Animal Care Specialist / Adoption & Guest Services
Location: Cape Coral Animal Shelter
Job Type: Part-Time to possibly Full-Time
Pay: $14.00–$15.00 per hour
Shifts: Morning, afternoon, WEEKENDS A MUST (4–8 hour shifts)
Love Animals? Good With People? Not Afraid to Get Dirty? Perfect.
This is not a glamorous gig—and it’s not just a kennel job.
One minute you may be scrubbing a kennel or cleaning up a mystery mess. The next, you could be answering the phone, greeting a family at the front desk, helping someone choose their new best friend, or processing adoption paperwork for the new adopters.
This position is part animal care specialist, part customer service representative, part front desk, and part adoption coordinator.
We need someone who can work hard behind the scenes and confidently represent Cape Coral Animal Shelter to the public. If you love animals, enjoy helping people, can communicate professionally, and aren't afraid of some serious cleaning, we want to meet you.
What You'll Actually Do (Yes, Every Day):
- Scrub, scoop, and sanitize: Clean dog kennels, cat manors, litter boxes, floors, food bowls, and mystery messes with military precision.
- Feed and water: Keep our furry residents full, hydrated, comfortable, and cared for—with zero spills if you're lucky.
- Play nurse: Administer basic medications and monitor animals for changes in health, behavior, or well-being.
- Be the welcoming face of the shelter: Greet visitors, answer phones, respond to questions, provide information, and help create a positive experience for everyone who walks through our doors.
- Work the front desk: Assist with day-to-day front desk responsibilities, answer questions about our animals and services, communicate with staff and visitors, process and approve applications and adoptions, and help keep things running smoothly.
- Handle the human side of animal welfare: Not every conversation is easy. You'll need patience, empathy, professionalism, and the ability to stay calm when someone is frustrated, emotional, confused, or having a bad day.
- Keep the place spotless: Shelters don't clean themselves. You'll help keep animal areas and public spaces disinfected, organized, and looking sharp—because both animal health and the visitor experience depend on it.
- Pitch in everywhere: Dog kennels, cat rooms, laundry, dishes, adoption floor, front desk—if something needs to be done, you're part of the team that gets it done.
This Job Is For You If:
- You genuinely love animals AND people. This one is important.
- You're friendly, approachable, and comfortable talking with strangers.
- You can provide great customer service even when things get busy or stressful.
- You're comfortable answering phones, communicating clearly, and learning basic computer/front desk systems.
- You can switch gears quickly—from cleaning a kennel to helping an adopter—without missing a beat.
- You're not afraid to get drenched in drool, sweat, cleaning solution, or the occasional mystery splash.
- You can lift 50 lbs.
- You're 18+ and legally eligible to work in the U.S.
- You have a strong work ethic, thick skin, a soft heart, and a killer sense of humor.
- You're dependable, flexible, and willing to jump in wherever you're needed.
- You can work weekends. Animals don't know it's Saturday, and neither does the laundry.
Perks of the Dirty Job:
- Employee discount
- Flexible schedule
- Hands-on experience in animal welfare and adoptions
- The joy of helping animals find their second chance
- The satisfaction of helping people find a new member of their family
If you're ready to work your tail off, get dirty, answer the phone with a smile, help a nervous adopter find the right pet, clean up something unidentifiable five minutes later, and still go home knowing you made a difference—this might be your calling.
Apply now. Show us what you're made of.
Work Location: In person
Pay: $14.00 - $15.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Employee discount
- Flexible schedule
Work Location: In person
