Canine Care Technician - Main Shelter at Wayside Waifs Inc – Kansas City, Missouri

STARTING PAY: $17.50 / HOUR

Spanish-speaking differential: Additional $1.00 per hour for employees who demonstrate and maintain Spanish language proficiency and are willing to use this skill for Wayside Waifs' business purposes.

SCHEDULE: TBD - SOME EVENINGS AND WEEKEND DAYS REQUIRED

POSITION SUMMARY

Canine Care Technicians are responsible for ensuring that each canine is provided the highest quality of care during their stay at Wayside Waifs by maintaining clean and comfortable living quarters, and providing mental stimulation and physical exercise on a daily basis.

Technicians will work closely with volunteers and the public, while remaining in constant communication with other departments regarding the mental and physical health of the canines.

PRIMARY ACCOUNTABILITIES

1. Ensure that all animals experience a high degree of care, compassion, and support to achieve overall operational

goals for the organization.

2. Ensure smooth and efficient operations of all animal care by:

a. Ensuring all canine care tasks are completed, in accordance to the standard

operating procedures in a timely fashion.

b. Assisting other canine care technicians as necessary.

c. Ensuring all supplies are stocked and available for use.

d. High level of communication with the Manager and other team members

3. Ensure compliance with all regulatory, safety, security, and operational standards related to animal care.

4. Establish and demonstrate effective working relationships with members of the public, Wayside Waifs staff, and volunteers.

5. Attend training required to enhance knowledge and animal handling skills.

6. Comply with all Wayside Waifs policies and best practices.

PRIMARY TASKS & DUTIES

• Deep clean all kennels daily
• Feed and water dogs
• Lay blankets and provide toys to the animals
• Ensure that the dog housing areas are clean and smells fresh at all times
• Spot clean all areas throughout the day and deep clean additional kennels as needed
• Monitor that animals are placed in the appropriate size kennel
• Enter all relevant animal information into the database with respect to behavior, health, movement, and personality.
• Walk general population dogs and monitor walking lists
• Rotate dogs into playgroups
• Daily enrichment preparation and execution
• Communicate the status of workload and information about animals to staff working the next shift
• Provide support for the preparation and execution of special events as needed
• Regularly communicate with the supervisor, discussing any challenges, ideas, or suggestions related to the department or overall shelter operations.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/ KEY COMPETENCIES

• Demonstrate a high level of skill at building rapport with the animals and other Wayside Waifs employees.
• Demonstrate initiative and problem-solving skills to better serve animals and the organization
• Strong attention to detail and task orientation.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Must be dependable and punctual
• Essential staff requires working holidays and in poor weather

Professional:

• Demonstrated experience working effectively with people and animals in a variety of high-stress situations.
• Animal experience preferred with shelter or vet clinic.

Physical:

• Must be able to lift 50lbs to waist height in order to move animals from kennels, lift food bags, and push and pull a force (i.e. pushing water with the squeegee).
• Repetitive bending, kneeling, stooping, and similar movements required
• Must be able to physically restrain animals weighing up to and including 100 lbs
• Able to work with exposure to wet and/or humid conditions and outside weather conditions.
• Significant amount of standing during a typical day, exposure to fumes, animal smells, and airborne particles.
• Noise level is moderate to high.
• Exposure to animal waste.

Education:

• High School diploma or GED.