veterinary technician

animal shelter manager

customer service representative

animal technician

veterinarian

NOCO Humane

I really enjoyed working for this company for what it was worth. They manage to hire some of the best people to work with. I made so many long lasting friendships and learned a lot about animal welfare. I love and respect the organization itself. They're really a state of the art shelter and deserve the respect I and my co-workers have for the organization. However, upper management (shelter manager, director of operations, and HR mostly) are absolutely awful. They LOVE finding things to get people in trouble for, especially if you're a lower level employee. It's like they do it for fun.

Getting written up was typically something that happened to everyone who worked there more than a few months and it was rarely something your immediate supervisor felt necessary (could have just been a quick professional chat instead), but they would have to do it or risk getting into trouble themselves. They micro manage each department to the point that staff are basically miserable. Supervisors can barely do anything to improve their department and staff happiness because they have to ask permission for every little change and it's typically denied anyway (and seemingly just for the sake of it). 

Schedules are all over the place, getting changed every month so your days off and work times are constantly changing. While I was there staff asked several times for consistent days off at the very least and from what I hear that is still an issue. Of course, schedules have to be approved and edited by the shelter manager (at the very least) and since they don't seem to care about staff's lives outside work they don't implement any changes that anyone wants. On top of that, it's impossible to take time off because turnover is so high that there is never enough staff to cover. Yet, upper management takes personal time off at least once a month.(It must be so tiring being worried about trying to get perfection out of over worked staff.) 

Moving up in the organization is nearly impossible. I've seen people who have been there for years be turned down for positions they're qualified for simply because they don't meet one small "requirement." for the position. And it's easy to speculate that if they don't particularly like you, they will find some reason not to hire you for another position.

I can't speak too much for other departments, but Client Services was purgatory when it came to upper management. We were often scolded for not working hard enough despite the insanely long hours (10 hr days average and mandatory overtime weekly) and random spikes in how busy we got. We were judged for "standing around and talking" often even if everything was done and there were no clients to help. They attempted to fix this by sending you on random tasks that took you away from your work area with just enough time to start doing it before needing to be back up to the front to help with the sudden rush. If animal care was understaffed one of client services would be scheduled to work in that department.

I saw a newer employee work more hours in animal care than in client services where she was hired. You were expected to do this to be seen as a "team player," but since that was not the job you were hired for, it was frustrating to be forced to do it. On top of that, some staff never had to help in animal care and would be interested in helping more, but since they hadn't been cross trained, it was easier for upper management to justify the same few people to do it. So you ended up with people happy to be of help and people who don't want to do that job and upper management unwilling to cooperate. (When someone is hired for client services, they typically prefer working with people and animals, not taking care of animals. If they wanted to do animal care related duties, they would have applied for that position, since the shelter is pretty much constantly hiring for both client services and animal care positions. So while it's understandable to cross train staff for that department and use them occasionally for help, it's not understandable to force people to work entire 9 hr shifts in a different department. Especially when the department you're taking from is already understaffed and overwhelmed.) 

It was quite insulting because I don't think I've ever worked with a team of people that were more hard working and passionate about their jobs. I saw some of the best customer service out of my co-workers as well. Not to mention we all got along pretty well and everyone had amazing teamwork.

Sadly, we weren't ever judged by our customer service skills or any actual aspects of our jobs because they A) only saw minor errors in the system and assumed we were incompetent or B) never took the time to see what life was actually like in our department. Most of us were between the ages of 22-28 with great previous experience such as management at other companies, yet we were treated like teenagers on our first ever job.

Client services is one of the most stressful positions at the shelter. Every day you face highly diverse emotions of people and animals coming through the door. One client may be super nice and happy, the next one is screaming at your about fees or something and the next one is crying hysterically, etc. Animals of course were also unpredictable so the job requires a lot of emotional self control. It got extreamly busy at times and often there wasn't enough staff to compensate because again, turnover was so high since no one could stand the pressure of the job+management breathing down your neck. It was so fast paced sometimes and you often ended up with several things on your plate all the sudden, so it was easy to forget something or make a small mistake. To make matters worse, any mistake there is basically a mark on your reputation- nothing is forgotten or forgiven. Enough errors and they start to consider getting rid of you. And most of these things are easy fixes. I often felt like I couldn't do anything to improve my reputation with upper management because once you're marked for one thing, they will jump on any indication that you're even worse than they thought. The longer you're there the easier it is to get in trouble for something, no matter how small and pointless. 

Despite the high stress of the job, I did find it very rewarding. Yes, it was stressful, but at the end of the day I felt like I was doing something of value by helping people and animals in our amazing community. Every day had something new to offer and the general staff population there was absolutely incredible. It's really quite heartbreaking that upper management makes such a bad taste in your mouth that you can't stand to work there because it's honestly hard to leave the job when you're still so passionate about the work you do. There was a lot of change in upper management while I was there and each time everyone hoped that things would change for the better but they only ever seemed to get worse. 

