Animal Care Attendant (Full-time, Permanent)

Guelph Humane Society; Guelph; On-site; CAD 25,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation & personal days

Employer-paid benefits: dental, health

Employee assistance program

Training and development

Team with impact

Job summary

Guelph Humane Society is seeking a dedicated Animal Care Attendant. Join a passionate team delivering daily care for dogs, cats and wildlife, ensuring welfare and humane handling in a supportive environment.

You will perform husbandry tasks, engage with adopters, and help maintain accurate animal records while upholding high standards of safety and care. A post-secondary background in a related field is preferred.

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 canine behaviour is preferred.
• Knowledge of feline behaviour and wildlife awareness is a plus.
• Ability to safely handle and restrain various animals.

Responsibilities

• Perform daily husbandry duties including sanitation, cleaning, laundry and disinfecting facilities and equipment.
• Maintain cleanliness and organization of animal care areas.
• Feed, water, exercise and interact with dogs, cats, small animals, and farm animals.
• Provide short-term care for injured or orphaned wildlife as needed.
• Assist with medications, preventative care and grooming as required.
• Monitor health, behaviour and well-being of animals and document observations.

Skills

Animal care

Customer service

Communication

Teamwork

Physical fitness

Education

Post-secondary education

Job description

Type Full-time, Permanent. This position is available due to a vacancy.

Are you looking for a career that is equal parts heart, hustle and helping animals? Are you passionate about animal welfare and your community? Do you thrive on being hands-on in a job where no two days are the same? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then the Guelph Humane Society (GHS) wants to meet you!

The Opportunity:

GHS is on the lookout for a full-time Animal Care Attendant to join their team. This role offers a hands-on opportunity to directly support all animals in need through daily care and supporting shelter operations that prioritize animal welfare and wellbeing. You will play a key role in delivering compassionate, high-quality care to the animals who rely on us, while working collaboratively with staff and the public in a supportive, care-focused environment.

As an Animal Care Attendant, youwill be responsible fora 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, youwillbe responsible forassistingwith the lost and found program, greeting clients, providing exceptional customer service, having excellentcommunication and organizational skills, anddemonstratinga positive attitude at all times.

What You'll Do:

• 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 as required
• 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

Our Ideal Candidate

• 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
• Experience andcomfort administering general medical care, including giving vaccines, microchipping, bandage changes, and suture removalis an asset
• Demonstrated ability tomaintaincareful animal records,observemedical 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 minimal supervision
• Physically fit with the ability to stand forlong periodsof time and comfortably lift and carry fifty (50) pounds; repetitive lifting
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, with superior organizational skills
• Ability tomaintainprofessional 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 welfare and humane society activities
• Must not have allergies limiting or affecting exposure to animals
• Protective rabiestitre(or be willing toacquirefor employment)
• Preference to candidates with a valid driver's license

Who We Are

Founded in 1893, the Guelph Humane Society is a registered charity that provides care and shelter for approximately 3,000 homeless, stray, injured and abused animals each year in Guelph and Wellington County.

The Guelph Humane Society’s (GHS) Strategic Plan, Charting Our Future Direction (2024 – 2027), sets out GHS’s commitment to creating a compassionate world where all animals are valued and respected and one that is deeply rooted in our values of compassion, leadership, integrity, transparency and collaboration. The opportunity to advance the welfare of animals through care, education, community engagement and relationships has never been greater.

Animal welfare is at the heart of our mandate, and therefore at the centre of everything we do. You must have a strong commitment to animal welfare and be keen to learn more about how this philosophy fits into our work.

What We Offer

• Full-time (approx. 40 hours/week) position. This role requires flexibility to work both weekdays and weekends
• Competitive paid time off, including vacation and personal days
• Employer paid group insurance benefits including dental, health, and vision care
• Employee and family assistance program
• Opportunities for training and development
• Being part of an amazing, passionate, mission-driven team making a difference for animals and the community!
• This position offers a salary range of $18.00-$20.00per hour,commensuratewith experience and qualifications.