Animal Control Officer

Description

Summary

Patrols within the City limits and the service area, responding to complaints, removing wild animals from residences, impounding animals, removing dead animals providing assistance to the general public, and caring for animals at an animal shelter.

Distinguishing Career Features

The Animal Control Officer is the second in a two-level career path for animal and environmental control. The Animal Control Assistant learns effective animal control techniques and maintains the shelter by caring for animals and cleaning the facility. Advancement to Officer requires advanced skill in the capture of animals and certification to euthanize animals.

Requirements

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Receives and responds to animal complaints, patrolling within City and service area limits for unlicensed animals, diseased or injured animals, and wildlife.
• Determines animal ownership, offering suggestions to animal owners regarding complying with laws and ordinances, investigating instances of animal cruelty and animal attacks and maintaining records on violations.
• Assists customers with adoptions and redemptions, facilitating paperwork, recording animal information to registries, and maintaining and replenishing kennel supplies.
• Provides humane treatment to animals at the shelter by providing water and food, exercising and interacting with individual animals as time permits and moving animals into clean cages.
• Maintains the animal shelter by performing small repairs, cleaning the shelter and grounds areas, disinfecting and rinsing animal runs, cleaning, monitoring and securing cages and replenishing supplies and food items.
• Removes wild animals from properties, right-of-ways, and residences on request by building and maintaining traps, delivering and demonstrating the proper use of traps, setting traps, picking up, relocating and releasing animal.
• Maintains equipment by adjusting and repairing traps and cages, inspecting and washing trucks, and cleaning devices such as sprayers.
• Disposes of dead animals by locating animal bags, loading animals onto the truck and transporting them to the shelter freezer and landfill.
• Euthanizes animals according to limits of training and legal protocols. Operates and maintains equipment used for cremation.
• Prepares documentation of animal control and shelter activity, call-outs to residences and other service area properties, and remedial actions, including citations.
• Conducts field surveys to verify and ensure animal licenses. Issues warnings and citations for violations of animal care laws and regulations.
• Trains and oversees the work of animal control assistants and attendants, assuring that human procedures are followed at all times.
• Performs other duties as required to accomplish the objectives of the position.