Animal Services Officer
Location: Alexandria, VA
Salary: $37,440 to $41,600
At the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) our Animal Services Officers are our community advocates for the humane treatment of all animals and the education of our community members on the humane treatment of domestic animals and wildlife. This is a dynamic position responsible for enforcing local and state animal welfare and animal control laws, with an emphasis on compassion, understanding and education towards all members of our community. Animal Services Officers are routinely tasked with the rescue of domestic animals and wildlife from precarious situations and providing emergency care to those animals.
Essential job functions include:
- Investigating and resolving all complaints of cruelty to animals in the City of Alexandria in a prompt and efficient manner
- Enforcing all state and city laws pertaining to the humane care and control of animals.
- Effectively working with attorneys, police officials, veterinarians, and others to resolve case of animal abuse and neglect
- Ensuring that everything legally possible and prudent has been done to improve the quality of life for the animal involved, alleviate their suffering, and to educate or take appropriate legal action with the animal’s custodian when answering a call
- Conducting follow-up with citizens, as appropriate, to ensure continuing compliance with laws and proper animal care; inspecting and issuing all permits indicated by law
- Complying with all aspects of the rabies control program
- Ensuring animals who need to be captured are done so humanely, the transportation is as comfortable as possible, and that emergency first aid and/or prompt veterinary care is rendered, if appropriate
- Picking up and disposing of dead animals on public, non-highway, roads within the City of Alexandria
- After an appropriate training period, humanely euthanizing animals when necessary
- Properly maintaining individual City animal control vehicles, ensuring that vehicles are supplied with all necessary equipment and are maintained in a sanitary manner, and verify if inspections are current
- Maintaining a polite, professional, and informative demeanor for other staff members, veterinarians, police department officials, attorneys, representatives from other agencies, and the general public
- Administrative duties including but not limited to, writing accurate and timely reports on all work activities, entering and updating all animal records in a timely manner, and participating in community programs to promote the humane treatment of all animals.
- Other duties as assigned to support the AWLA’s mission
