Animal Services Officer - Animal Services

Animal Services OfficerBase Pay: $18.46 HourlySummary: Maintains the animal services center; capturing and impounding animals located while on patrol or in response to complaints; disposes of certain animals using humane methods; and maintains records and reports. Involved in the operational activities of the Africanized Bee Program as needed. Must be on-call for seven days once every three weeks.Essential Duties And Responsibilities Include The Following. Other Duties May Be Assigned.Maintains animal shelter, grounds, vehicle and equipment including cleaning and disinfecting cages and yard areas; feeding, watering and categorizing impounded animals; and providing special attention to quarantined animals.Patrols rural Nueces County for stray, vicious or injured animals.Maintains up-to-date records and files reports on daily activities.Issues citations, warnings and complaints.Removes dead animals and transports them to the landfill.Removes, impounds and cares for stray and unwanted animals, returning pets to owners.Under close supervision, destroys animals as necessary, using humane methods.Responds to emergency calls, such as animal bites and control of poisonous or dangerous animals and responds to complaints.Responds to citizen complaints regarding Africanized Bees and may be involved in eradicating swarms.Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.Education and/or Experience: High school diploma or general education degree (GED) and at least six months of experience working with animals.Any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities, may be considered for current Nueces County employees only.Language Skills: Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization.Mathematical Skills: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.Reasoning Ability: Ability to apply commonsense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.Certificates, Licenses, Registrations: A valid Texas Motor Vehicle Operator's License. Animal Services Officer certification preferred or the ability to obtain basic and advanced certification as an Animal Services Officer by the Texas Department of Health within the first 4 months of employment.Other Skills And Abilities: Thorough knowledge of the laws and regulations governing the licensing, quarantine and impounding of animals. Ability to develop and maintain cooperative relationships with the public. Good physical condition and strength to lift animals weighing up to 100 pounds. Ability to manage animals. Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls and reach with hands and arms. The employee frequently is required to walk; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand, sit, climb or balance, and taste or smell. The employee sits while driving a vehicle. The employee stands during routine field activities; while assisting veterinarians at rabies vaccination clinics and when working/cleaning in the kennels. The employee walks while working in the kennels and out in the field. The employee walks, stoops, kneels, crouches or crawls when euthanizing, tranquilizing, capturing animals in the field and working in the file cabinets. The employee lifts animals weighing up to 100 pounds and climbs while pursuing animals in the field. Other physical activities include roping animals, running, jumping fences/obstacles while pursuing animals out in the field. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 100 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly works in outside weather conditions and is regularly exposed to fumes or airborne particles. The employee is frequently exposed to risk of electrical shock. The employee occasionally works near moving mechanical parts and in high, precarious places and is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions and toxic or caustic chemicals. The employee is exposed to tranquilizing pistols which are a mechanical hazard. He/she is exposed to electrical hazards while cleaning the kennels around electrical plugs and outlets. Employee is exposed to toxic or caustic chemicals while using bleach, disinfectants and other such deodorants when cleaning the kennels. Employee is exposed to dust/mites hazards because the kennels are located behind the Road Department's road materials. Other hazards include transferring of medical waste for the Robstown Health Department The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to loud. While working in the kennels, barking dogs create a loud working environment.