Temporary Animal Care Assistant

Would you like to work in the animal care field where you can make a real difference? If you answered yes, Animal Services may the place for you. Come be a part of a rewarding and fun work environment. We are a state of the art facility that takes great pride in the work we do. We care for over 12,000 animals a year and have one of the best adoption programs around. We are seeking a highly motivated and compassionate individuals to join our team.

The Temporary Animal Care Assistant performs responsible animal care and animal services maintenance work at a large animal control shelter operation, cares for impounded animals, assists the public on animal control-related matters, feeds and observes the condition of animals held in the kennel. This position is responsible for implementing and following through with sanitary policies to ensure humane conditions are met. Performs a variety of independent tasks and assists with euthanasia tasks on animals.

Check out our Benefits for Temporary Long-Term Full-Time Employees!

• Annual Leave & paid holidays (after 30 days)
• Florida Retirement System (FRS)
• Wellness Program including a Wellness Center, classes, and more
• View more details by reviewing our Benefits breakdown for Temporary Long-Term Full-Time employees
  
  

What would you do?

• Checks for licensing and inoculation of animals admitted to kennel; records animal history, weight, food intake, and license tags, microchips, or vaccination/license tags.
• Assists Veterinary Technicians to constrain animals, prepares animals for surgery, and does post-surgery examination.
• Assists with euthanasia and cremation processes.
• Cleans and sterilizes operating room, instruments and equipment.
• Prepares dead animals for delivery to Health Department for laboratory analysis.
• Feeds and waters animals according to established schedules; cleans and disinfects cages, pens and walking yards.
• Inspects animals for signs of illness and/or injuries; reports health problems to supervisor or medical personnel.
• Assists veterinary staff in screening animals for adoption.
• Transports animals to and from the surgical area and between quarters.
• Responds to in-person or telephone requests for information concerning lost animals, admission of strays or unwanted animals, and licensing laws.
• Performs custodial and housekeeping tasks, preventative maintenance and equipment repair.
• Cleans and maintains animal’s quarters in a sanitary and humane way. May perform preventative maintenance and equipment repair.
• Performs routine work in shelter maintenance operations.
• Performs related work as assigned or required.
  
  

What do you need to have?

• At least 3 months of animal care/training or handling experience or coursework in veterinary technology; or
• An equivalent combination of education, training, and/or experience.
• Possession and maintenance of a valid State of Florida driver's license upon hire with eligibility based upon evaluation of a Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) driving report.
• Assignment to work a variety of work schedules including compulsory work periods in special, emergency, and/or disaster situations.
• Physical strength and agility to lift heavy animals, equipment, and supplies up to 50 pounds on a frequent basis.
• Ability to take animals on walks and be on feet for long periods of time.
• Exposure to personal risk during assignments causing periodic contact with hostile or diseased animals.
• This position requires working weekends, weekdays, and holidays. The schedule is rotating with multiple shifts for weekdays and weekends. Weekday shifts are 6:30 AM - 3:00 PM and 9:45 AM to 6:15 PM. Weekend and holiday shifts are 5:30 AM - 2 PM.
• Ability to work at the Animal Services facility located at 12450 Ulmerton Rd., Largo, FL 33774.
  
  

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Knowledge of basic animal control procedures and techniques for the care and feeding of animals.
• Knowledge and skill to restrain, handle, and care for animals in a humane manner.
• Knowledge of breeds and skill to classify animals.
• Ability to work various shifts including weekends and holidays.
• Ability to acquire knowledge of department regulations and to apply same to work situations.
• Ability to explain fully to the public ordinances, policies, rules and regulations.
• Ability to perform work under pressure of deadlines and stressful situations.
• Ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions.
• Ability to communicate tactfully and courteously with the public.
• Ability to maintain basic records.
• Ability to identify behavior characteristics of animals for adoption screening purposes.
  
  

Physical/Mental Demands

Required

The work is heavy work which requires exerting up to 100 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 50 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 20 pounds of force constantly to move objects. Additionally, the following physical abilities are required:

• Balancing: Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling while walking, standing or crouching on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces. The amount of balancing exceeds that needed for ordinary locomotion and maintenance of body equilibrium.
• Climbing: Ascending or descending ladders, stairs, scaffolding, ramps, poles and the like, using feet and legs and/or hands and arms. Body agility is emphasized.
• Crawling: Moving about on hands and knees or hands and feet.
• Crouching: Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine.
• Feeling: Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.
• Fingering: Picking, pinching, typing, or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling.
• Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.
• Handling: Picking, holding, or otherwise working, primarily with the whole hand.
• Kneeling: Bending legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees.
• Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use of upper extremities and back muscles.
• Pulling: Using upper extremities to exert force in order to draw, haul or tug objects in a sustained motion.
• Pushing: Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force in order to thrust forward, downward or outward.
• Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.
• Visual ability: Sufficient to effectively operate office equipment including copier, computer, etc.; and to read and write reports, correspondence, instructions, etc.
• Hearing ability: Sufficient to hold a conversation with other individuals both in person and over a telephone; and to hear recordings on transcription device.
• Speaking ability: Sufficient to communicate effectively with other individuals in person and over a telephone.
• Mental acuity: Ability to make rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes.
• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.
• Repetitive motion: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers.
• Standing: Particularly for sustained periods of time.
• Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another.
  
  

Working Conditions

• Work is performed in a dynamic environment that requires sensitivity to change and responsiveness to changing goals, priorities, and needs.