If they solved their management problems, it would be a great place to work and I'd recommend it to anyone. Not to mention the staff turnover would go down significantly, I'm sure. I still highly recommend the organization to anyone I can because it still deserves community support. So don't take this review as a bad mark on the organization itself. I just think it's high time they got a bit of a wake up call before the organization falls apart because no one wants to work under people like that.

The job has a lot of cons and minimal pros - Meeting animals that in retrospect are incredible that you know are going to be euthanized.  There is no pay for overtime work. In a typical day you enter and clean the shelter and get any animals brought in situated - You will see and handle deceased animals in any condition. Clientele ranges from adopting animals out to bad homes for the most part as no adopters are cross referenced , people who want to have their pet euthanized and people who want to surrender their pet - A client can be absolutely crazy and openly tell you they are not gonna be good owners and still adopt. You will not make enough money for the work you do in any position here.  Management acts supportive while they want you to stay in the same positions as they have high turnover rates. You can be asked to work in any department at anytime, the public has a bad view of the shelter due to the previous ownership of that building.  My advice is don't fall in love with any animals as even if they are adopted out they are frequently returned and euthanized. If you have a child or require any accommodations don't expect this organization to support you, dont be fooled, they do not care about you or the animals they care about their image so they can make money. Animals spend 23 hours a day in the kennel in loud rooms with constant exposure to stress.  They get away for saying they don't euthanize for time or space because animals can last in the kennel until they develop psychosis and then be euthanized. You will be exposed to animals with disease you can get infected by, dangerous dogs, ferral cats, animals that have killed other animals and mauled people - fighting dogs, bait dogs, abused animals, abandoned animals ECT ECT - Even if you have 10+ years of experience in animal work be prepared for the existing people that work there to talk down to you and tell you that you don't know enough. Countless staff members have left because too many animals are euthanized . Everyone that works here has a clear understanding that anything you report can be used as a reason for an animal to be euthanized, even if an animal scratches you. The job feels very impact-full at first until you realize how much is kept from the public. When you process euthanasia requests from the public you are expected to tell them that the process is quick and painless Theres a reason they don't euthanize Infront of the client. Supervisors here aren't promoted based on abilities or knowledge they are promoted on how much time they've stayed at the company, you can be the most experienced person In the room and work under someone who has only worked with animals within their facilities for one year.  The positives are that you work with animals, some do make it out but not most. You also get to work with many different fields in animal care which is good experience. 

I worked here for 2.5 years and was proud of all the hard work we did to build up this shelter.  We were finally profitable and were offering such sorely needed services to our community such as a low cost wellness clinic, low cost dentals, spay/neuter services, and low cost vaccine clinics. The healthcare team did an amazing job with such limited resources to really make an difference in the lives of all the animals that came through the shelter.  That all changed in July when the new board member and her cronies decided to fire the executive director in the most unprofessional manner.  She had spent 13 years really changing things at Weld and making it a great place to work.  But since she didnt just roll over and do whatever the president wanted (bc the ED had extensive training in animal welfare and knew what would work and wouldnt) the president forced her out.  The new ED that came in had her bio up on the website within 20 min of the old one getting fired. Staff morale was awful. It got even worse after that new ED decided she was in over her head and elected to start looking for a replacement after just 1 week.  The new director of ops doesnt respect her staff and hired her boyfriend to be a direct report and lead the shelter, again minimal animal training. Huge conflict of interest. There are reasons why supervisors arent allowed to date their direct reports.  Awful sneaking conniving things happening with the volunteer program, allowing people who had been banned for very appropriate reasons to return bc their wife is on the board.  The new ED has zero animal welfare experience.  Your job is not safe. You can have never been written up, never been late, above average reviews for years, and show up one morning and get fired because you didnt drink the koolaid and were standing up for what is best for the animals. They are to not be trusted!!!

The HSWC has undergone a lot of positive changes since the board changed management, a move that was long overdue and absolutely necessary. The conditions in which the animals are living is dramatically better than it was just a few months ago. The new management has improved employee and volunteer morale and shows a deep and genuine caring for the animals and people alike. 

Here's the truth: the previous management and ACT's allowed cats and dogs to live in their own urine and feces, some to the point where the animals had severe urine scald on their skin. Animals went without water frequently. Medical conditions were often not reported to medical staff, which in itself was dubious. Management ignored what was happening in the back - out of sight, out of mind. The conditions those poor cats and dogs were deplorable but the staff apparently thought things were just great and threw a temper tantrum when the board moved to replace management. I have notes and photos to back up what I'm saying here.

