Animal shelter is a place where lost and abandoned animals find refuge. The shelter houses these animals and helps the visitors to adopt the animal and the owners who are searching for their missing pets. An animal shelter clerk works in this facility and is accountable for the management of day to day operations of the shelter.
Animal shelter clerk registers the incoming animals at the facility. He prepares charts for all the animals specifying their breed, physical characteristics and any other details. He tags the animals and assigns cage as per the size and requirement of the breed. He also records the details of treatment and administers medicines and feeds the animals. He answers the telephone calls and e-mails and also circulates reports to the administration and other departments.
The animal shelter clerk communicates with the pet owners who come to the shelter to reclaim their pet. He also helps the visitors to choose the right animal as per their choice. Once the visitors choose a pet, the shelter clerk has to fill in the adoption forms and file them accordingly. He is required to monitor the health and activities of all the animals and report any unwanted change in behavior or physical characteristics to the veterinary specialists.
More information about the animal shelter clerk responsibilities has been given for your reference.
Admission
The animal shelter clerk admits the animals into the shelter. He coordinates with the veterinary specialists to identify if the animal suffers from any disease, and if yes, then he has to administer the medicines and schedules checkup and treatment of the animals.
Communicating with Visitors
A lot of people visit the animal shelter, either to adopt an animal or find their pets. The animal shelter clerk has to provide necessary information to these visitors and help them in finding the lost pet or find a specific breed of animals. The shelter clerk has to instruct the adopters about the health care and hygiene requirements of the animal.
Preparing Official Records
The animal shelter clerk prepares admission documents of all the animals. Along with the admission records, he is also required to file copies of medical checkups and ongoing treatments. He fills the adoption forms and maintains details of the individuals adopting the animals for contacting them in the future.
Instructing and Supervising Co-workers
The animal shelter clerk has to decide the work-flow for his colleagues and instruct them about their tasks. He is solely responsible for managing the daily operations and seeing to it that the employees are doing their work correctly.
Quality and Safety Assurance
The animal shelter clerk has to see that the animals are fed and treated properly. He has to ensure the safety of animals and their wellbeing for the period they are housed at the shelter.
Reporting
The animal shelter clerk has to report about the activities of the shelter to the state and federal authorities. He may have to provide details of the animals admitted and the animals adopted by the visitors.
An animal shelter clerk should be:
There are no specific requirements for the job of an animal shelter clerk. Even with a high school diploma and some basic knowledge or experience of clerical work, an individual can apply for this position. However, a degree in science can be helpful to administer health care for the animals.
Annual salary for an animal shelter clerk ranges from $20,000 to $40,000.
If you are highly passionate and dedicated for the wellbeing of animals, then this is the perfect job for you.
Animal shelter clerk responsibilities are focused in providing excellent services to the animals and the people who want to adopt these animals or find their pets.