Butte Humane Society Adoption Counselor Chico, CA · Part time

Apply for Adoption Counselor

Our Mission: Saving Lives. Finding Homes. Inspiring Compassion. Our Vision: Butte Humane Society is committed to nurturing and promoting the human-animal bond. It is our vision to: Provide for the well-being of companion animals. Reduce the number of unwanted animals through aggressive spay/neuter programs. Promote the human-animal bond through adoption, education and outreach programs. Act as an advocate on behalf of animals in need.

Characteristics:

Candidates applying for this position will possess:

• Extreme passion for our agency’s mission of finding homes, saving lives and inspiring compassion.
• Proven ability to exercise good judgment when dealing with the public, staff, volunteers, and confidential information.
• A love of animals without bias against specific breeds or species.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills as well as ability to communicate with people from all backgrounds.
• Ability to maintain a professional demeanor with the public, volunteers, and other staff members.
• Ability to problem solve and face challenging situations in a calm and mature manner.
• Self motivated and proactive work ethic as well as ability to work independently.
• Ability to absorb and apply information quickly.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Participates in every aspect of care for our shelter animals while they are with Butte Humane Society, including cleaning, feeding, socialization, and enrichment.
• Socialize and handle animals, assist with tests related to animal temperament, dispense and administer vaccines and preventatives. 
• Coordinate adoption appointments with adopters.
• Listen to customers and provide effective responses and remedies to their questions and needs in person and over the phone.
• Counsel potential adopters on adoption process as well as all BHS policies and procedures, educate customers of topics related to adopting shelter animals, evaluate adopter surveys against animal behavior and personality tests using established criteria to create a long lasting human/animal match.
• Commit to a high standard of safety and follow all established safety procedures and protocols. Take immediate action to address any safety concerns that could put a staff member, volunteer, customer, animal, or the organization at risk.
• Solicit donations from customers and accept in-kind donations as needed.
• Basic clerical and administrative tasks such as cash handling, data entry, filing, opening and closing procedures, and keeping a clean and organized workstation.
• Cultivate positive client, volunteer, and coworker relations through professional, courteous, and educational interactions.
• Responsible for knowing when animals are available as well as know their personalities and temperament.
• Perform additional tasks given.

Animal Care:

• Clean, disinfect, and maintain shelter cages/kennels each day.
• Provide adequate food and water to shelter animals daily.
• Follow established disease control protocols to clean, disinfect, and maintain shelter cages/kennels each day.
• Monitor animals and immediately report health or behavior abnormalities to the supervisor.
• Participate in stress and disease reduction efforts through purposeful and compassionate handling and placement of animals in the shelter environment.
• Assist with animal intake, evaluation, and treatment as needed.
• Operate laundry and dishwashing equipment.
• Restock cleaning areas with supplies and equipment.
• Maintain equipment in working condition; report equipment or supply needs to the supervisor.
• Maintain BHS in a clean and organized manner to present BHS and our adoptable pets appealingly.

Requirements:

• 18 years of age or older.
• High School Diploma or equivalent.
• Ability to lift a minimum of 50 pounds, sit/stand for long periods of time, and possess the willingness/ability to humanely handle possibly feral cats and large (60+ lbs.), strong dogs (rarely) in an effective manner.
• Ability and willingness to work in all types of weather.
• At least 1 year of customer service experience.
• Computer literacy and the ability to master software as applicable to BHS operations
• Experience handling and interacting with cats and dogs.

Working Conditions:

• The work environment can be dirty, smelly, noisy, stressful, and demanding.
• Exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals, animals, parasites, and infectious diseases is possible.
• Subject to animal bites and scratches while handling animals.
• Regularly lift and carry animals weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Work can be physically and emotionally demanding.

Work Schedule: This position is Part-Time (10-28 hours/week). However, candidates must be willing to flex schedules and work weekends, evenings, and holidays (as needed), as well as attend mandatory training and meetings as the employer determines necessary or desirable to meet business needs.

Compensation: $16.90-$17.50 hourly, DOE

Physical Demands:

• Standing: Frequently
• Walking: Frequently
• Stairs: Occasionally
• Sitting: Constantly
• Lifting/Carrying: Frequently
• Pushing/Pulling: Frequently
• Bending/Stooping: Frequently
• Kneeling: Frequently
• Squatting/Crouching: Frequently
• Reaching: Frequently
• Grip/Dexterity: Constantly
• Twisting: Occasionally
• Talking: Constantly
• Hearing: Constantly
• Repetitive Motions: Constantly
• Eye/Hand/Foot Coordination: Constantly
• Visual Acuity: Constantly

This position description does not imply that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at-will” relationship.