The HSWC is a great place to work if you love animals and are willing to put forth the effort required to care for them - it won't always be easy but it will always be rewarding. The staff and volunteers truly care about the wellbeing of the pets and even the public is taking notice and remarking about how much better the HSWC has become. If you're considering a job here, come speak with the staff and volunteers and draw your own conclusions.

The Humane Society of Weld County was not “sheltering” for many years. The emphasis was placed on public animals and the wellness  clinic for revenue and actual shelter animals fell by the wayside and many sat for months just waiting for basic services so they could be adopted out. This facility is not intended to warehouse animals and they paid the price for too long. Animal flow was non existent & efforts were largely ignored in helping animals with behavioral issues so they sat for months in solitary only to be euthanized. I just started work here in September and this facility was the filthiest, most unsanitary building for both animals and staff. And little to no fundraising occurred for over a decade for this nonprofit. Those who have left are part of a corrupt reward system of previous leadership and could not handle accountability and disciplined accordingly.
The complexion and reputation of Weld County Humane Society is changing and new management in conjunction with the boards vision is moving mountains to place the animals as a priority and ensure that they receive the best possible care, enrichment, and timely placement while with us. We have created new positions such as a shelter manager, a behaviorist, and a community engagement coordinator to serve our animals and the public more effectively and efficiently.
New year, new goals, new staff, new vision, Humane Society of Weld County is the place to be!!!

This is a wonderful organization but the senior leadership needs to go.  It is a high stress work environment and outstanding work is met with extreme criticism.  The senior staff is shockingly unqualified.  The pay and benefits are typical for a non profit. The culture is high tension.  A typical day would entail management being overly angry about small things.  If I was away from my desk for more than 5 minutes I would be reprimanded by human resources.  I was constantly watched.  At one point for the common "No shave November" to raise awareness about men's cancer I along with the other males were charged with being "Sexist" for having facial hair because the females would not be able to participate.  I finally left because of fear that I would be the fall person for legal issues with senior staff's neglect of employee safety in the workplace.  Great place to volunteer.  Horrible place to work.

the client services position overall is perfectly fine, but due to poor management a lot of the members of the animal care team leave frequently, which then puts those responsibilities also on client services, with no extra pay increase and no additional staff to compensate. management gaslights employees over their concerns and punishes them for "commiserating" instead of looking into issues and solving them.  I can't recommend working for them unless you are really good at adapting to illogical policy changes, and unless you're also comfortable with working the animal care technician  position, because you will end up acting as both positions for 1 pay rate anyways.

HSWC used to be the best place to work, with amazing staff and culture. In July everything changed when the Board of Directors came in and cleaned out management without any warning, and the animals have been suffering for it. The new management put in place is disrespectful, unfair, and manipulative. They consistently try to use the the animals as leverage against staff to manipulate them into doing more work without compensation. Current Director of Operations refers to staff as “subordinates”, and also brought in her boyfriend as a manager shortly after her hire. Her boyfriend consistently puts animals in danger and nothing is done about it. No complaints or concerns for operations or work environment are taken seriously and the remaining staff feels trapped. Most of the current staff has walked out or resigned due to unfair and unsafe work environments.

The Humane Society of Weld County has quickly become one of the most distrusted establishments in all of Colorado to take care of pets adequately and safely. After usurping old management, the new management decided to become kill-happy with kittens and other animals in order to make space. The shelter nearly euthanized an entire litter of kittens for space purposes. The new DO has appointed her boyfriend to behavior specialist without interviewing other qualified candidates, so you can say goodbye to the opportunity for upward movement. They have wrongly euthanized animals due to a lack of understanding of their own intake system and direct failure from management. Under appreciated staff while there and unprofessional towards former staff after they realized what a mess the situation is.
STAY AWAY.

Everything outside of the work with animals was negative. Training was rushed due to chronically understaffed departments. Client services work was tough - physically, mentally, etc. - due to serving an emotionally draining population of animals and people on their worst days. 

All that aside, the workplace culture is the nail in the coffin. It's hostile and demanding and seems to be purposefully kept that way by leadership. Turnover is excessively high (6 month average for CSRs when I was there), pay is exceedingly low ("competitive" starting wages that have been stagnant at $16/hr since 2022), and neither are seen as organizational problems. 

Hopefully things have improved since the merger. I wish the best for the animals and the shelter staff.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Veterinary technician 13 salaries reported	$27.00 per hour
Animal shelter manager 9 salaries reported	$65,833 per year
Customer service representative 6 salaries reported	$17.50 per hour
Animal technician 1 salary reported	$17.50 per hour
Veterinarian 6 salaries reported	$117,500 per year

Working at NOCO Humane: Company Overview and Reviews

NOCO Humane

NOCO Humane Ratings

Popular jobs at NOCO Humane

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected