Animal Caretaker I - Part time

City of Lincoln; Columbia (TN); On-site; USD 15,000 - 22,000; Part time

Job summary

Maury County Government is seeking an Animal Caretaker I for the Maury County Animal Shelter in Columbia, TN. This part-time role involves assisting with care, intake, adoptions and public education on animal welfare.

The position requires a high school diploma and substantial experience with animals, along with knowledge of shelter policies and state regulations. Applicants must handle physically demanding tasks and work with volunteers in varying weather conditions.

Qualifications

• Graduation from an accredited high school.
• Considerable experience working with animals.
• Considerable knowledge of animal shelter operating policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of common illnesses in animals and transmission to other animals.
• Good organizational, interpersonal, and decision-making skills.
• Knowledge of animal care, nutrition, and housing needs.
• Ability to supervise volunteers and interact with the public.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and direct daily activities of volunteers at the animal shelter.
• Assist with intake, surrender forms, bite reports and other administrative duties.
• Ensure cleanliness and maintenance of the shelter and coordinate maintenance services as needed.
• Provide humane handling and daily care for animals including nutrition and housing.
• Assist the public with admissions and adoptions and promote responsible pet ownership.
• Observe animals for illness and report symptoms to appropriate personnel.

Skills

Animal care

Interpersonal skills

Decision making

Organizational skills

Public interaction

Education

High school diploma

Job description

• Location ONE COURTHOUSE SQUARE, SUITE 303,Columbia, TN, 38401-3300,United States
• Base Pay $13.46 / Hour
• Job Category Animal Services
• Employee Type Non-Exempt

Contact information

• Phone [phone]
• Email [e-mail]

Nature of Work

This is responsible animal control work assisting with all aspects of the caring and placement of animals taken to the Maury County Animal Shelter. Activities associated with the job include assisting with the intake of stray or abandoned animals, providing care for them until they are reunited with their owner, adopted or euthanized, ensuring that the shelter is maintained in an organized and sanitary condition and providing the animals with daily nutritional and grooming needs. Additional responsibilities include educating the public about rabies control and regulations governing animals, assisting the public with admitting and/or adopting animals, observing and evaluating the health and condition of animals and assisting in euthanasia activities when necessary. Job responsibilities require good interpersonal, organizational and decision making skills, experience in animal control activities and working with animals, knowledge of all state regulations and local ordinances governing the care and treatment of animals, ability to consistently adhere to established operational policies and procedures and sufficient strength and agility to perform the physically demanding aspects of the job in a variety of weather conditions. Job performance is evaluated by the Animal Shelter Director through review of the effectiveness of animal handling and control activities, ability to effectively supervise and direct the activities of volunteers, knowledge of state regulations and local ordinances governing animal control activities, level of support provided for shelter operations, and organizational, interpersonal and decision making skills.

Illustrative Examples of Work

• Consistently adheres to established operational policies and procedures to ensure the efficient and effective operation of the Animal Shelter.
• Assists with supervising and directing the daily activities of all volunteers when necessary.
• Assists with performing required administrative duties such as logging calls, preparing surrender forms, bite reports, etc.
• Assists with ensuring the cleanliness and proper maintenance of the animal shelter and recommending the procurement of maintenance services when necessary.
• Ensures the humane handling and care of all animals taken in by the animal shelter and ensures that each animal’s nutritional and housing needs are met on a daily basis.
• Assists the public with the admission and adoption of animals and promotes responsible pet ownership at all times.
• Observes and evaluates animals for signs of illness and reports symptoms to the appropriate personnel.
• Administers medications and assists with restraining animals during euthanasia under the supervision of the Kennel Technician.
• Assists the public with completing application forms and makes assessments of their ability to adequately care for adopted pets.
• Interacts with pet owners and the public when dealing with stray or abandoned animals and animals that have been hurt or have bitten someone.
• Assists with educates the public on the law and ordinances pertaining to animal ownership and control.
• Assists with compiling statistics, maintaining records and preparing reports of shelter activities, animal dispositions and animal control activities.
• Assists with the intake of animals and the day to day showing and adoption of animals.
• Assists in ascertaining the health and disposition of animals brought to the animal shelter.
• Assists with ensuring a proper inventory of all supplies and equipment required for animal control and shelter operations; re-stocks and runs errands when necessary.
• Performs related duties as required.

Requirements

Necessary Requirements of Work

Graduation from an accredited high school; considerable experience working with animals; considerable knowledge of the animal shelter operating policies and procedures, knowledge of common illnesses associated with animals including symptoms and transmission to other animals; good organizational, interpersonal, organizational and decision making skills; considerable knowledge of the nutritional and emotional needs of animals; sufficient strength and agility to perform the physically demanding aspects of the job or any equivalent combination of education and/or experience to provide the following knowledge, skills and abilities:

• Considerable knowledge of state statutes and regulations regarding the care and treatment of animals and animal control activities.
• Considerable knowledge of the statutes, ordinances, and regulations pertaining to animal control, adoption and disposal for Maury County.
• Considerable knowledge of animal handling and apprehension techniques, animal behavior and animal health.
• Considerable knowledge of effective hygiene practices and required maintenance activities for the efficient operation of an animal control shelter.
• Knowledge of administrative practices and procedures pertaining to the preparation and storage of reports and documentation for animal control operations.
• Knowledge of common diseases occurring in domestic animals and the medication(s) and/or treatment procedures to cure and/or alleviate symptoms and prevent the transmission to other animals.
• Knowledge of animal medications and drugs used for tranquilization and euthanasia.
• Ability to consistently adhere to established operational policies and procedures required to ensure the efficient operation of the Animal Shelter.
• Ability to perform the physically demanding aspects of the position in a variety of weather conditions.
• Ability to effectively supervise and direct the activities of volunteers assisting at the animal shelter.
• Ability to interact in a professional, effective manner with pet owners and the public.
• Ability to accurately determine the health and disposition of animals.
• Ability to make proper decisions pertaining to the apprehension and control of animals.
• Ability to prepare reports and maintain documentation in accordance with existing policies and procedures.
• Skill in the operation of a motor vehicle.

Necessary Special Requirements

• Possession of a valid Tennessee Driver’s License and the ability to be insured at standard vehicle insurance rates.
• Current Tetanus vaccination on record.

Physical Requirements

• This is moderate work requiring considerable static, explosive, dynamic and trunk strength and requiring the exertion of up to 60 pounds of force occasionally and up to 10 pounds of force frequently to move objects
• Work requires considerable flexibility, mobility and speed of limb movement
• Work requires considerable effort and stamina
• Work requires both gross body equilibrium and coordination for balancing, bending, stooping, kneeling and walking
• Work requires arm/ hand steadiness and manual and finger dexterity
• Vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word
• Hearing is required to perceive information in both quiet and noisy environments and determine the direction of sounds
• Visual acuity is required for the inspection of small defects and/or small parts, use of measuring devices, operation of office equipment, determining the accuracy and thoroughness of work, color differentiation, and observing general surroundings and activities
• The worker is subject to inside and outside environmental conditions, temperature extremes, bodily fluids, oils and lubricants, noise and slippery surfaces

Maury County Government

FLSA – Non - Exempt

05/28/2019

Summary

The Maury County Human Resources Department is accepting

internal and external applications for the position of

Animal Caretaker I

This is a part-time position grade 4, with a starting pay rate of $13.46 per hour.

Must be at least 18 years of age.

Maury County Government is an E-Verify employer. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that allows participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees in the United States.