veterinary assistant

animal control officer

animal care specialist

veterinarian

animal shelter manager

LifeLine Animal Project

My experience at this facility has been extremely disappointing. The lack of proper training and the pervasive atmosphere of favoritism and fear make it a challenging work environment. The administrative office is particularly troubling, with staff who seem ill-equipped to manage even basic tasks. The absence of middle management results in an excessively micromanaged environment, where unreasonable expectations are placed on employees. This has led to high burnout rates, with staff being expected to produce new content at an unsustainable pace.
In the different departments, the issues are glaring. The Adoptions and Fosters department relies heavily on inexperienced young staff, while HR communicates in a condescending manner. The Tech team is practically non-existent, with only one person handling tech issues across multiple locations and she visits us every other day to fulfill our needs bless her heart. The operation management is inefficient, leading to a lack of necessary materials for daily tasks we’ve asked for multiple things to manage our day to day jobs and it never gets fulfilled. The clinic appears disorganized, with more focus on operations than actual animal adoptions. The volunteer program is chaotic, with volunteers often being more knowledgeable than the employees. Gathering supporting documentation and photos, so the county board knows is immediately at the top of my task. The high turnover rate and continuous gossip among the staff highlight the severe problems within this facility.
Consider evaluating the performance and effectiveness of your “ Directors” and Management. Reflect on why talented individuals are departing or facing termination. It's crucial to understand the reasons behind high turnover rates and the departure of skilled personnel. Additionally, the frequent, unproductive meetings with no tangible progress are concerning. There needs to be a clearer strategy and more effective execution from those in leadership positions.

Being an adoption counselor would have been my dream job but unfortunately I started at Lifeline so my excitement turned sour very quickly. 

I was getting positive feedback from management in my first month or two, which is when the high school style gossip from my co workers started. Things were stolen out of my desk, “complaints” about my performance were being called in and literally written on printer paper from coworkers, if I didn’t find someone fit for adoption (ie, doing my job) the other adoption counselors would accuse me of not caring enough about the pets to get them out of the shelter. 

Management is also very political and does not appreciate constructive criticism. One rule they made required adoption counselors to take at least one hw positive dog to adoptions events on Saturdays. When I pointed out that hw positive dogs should not be outside in Georgia during August, I was given a formal warning that I was being insubordinate (mind you, I always did what they asked, I merely suggested it may not be in the dogs best interest). When I told management I felt uncomfortable driving a different type of vehicle to adoption events (much larger van than the usual ACO trucks), they told me I had to or I would be written up again. I received no training or help in how to drive the van nor how to securely load pets in the van (the trucks I was used to using had kennels built in). 

The final straw was when my coworkers called in to “report” that I was drunk at my adoption event and being cruel to the pets. This was particularly hurtful and actually brought me to tears as I talked with both my director and manager about it. They didn’t look into it and decided it would be best to let me go. Although they said they didn’t believe the phone call, they also didn’t believe their employees could be that petty despite all of my reports of stolen property and harassment over the four months I was there. 

You’ll notice I haven’t said much about the animals at Fulton Co. That’s because the people are so difficult to work with, you can’t focus on the pets. If you want to make positive changes and be productive while at work, continue your job search.

Poor management, pay is not great for the amount of work you're having to balance throughout the day. The volunteers are helpful and friendly. Stressful, fast paced environment. Constantly on your feet and constantly cleaning as there is always something to do. Management only likes you if you're friends with them, otherwise they don't like you. Very high turnover rate and always understaffed due to traffic flow and high amount of dogs. You make bonds with the animals and can make a difference in their lives, but it can be very stressful keeping up with the amount of work while still staying true to your self in a harsh environment. It's hard to rely on your team, as not everyone is trained properly or they won't pull their own weight. Training is practically non-existent and management does not manage their employees and only listen to their favored employees when problems arise, which leads to improper handling of the animals and issues between employees that end up being handled improperly.

the pets for life position pays competitively, compared to other non-profits. however, the poor management and heavy workload does not reflect the pay. lifeline is not concerned with the needs of its employees and refuses to change and adapt. at pets for life, they would rather keep the same, decent working formula instead of creating a more comfortable, streamline and cleaner working environment for their employees. you will be working in a warehouse filled with bugs and molding pet food.

the supervisor will not care about your complaints and does not communicate well at all either. employees are expected to organize and clean this large warehouse as well as manage the large deliveries we occasionally receive. you will be lifting exponentially; as a team of 5 you will be expected to unload at least 1,000 pounds of pet food/supplies once every few months.

