Creek Blvd., Guelph, ON
HOURS OF WORK: 40 hours/week; generally 10 hour shifts; may include weekdays, evenings, Saturdays, Sundays, and statutory holidays

Are you looking for an opportunity to make a positive impact in our community? Guelph Humane Society (GHS)’s mission is to advance the welfare of animals through care, education, community engagement, and relationships.

GHS is committed to providing a high standard of care and welfare to all animals that come to us in need. We are seeking a full-time Animal Care Attendant to join our team and contribute to the delivery of exceptional animal care.

As an Animal Care Attendant, you will be responsible for a wide range of day-to-day tasks related to the general/medical care, humane handling, sanitation, and monitoring of dogs, cats, and small animals, as well as providing short-term care for injured or orphaned wildlife that are awaiting transport to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In addition, you will be responsible for assisting with the lost and found program, greeting clients, providing exceptional customer service, having excellent communication and organizational skills, and demonstrating a positive attitude at all times.

**KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES**:

- Complete daily husbandry duties including proper sanitation, general cleaning, laundry and disinfecting of facility and equipment
- Maintain the cleanliness of the animal care areas and ensure they remain organized and running efficiently
- Feed, water, exercise and generally interact with dogs, cats, small animals, and farm animals
- Provide short-term care for injured and orphaned native wildlife that are awaiting transport to a licensed wildlife rehabilitation centre, as required
- Assist with administering medication, preventative medical care and grooming as required
- Monitor the health, behavior and well-being of multiple animals at one time
- Complete the Daily Medical Evaluation (DME’s) for animals assigned and ensure they are appropriately recorded. Assist in identifying medical concerns efficiently and reporting any concerns
- Interact with all animals safely, respectfully and in a manner that minimizes stress and uses modern, commonly accepted practices
- Proactively interact and communicate with potential adopters and members of the public regarding animals in GHS’s care while ensuring that they receive professional, prompt and friendly service
- Together with other relevant staff, ensure all animals available for adoption have engaging adoption profiles
- Assist with adoption meetings when necessary
- Together with other relevant staff, assist with efforts to reunite lost pets with their owners, including checking incoming animals for identification, matching lost and found reports, posting lost pets, and using other available resources
- Treat other staff, volunteers and members of the public with courtesy and respect; promote an atmosphere of compassion, helpfulness, and positive attitude
- Assist the Animal Care Coordinators in providing appropriate training and ongoing guidance and support to volunteers when necessary
- Transport animals for spay/neuter and other appointments when required
- Work in compliance with the Occupational Health & Safety Act and its regulations
- Complete other duties as assigned
- Maintain a high level of communication with all other staff and volunteers

**KEY QUALIFICATIONS**:

- Post secondary education and or experience in a related field
- Experience in animal husbandry and care of companion animals
- Knowledge of dog breeds and their traits and canine behaviour
- Knowledge of feline coat colours and patterns and feline behaviour
- Knowledge of native species of wildlife and their biology and life stages
- Ability to safely and properly handle and restraint various animals under care
- Comfortable in handling and interacting with animals with severe aggression or behavioral challenges
- Experience with mentoring and leadership, as well as working closely with a team
- Must be comfortable administering general medical care, including giving vaccines, microchipping, bandage changes, and suture removal
- Demonstrated ability to maintain careful animal records, observe medical conditions and/or changes in general health and behaviour
- Demonstrated excellence in customer service, with the ability to handle high stress situations
- Self-starter and ability to work independently with mínimal supervision
- Physically fit with the ability to stand for long periods of time and comfortably lift and carry fifty (50) pounds; repetitive lifting
- Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, with superior organizational skills
- Ability to maintain professional composure and multitask in a high-paced, reactive environment
- Comfortable with wildlife and some general knowledge of local species, their biology and life stages General knowledge of animal welfar