Our mission at PAWS Atlanta is to help pets and people. We are a passionate team of animal lovers who have dedicated our time and energy to rescuing homeless pets. Our team is made up of Animal Care Specialists, Adoption Counselors, Veterinary Assistants, Administrative Employees, and a Veterinarian, and we are all determined to make our community a safer and better place for everyone living in it, including the cats and dogs.

PAWS Atlanta offers equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees 18 and older without regard to an individual’s race, color, creed, sex or age.

• Medical and Dental insurance
• Short and Long-term disability
• Paid Time Off

OPEN POSITIONS

Animal Care Specialist (Full-Time)

Animal Care Specialists are on the frontline of caring for our pets and ensuring that their stay at PAWS is as comfortable as possible, and that they are healthy and happy while they are with us. There is no doubt that this is an emotionally challenging job and that there will be a lot of physical work, but this job is incredibly rewarding. We go to bed at night knowing that we save hundreds of lives every year and help ensure that our community has access to low-cost vaccines and monthly heartworm and flea preventatives, free pet food, and pet care information. We match pets with people who are looking for a friend, a companion, or a new family member. It is a known fact that cats and dogs can improve the mental and physical well-being of the people they love and live with.

We are currently looking to hire an enthusiastic person with a strong work ethic and love of animals. They will be able to work both independently and as part of a team. This person will work five days a week from 7:30am-4pm. This is not a boring job, and you will not be stuck inside all day. We work indoors and outdoors. We work with dogs and puppies that are less than 1 lb all the way up to dogs that weigh over 100 lbs. We work with cats and kittens. We work with both healthy and sick pets and pets that come to us with varying degrees of socialization. Most of the pets we care for are friendly, but we do also work with pets who need specific handling and care due to behavioral concerns that can include aggression. We offer on the job training about what to look out for, how to work with animals, and their ongoing care once they are placed in homes.

When pets arrive at our facility, they are often scared and unsure of their environment. Many of them are still searching for their past families and are not sure about trusting strangers, but we offer them comfort and they quickly begin to seek us out and get excited when we arrive each morning. Working at PAWS Atlanta, you will witness animals transform from the time they come in until the time they are adopted out.  There is nothing that compares to the feeling of helping a heartbroken pet heal and find a loving forever family.

Animal Care Specialists clean kennels, walk dogs, socialize cats and dogs, play matchmaker between pets and people, monitor the pets’ health, and alert our vet team if anything seems wrong.  They work with the team to put supplies away, do laundry, keep the campus clean, etc. We need someone who will provide excellent customer service, who has a real love for animals, and who is driven to make a real, lasting difference in their community.

APPLY HERE

Foster Coordinator (Full-Time)

Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain foster volunteer program, including the management of foster applications, conducting home inspections, orientation materials for volunteers, etc. 
• Keep all foster materials and programs up to date, and provide appropriate orientation materials, manuals, and handouts to all foster volunteers
• Serve as primary contact for foster volunteers while they have care of a PAWS’ animal
• Coordinate movement of shelter animals into foster care, working with Shelter Manager to ensure communication flow across PAWS
• Monitor health and behavior of animals in foster care and report any important findings/issues to Vet staff or Shelter Manager as appropriate
• Coordinate vet appointments with foster volunteers
• Ensure foster animals’ follow-up vaccinations and flea/heartworm prevention are given on time
• Coordinate with Vet staff to ensure foster animals receive appropriate and timely medical checks and treatments for routine care issues
• Coordinate with Shelter Vet for foster animals to receive more advanced medical checks and treatments
• Counsel foster families on basic behavioral issues (with a focus on positive reinforcement techniques) with foster pets
• Follow up with long-term fosters regularly to ensure their satisfaction and compliance with PAWS foster programs and services
• Coordinate with Shelter Manager to move foster animals through PAWS’ intake process when fosters are returning to PAWS
• Oversee rapid response to foster animal emergencies, including the development of an on call schedule
• Ensure on call participants are trained and that there is a plan in place for quickly and efficiently responding to various foster emergency scenarios.
• Keep all staff up to date on changes to foster programs; provide staff training for foster program procedures as needed; ensure that staff are providing accurate information to foster volunteers
• Track data on foster programs
• Ensure foster animal locations and foster volunteer information is accurate in the shelter database.
• Coordinate communication to all foster volunteers with updates, events, and other pertinent information
• Uphold PAWS’ values and mission statement during interactions with the public and other staff

Qualifications

• Must be 18 years or older.
• High school graduate or GED equivalent.
• Valid driver’s license with a good driving history.
• Experience with domestic pets (dogs, cats) required.
• At least three years’ experience in an animal shelter or veterinary setting with a good understanding of the day to day activities as it relates to shelter operations.
• Knowledge of domestic animals including breeds, behavior, appropriate care and housing, common health problems and disease symptoms, in addition to handling techniques is preferred but not required.
• Ability to read, write, speak, spell and understand English at a level commensurate with professional job performance and to interpret safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.
• Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.
• Ability to communicate with the public and co-workers in a professional, pleasant, courteous, tactful, and effective manner at all times.
• An energetic individual with an optimistic outlook and a huge passion for animals
• Self-starter with strong work ethic, resolve and uncompromising personal integrity

APPLY HERE