honestly, lifeline isn't worth it. the high turnover causes problems throughout the entire organization; leaving employees to handle things on their own.

the pets for life position pays competitively, compared to other non-profits. however, the poor management and heavy workload does not reflect the pay. lifeline is not concerned with the needs of its employees and refuses to change and adapt. at pets for life, they would rather keep the same, decent working formula instead of creating a more comfortable, streamline and cleaner working environment for their employees. you will be working in a warehouse filled with bugs and molding pet food. 

the supervisor will not care about your complaints and does not communicate well at all either. employees are expected to organize and clean this large warehouse as well as manage the large deliveries we occasionally receive. you will be lifting exponentially; as a team of 5 you will be expected to unload at least 1,000 pounds of pet food/supplies once every few months. 

honestly, lifeline isn't worth it. the high turnover causes problems throughout the entire organization; leaving employees to handle things on their own.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The dogs and my co workers are cool

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Hearing and seeing these dogs in the worst place ever sometimes not walked for 10 days! The people that ditch their animals stress me out and the cruel people that get animals and after the initial excitement just kick dog to the curb.  Or leave it in a crate 10 hours a day.  Or the stupid breeders who keep breeding pitbulls when the shelter has so many. And the breeders of French bulldogs and bullies that give them smoosh noses which plague these poor dogs for they can't breathe regular. Yall make me sick!

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Cool with me. Co workers are great, supervisors are too. It's talky hard to be at a shelter whose mission statement was to end euthanasia and are now killing all the time.. healthy young dogs too  for space. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I get to work see who's there. Find out what we're eating for lunch, cliovk in set up my music, get tools and start getting stuff clean

Working here is a proud place to be. Its a field of work where you actually don't dread waking up to be at every morning (thats if you have a love for animals) Everyone is driven by passion and are hardworking... for the most part. Majority of the staff are great, you learn many of things regarding animal welfare. Your pay during initial hire is decent, and it's not hard to get bumped up a few raises depending on your performance. The downside to working here is the management. Depending on what department you find your self in, you do not matter. You are there only to clock in and out. Your voice nor opinion doesn't matter. You are disposable regardless of your hard efforts and your investment to the company. As an asset or a new hire, there is no such thing as job security. I loved being here, and for a long time I fought with the dilemma of doing what I love and being treated like trash or letting go of the foul treatment of my manager and Lifeline as a whole.

Overall good work environment, fast paced, high energy and lots of contact with animals. However, upper management is entrenched and very slow to change with the times. Upper level are not responsive enough to the changing needs of the organization. Finances are always a struggle in a non profit.  The people at every level are kind and good to work with, and the care for animals binds all together.  Patience is a useful quality for this work environment because you must interact with the general public frequently. Changes occur slowly but the middle managers care and are responsive. However, the difficulty keeping entry level kennel staff makes the disorganization a daily reality. All that said, it is a decent work environment. The animals need as many dedicated caregivers as possible. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
All the innocent kittens who need medical care.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
No work/life balance. Supervisor doesn't help at all and expects you to do work for 3-4 people. I spent 10 months working on my personal computer with no county login.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Toxic. Like high school. If you are fair skinned, you are treated like a bestie. 99% of staff who are dark skinned work in the back of the building in the kennels.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Stressful from clock in to clock out. At times I would stay 2-3 hrs after my shift due to lack of help or having to find placement for a kitten(s). I was to take them home. Every 2 hour feedings. And if I barely slept, supervisor didn't care.

At Lifeline I would start my day by checking in all client-patient animals to be prepped for surgery and go over with clients on any questions or concerns regarding the operation. After which I would then start on completing the daily invoicing and certificates that needed to be prepared for the evening upon return of the client for patient pick up and after care instructions.
I learned many things at Lifeline, my favorite was being taught to prep a patient animal for surgery for spay/neuter and vaccinations.
The most enjoyable part of the job was the knowledge gained on a daily basis by having to use critical thinking skills to overcome unusual obstacles the clinic faced. My time at Lifeline was very enjoyable and exciting due to the quality of people and knowledge taken from my experience.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Veterinary assistant 15 salaries reported	$18.85 per hour
Animal control officer 16 salaries reported	$20.06 per hour
Animal care specialist 25 salaries reported	$17.16 per hour
Veterinarian 8 salaries reported	$129,063 per year
Animal shelter manager 5 salaries reported	$46,240 per year

Working at LifeLine Animal Project: Company Overview and Reviews

LifeLine Animal Project

LifeLine Animal Project Ratings

Popular jobs at LifeLine Animal Project

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected