animal care associate

guest service agent

veterinary assistant

veterinary technician

veterinarian

San Diego Humane Society

THE BAD:
They expect current staff to train the newbies when we have supervisors and leads that should be doing that (I don’t get paid enough to train). Turnover seems high throughout other departments, so no one is on the same page usually ever. It’s like ripping teeth out trying to get a pay that is deserving of my experience and knowledge. Spring and summers are the hardest, busiest time w/o the staff to cover the needs of the animals (and staff). Surgery lists can be long and exhausting and leadership expects it to get done even though the VAs & RVTs have things to do afterwards (cleanup/notes/etc) so we’re rushing to do our other aspects of our jobs. The org prides itself on work/life balance and a ‘good place to work’ atmosphere — in reality it seems like a front to the public. You come home exhausted and stretched thin while on the clock. The definition of a ‘fast-paced work environment’. Pretty much sink or swim. Constantly picking up the slack of other employees. If you have more experience and knowledge, higher ups expect more from you w/o compensating for it. Leadership cares only about dogs and cats, if reptiles, exotics, birds, etc come in, expect them to get less care and ultimately be euthanized over simple things that can be treated/fixed. They seem to pick and choose favorite animals in care and will dump tons of resources into one dog, but euthanize something else for less.
THE GOOD:
Opportunity to learn! The staff dvms are great and knowledgeable, happy to answer questions, explain things, etc. Depending on your skill set, a lot of things can be solo work w/ just running the case by the doc and having them approve medications/treatments, and you can go on about your patients for the day. There are many surgeries/cases you wouldn’t normally see in a small practice, so you’re able to learn about more things. As a VA, you’re able to learn and utilize many technical skills that GP/small practices would reserve as technician only duties, which is cool. Even though it’s a shelter, there is a lot of equipment that other places may not (I.e. more learning opportunities). The staff in medical used to be wonderful, but there had been a lot of turnover and only a few great med staff remain. The few that are great, make the day great. The few that aren’t—well, you can guess. The job is rewarding in the sense ‘you’re saving lives’. PTO, holidays (& birthdays) policies are nice. Even though pay is lower than industry standard, it is higher than shelter standard of pay which is nice. There’s a lot of online trainings that are mandatory/recommended to further your knowledge. The company offers partial CET reimbursement as well as uniform allowance. You hardly ever interact with the public unless it’s for an animal being adopted which is on medication, which is nice (honestly imo makes everything worth it lol) — unless you work vaccine clinic. 

It is very fun to work there regarding animals. I didn’t think the cleaning was too tough. Management, though, did leave a lot to be desired; you were basically managing yourself most of the time, with man managers and supervisors only giving you tasks to do throughout the day and occasionally checking up on you.

There was no room for growth in the Animal Care department; if you wanted to grow, you had to transfer to another department. The work environment was very toxic because people would talk about you behind your back and you wouldn’t even realize it.

Another major drawback regardless of what department you were in was the emotional/compassion fatigue and the feeling. That no matter what you did and how hard you fought for animals, leadership would still make the decisions that they’d make regardless of how an animal could have fared given different conditions to live or given additional care.

It got to a point where you didn’t feel like you made a difference or that it didn’t matter whether you were there or not. You were told you were appreciated and valued, but that was all talk; no one ever showed how you were appreciated for your work and dedication.

Many workers put in things from their own money in order to make working conditions easier, and the company will not even consider reimbursing for these items, nor will they take the care to remember to reimburse you for any gas spent if you are moving animals in your own vehicle.

Their protocols for ‘preventing’ bites also weren’t exactly the safest or some that could work in a heated and intense situation like that, so they were often discarded in the heat of the moment and one felt like they were fending for themselves in the moment of a bite.

As a veterinary hospital, the Medical Department at the SDHS is fast-paced and can be hectic at times but is bar none, a place to learn and hone ones's skills while adhering to the organization's goals and mission, which is finding forever homes for animals that need them. 

A typical day at work includes but is not limited to: assisting in surgery which includes prepping the OR, checking anesthesia machines, prepping animals for surgery, monitoring them before, during and after surgery, cleaning cages/kennels, making sure everything is well stocked, laundry,  washing, wrapping and autoclaving surgical instrument packs, medicating, vaccinating, microchipping, assisting with dental procedures, assisting DVM's with medical appointments that may come in for re-checks, bathing, walking, feeding and nurturing patients, inputting information into the computer and cleaning up before the day is over.

Everyone, from DVM's, RVT's and fellow Veterinary Asssistants, is ready and willing to help you learn in an environment that promotes honing your skills and being the best you can be. The hardest part of the job is the long hours and subsequent demand on you physically. The most enjoyable part is knowing you are a part of a team that helps the critters get into forever homes by helping rehabilitate them from the moment they arrive to when they go home with their new owners.

I couldn't have chosen a better place to volunteer and intern while I was getting certified as a Veterinary Assistant. It is a privilege to be employed there as a part-time PRN Veterinary Assistant.

