Animal Care Specialist

Chatham County Animal Services

Discover the best of suburban and urban living in Chatham County, Coastal Georgia. This welcoming community offers an excellent balance for living, working, and enjoying life. As the fifth-oldest county in Georgia and the largest outside of Atlanta, Chatham County has a lot to offer. You'll love our beautiful riverfront, which includes the city of Savannah and a three-mile beach on Tybee Island. Chatham County Government is supported by over 2,100 diverse team members across 40 departments, all dedicated to serving the county. We draw talent nationwide by providing outstanding benefits, competitive salaries, and growth opportunities. Join Team Chatham today!

Examples of Duties

• Receive and care for animals brought to the Chatham County Animal Shelter.
• Assist with emergency first aid and medical treatment to sick and injured animals.
• Assist with euthanasia of sick, injured, and unwanted animals.
• Perform duties in a lead capacity to provide support, coaching, and monitoring of staff.
• Provide training for Animal Care Assistants, volunteers, and community service workers.
• Administer drugs to animals in reference to euthanasia or tranquilization, assist with euthanasia of sick, injured, and unwanted animals humanely and painlessly, and dispose of deceased animals as approved by the Health Department.
• Work with animals that exhibit a wide range of behaviors.
• Monitor the condition of animals and inform the supervisor when an animal is injured or appears to be sick.
• Keep all quarantined animals in designated areas, as instructed, and prevent public access to those animals impounded for biting.
• Clean and sanitize kennel floors, food and water containers, and collect and empty trash.
• Prepare food for and feed and water animals confined at the shelter.
• Monitor quality and quantity of food and inform the supervisor of any problems.
• Maintain Animal Services grounds and equipment.
• Use interpersonal and customer service skills as you interact with supervisors, coworkers, pet owners, and the public.
• Prepare written reports and assist with the routine processing of records relative to animals' redemption, adoption, and euthanasia.
• Animal Services operates 7 days per week, requiring you to be available for work on evenings, weekends, and holidays. Daily hours may vary.
• May act on behalf of the supervisor in their absence on weekends.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED, and
• At least one (1) year of experience as a veterinarian assistant or technician, and
• Training and certification to perform euthanasia; or
• Ability to complete training and certification to perform euthanasia through Animal Services; or
• Any equivalent combination of experience and training.
• You must possess and maintain a valid driver's license.

Supplemental Qualifications:

• You must have prior knowledge of proper animal care, behavior, and physical handling of animals.
• You must be able to work in an outdoor environment in all seasons and weather.
• You must be able to learn the proper use of chemicals and cleaning solutions utilized for quarantine and sanitation practices.
• You must be able to become skilled in the procedure of administering intravenous, intra-peritoneal, and intra-cardiac injections when administering euthanasia drugs, along with the skill to reasonably estimate an animal's weight when administering the injections.

During emergencies and disasters affecting Chatham County, you may be required to report to work as part of a disaster operations team.

In accordance with the Department of Transportation, Commercial Driver's License (CDL) holders and those employed in safety-sensitive positions are subject to random drug testing.

Candidates with direct and relevant experience may receive an offer of up to 10% above the minimum salary that is posted, reflecting their exceptional qualifications.

Chatham County provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, or military/veteran status in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.