About Butte Humane Society

We are one of the oldest non-profit agencies in Butte County, California, working since 1911 to bring humanitarian care to dogs and cats. We are a Limited Admission shelter that strives to make our animals as comfortable as possible during their stay with us.

Our Mission: Saving Lives. Finding Homes. Inspiring Compassion.

Our Vision: Butte Humane Society is committed to nurturing and promoting the human-animal bond. It is our vision to:

• Provide for the well-being of companion animals.
• Reduce the number of unwanted animals through aggressive spay/neuter programs.
• Promote the human-animal bond through adoption, education and outreach programs.
• Act as an advocate on behalf of animals in need.

Butte Humane Society - Adoption Counselor Position

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

It will be the responsibility of the Adoption Counselor to perform adoption counseling services for Butte Humane Society (BHS) under the direction of the department manager. Individuals in this classification will perform various tasks related to animal care, counseling potential adopters, administrative duties, customer service, and animal handling. Individuals will be expected to provide prompt and courteous customer service as well as conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times.

CHARACTERISTICS

Candidates applying for this position will possess:

• Extreme passion for our agency’s mission of finding homes, saving lives and inspiring compassion.

• Proven ability to exercise good judgment when dealing with the public, staff, volunteers, and confidential information.

• A love of animals without bias against specific breeds.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills as well as ability to communicate with people from all backgrounds.

• Ability to maintain a professional demeanor with the public, volunteers, and other staff members.

• Ability to problem solve and face challenging situations in a calm and mature manner.

• Self motivated and proactive work ethic as well as ability to work independently.

• Ability to absorb and apply information quickly.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Participates in every aspect of care for our shelter animals while they are with Butte Humane Society, including cleaning, feeding, socialization and enrichment.

• Socialize and handle animals, assist with tests related to animal temperament, dispense and administer vaccines and preventatives. 

• Coordinate adoption appointments with adopters.

• Listen to customers and provide effective responses and remedies to their questions and needs in person and over the phone.

• Counsel potential adopters on adoption process as well as all BHS policies and procedures, educate customers of topics related to adopting shelter animals, evaluate adopter surveys against animal behavior and personality tests using established criteria to create a long lasting human/animal match.

• Commit to a high standard of safety and follow all established safety procedures and protocols. Take immediate action to address any safety concerns that could put a staff member, volunteer, customer, animal, or the organization at risk.

• Solicit donations from customers and accept in-kind donations as needed.

• Basic clerical and administrative tasks such as cash handling, data entry, filing , opening and closing procedures, and keeping a clean and organized work station.

• Cultivate positive client, volunteer, and coworker relations through professional, courteous, and educational interactions.

• Responsible for knowing when animals are available as well as knowing their personalities and temperament.

• Perform additional tasks given.

ANIMAL CARE:

• Provide adequate food and water to shelter animals daily.

• Follow established disease control protocols to clean, disinfect, and maintain shelter spaces, cages, kennels each day.

• Monitor animals and immediately report health or behavior abnormalities to the supervisor.

• Participate in stress and disease reduction efforts through purposeful and compassionate handling and placement of animals in the shelter environment.

• Assist with animal intake, evaluation, and treatment as needed.

• Operate laundry and dishwashing equipment.

• Restock areas with supplies and equipment.

• Maintain equipment in working condition; report equipment or supply needs to supervisor.

• Maintain BHS in a clean and organized manner to present BHS and our adoptable pets in an appealing way.

PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE

• Maintain professional standards of performance, demeanor and appearance at all times.

• Complete tasks and responsibilities in a timely and efficient manner, comply with agency policies and standards, and meet the requirements of the position.

• Maintain a creative, cooperative approach to the position and seek to bring a constructive, problem-solving mentality to all tasks.

SKILLS, REQUIREMENTS, AND ABILITIES

• 18 years of age or older.

• High School Diploma or equivalent.

• Weekends and holidays are required as our shelter animals need car 7 days per week.

• Ability to lift a minimum of 50 pounds, and possess willingness/ability to humanely handle possibly feral cats and large (60+ lbs.), strong dogs (frequently) in an effective manner.

• This position requires the ability to push, pull, bend, lift, squat, walk, reach overhead, sit, type, and grip objects frequently.

• Ability and willingness to work in all types of weather.

• At least 1 year of customer service experience.

• Computer literacy and ability to master software as applicable to BHS operations

• Experience handling and interacting with cats and dogs.

This position description does not imply that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. This document does not create an employment contract implied or otherwise, other than an, “at-will,” relationship.