Along with employee pay being low considering what we have to do on the daily basis (especially if you've working in the field for years), standard of care is favored in dogs and cats. Animal care and medical staff will put dogs and cats above pocket pets, birds, livestock, etc in my opinion. I felt like I really had to advocate for them when they were not given the correct husbandry, or a medical issue is overlooked or not taken seriously; whereas dogs and cats automatically get exams, medications, treatments, and procedures done within a timely manner. 
Leadership is also about 50/50. Training of new staff sometimes isn't done correctly or effectively i.e. sanitation or tools that can help lower kennel stress
With that being said, I did like shelter medicine, it's nice not dealing with the public too often except the occasional question potential adoptors had or running up meds to go home with the animals new family. I did like my coworkers in my dept. I was lucky that the medical dept I worked with was all about teaching others and allowing coworkers to practice and improve their technical skills. I can't say for other departments though

My experience at the humane society was amazing, my goal in life is to become a vet so working here was a great experience. My typical day at work consisted of feeding, bathing, and playing with the animals. As well as washing and cleaning cages, blankets, toys, bottles, bowls, ect. Overall, i learned how much work it is to take care of so many animals, but i would do it again. I find it the best job ever. The management was pretty good, they always made sure everything was on point and efficient. As for co-workers,they were all friendly and nice. We were all there because we cared so much for animals. it wasn't just a typical job where you just work to get paid. Here you worked to help the animals and care for them. Id say the hardest part of the job was making sure all the animals ate. Some would be sick and it would be very hard to feed them. So we'd have to stay with them 24/7 trying to make them eat. The most enjoyable part of the job was just loving, caring, and playing with the animals. You can never geo wrong with that.

A typical day at work starts with taking care of your routine (cats, dogs, or small animals) and ends with helping others finish their routines. There is no cohesive standard of care or expectation of how things should be done, so things never get done in a timely manner. There’s no cohesive training though so the employees shouldn’t be blamed.

Management is so out of touch with what the workers do on a day to day basis, they keep asking the workers to take on more and get on them when they’re slacking on things instead of understanding that they’re doing the best they can and the top priorities for the workers are always taking care of the animals in care versus making sure paperwork is up to date or things are organized.

Taking care of the animals is the best part of the job but the rest of it just isn’t worth it. There is a reason that all the workers talk DAILY about quitting.


During my time at SDHS I experienced one of the most stressful work environments I've endured, simply due to the sheer lack of ability to predict any moment. Guest services and animals can make for a chaotic mix.
It's a job that requires you to think on your toes, and do it well. In addition, juggling multiple tasks is a skill that bodes well in this position. De-escalation and crisis training would be a facet, as many community members come in with complicated or distressing problems. You will likely learn about local animal law, domestic animal breeds, husbandry practices, and community services in this position. 
It's my hope that SDHS has put funding into mental health services for employees, due to the large amount of compassion fatigue and overwhelming work environment. The only true problem I had with the work was the lack of support system outside of it, once I began to process my day off the clock.

I thought SDHS was going to be my dream job. I was treated poorly by management. 80% of  coworkers do not actually care about the animals. Higher up management only cares about public image and is willing to lie and does lie on the regular. HR is oblivious to what is actually happening to the 'lower level' employees/animals. They are willing to listen to concerns though, which is an amazing thing. If HR was more in the know, and CEO knew what was actually happening, maybe something would change.
I was constantly feeling like a piece of dog do-do on the medical staff's and managements shoe. The physical and actual job was great. I loved creating relationships with the animals and trying to save their life from unnecessary and ruthless euthanasia from the place I was employed by who was supposed to be saving them. It has completely skewed my look at any 'shelter' environment. I guess you never really know until you work somewhere.

I worked here for over three years. The core values and ideology of the organization are wonderful, and animals being saved in unbelievable numbers was  a great thing to be a part of. But they put an image of “care culture”, when in fact it harbors toxic work environments in various departments and looks the other way whenever issues are brought up with HR. Animal care is supposed to be the heart of the shelter, we feed, clean after, socialize these animals, and bond with them before they are unjustifiably euthanized. Yet we get paid dollars less than anyone else, including facility technicians that seldom even show up to change a light bulb on time. “Zero kill shelter”—yeah right, prepare yourself to be disappointed. Sure it’s not as bad as other shelters, at all, but the level of disregard is still flattening. The CEO is great, but he is seriously out of touch with the front line employees who have zero assistance from management. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
One of the worst places to work! Absolutely no legitimate training, all about the cliques and whose nose is brownest. The hypocrisy of the organization is monumental to say the least. BEWARE 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Lack of training whilst throwing you into the lions den and calling it “hands on” training

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Terrible. They seem great at first, but the cliques pull the strings and the managers turn a blind eye and deaf ear to concerns .

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Long and hard with no breaks. The days when you need breaks the most, you won’t get them-promise. They have at least one law suit against them for this offense. The plaintiff won.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Animal care associate 29 salaries reported	$21.09 per hour
Guest service agent 20 salaries reported	$21.48 per hour
Veterinary assistant 15 salaries reported	$21.13 per hour
Veterinary technician 8 salaries reported	$28.29 per hour
Veterinarian 2 salaries reported	$135,000 per year

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