Animal Control Officer

City of Richmond, Virginia; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Richmond Animal Care and Control seeks a dynamic Animal Control Officer to investigate complaints, pick up stray and dead animals, patrol for ordinance violations, and assist animals in distress.

The role involves humane handling, educating residents on laws, and court testimony as needed. Weekend/holiday work and on-call shifts may be required. A valid VA driver’s license and certifications within one year are required.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma, GED, or equivalent.
• One year of experience handling animals and/or enforcing animal laws.
• An equivalent combination of training and experience may be used to meet minimum qualifications.

Responsibilities

• Enforcing the Animal Welfare Laws of Virginia and City codes to protect public health.
• Conducting and coordinating animal cruelty investigations and enforcing applicable codes.
• Responding to requests for assistance with aggressive animals.
• Educating residents on responsible pet ownership and care requirements.
• Preparing reports and records on a daily basis and testifying in court.
• Driving a City of Richmond vehicle and performing related duties.

Skills

Animal handling

Court testimony

De-escalation

Interdepartmental communication

Decision making

Professional demeanor

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Tools

ShelterBuddy

Job description

City of Richmond Animal Care and Control is seeking dynamic, enthusiastic, and hardworking candidates for the position of Animal Control Officer. The incumbent will be responsible for investigating complaints, picking up stray and dead animals, patrolling the city for violations of animal ordinances which may include aiding animals in distress, transporting stray animals to the kennel and caring for kenneled animals. The selected candidate must be able to address citizen inquires and inform citizens of animal control laws and have the ability to humanely tranquilize and euthanize unhealthy animals and wildlife.

Richmond Animal Care and Control is committed to being an employer of choice and we are dedicated to the growth of our workforce. We value our employees and seek to attract and retain the best. We are also committed to individual professional growth! The selected candidate will have the opportunity to attend applicable training and educational workshops.

This position may require working weekends and holidays, as needed.

This position is considered an Essential Personnel, which means that the incumbent is required to work when the City is closed due to public emergencies, critical or hazardous conditions, or inclement weather.

• Enforcing the Animal Welfare Laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Codes for the City of Richmond pertaining to animals to ensure the health and safety of the public
• Conducting and coordinating, and sometimes assisting other City Agencies, with independent investigations of incidences of cruelty to animals and enforcing the appropriate City and State codes
• Responding to requests for assistance with aggressive animals
• Assisting residents with dangerous wild and/or exotic animals, such as snakes, raccoons, opossums, etc.
• Responding to calls for assistance regarding the potential exposure to rabies
• Providing animal care, vaccinations, and medications for animals
• Performing euthanasia and lab specimen preparation
• Investigating citizen complaints related to companion animal concerns
• Assisting residents with their companion animal's needs and concerns
• Educating the public regarding responsible pet ownership and care requirements
• Preparing reports and records on a daily basis
• Composing court records and files and testifying in court regularly
• Responding to the need for service as an emergency responder
• Updating animal/client records to reflect the most current status and information available
• Driving a City of Richmond vehicle
• Performing other related duties as assigned

MINIMUM TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

• High School Diploma, GED, or equivalent
• One (1) year of experience handling animals and/or enforcing animal laws
• An equivalent combination of training and experience (as approved by the department) may be used to meet the minimum qualifications of the classification

LICENSING, CERTIFICATIONS, and OTHER SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Requires a valid Commonwealth of Virginia Driver's License within 30 days of hire
• Requires a Animal Control Officer certification within one year of hire
• Requires a euthanasia certification within one year of hire
• Required to work scheduled and on-call shifts which include evening, weekends and holidays

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

Knowledge (some combination of the following):

• Animal behavior and handling
• Animal control laws
• Aggressive animal handling
• Basic knowledge of animals, including different breeds and types
• Electronic databases and related software applications such as the shelter intake system Shelterbuddy
• Licensing laws

Skills (some combination of the following):

• Understanding and appreciation of animals
• Capturing and impounding dangerous or stray animals
• Answering calls regarding animals in the City
• Communicating with various internal and external departments
• Driving a City of Richmond vehicle
• Enforcing licensing laws
• Ensuring animal owners are in compliance with the animal control laws
• Identifying different breeds and types of animals
• Investigating cases of animal cruelty
• Maintaining a professional attitude and a positive relationship with citizens
• Using communication skills to deescalate situations
• Providing expert testimony in court cases
• Providing humane care to animals
• Rescuing trapped animals
• Using a variety of animal control equipment such as control pole leash, animal trap, nets, mace, gloves, snake and cat tongs, etc.
• Using discretion to decide whether to seize an animal from a location pending an investigation
• Using discretion to decide whether to issue a summons to a citizen or provide them a chance to come into compliance
• Writing reports such as an incident report

Abilities (some combination of the following):

• Be compassionate
• Follow standard procedures and established practices to resolve problems
• Communicate
• Make judgments
• Multi-task
• Problem solve
• Work well with a team

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS: Working conditions may include exposure to travel to other locations within the City of Richmond as well as outside of the City of Richmond; exposure to hazardous physical conditions such as mechanical parts, electrical currents, vibrations, etc.; atmospheric conditions such as fumes, odors, dusts, gases, and poor ventilation; inadequate lighting; intense noise; and environmental hazards such as disruptive people, imminent danger, and a threatening environment.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT: Due to the nature of work assignments, incumbents must be able to perform detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks, with frequent interruptions and under time constraint. The essential duties of this classification may require the ability to regularly balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, reach, stand, walk, push, pull, lift, finger, grasp, feel, talk, hear, and perform repetitive motions; frequently see and crawl; and occasionally climb. The working conditions may include environmental hazards. In terms of the physical strength to perform the essential duties, this classification is considered to be heavy work, exerting up to 100 pounds of force occasionally, up to 50 pounds of force frequently, and up to 20 pounds of force constantly to move objects.