Animal Care Officer

The purpose of the class is to enforce ordinances governing the care and keeping of domestic animals and livestock in an effort to maintain public safety and welfare, and to perform related work as required. This class works according to some procedures but decides how or when to do things; work is reviewed regularly by supervisor.

ESSENTIAL TASKS

The tasks listed below are those that represent the majority of the time spent working in this class.  Management may assign additional tasks related to the type of work of the class as necessary.

Patrols areas of the County on foot or in assigned vehicles to detect violations of laws and ordinances pertaining to animal control.

Investigates complaints of dogs, cats or other animals creating nuisances and takes appropriate action.

Investigates reports of animal abuse; files charges as appropriate; prepare cases for prosecution and provides court testimony.

Responds to calls regarding stray, vicious and/or diseased animals; responds to calls regarding animal bites; performs preliminary investigations.

Mediates animal complaints between citizens when appropriate.

Captures and transports stray, sick, injured or potentially rabid animals to the shelter for appropriate processing, care and treatment, and quarantine as necessary.

Determines breeds of animals for proper classification.

Assists in performing euthanasia.

Picks up and properly disposes of animal carcasses.

Assists law enforcement personnel in situations involving animals as requested.

Issues warnings and citations for violations of ordinances governing the care and keeping of animals.

Provides public education regarding animal control; explains ordinances related to the care and keeping of animals; and assists in the performance of community sweeps.

Creates affidavits for petition hearings and search warrants in compliance with County ordinance.

Performs dispatching duties when necessary.

Maintains assigned vehicles and equipment.

Maintains records of daily work activities.

Performs routine clerical duties as required, including but not limited to greeting and assisting customers, preparing forms, answering the telephone, copying and filing documents, etc.

Operates a vehicle, traps, restraining / capture devices, two-way radio, hand tools, telephone, etc.; exercises care and safety in the use and maintenance of assigned vehicle and equipment.

Attends training, meetings, workshops, etc., as necessary to maintain job knowledge, skills and required certifications.

Works on call 24 hours per day as scheduled.

Maintains a working relationship with external customers, to include but not limited to staff members of the City shelter, veterinarians, DHEC, and law enforcement personnel.

Must be proficient in Microsoft Office.

INVOLVEMENT WITH DATA, PEOPLE, AND THINGS

DATA INVOLVEMENT:

Requires gathering, organizing, analyzing, examining or evaluating data or information and may prescribe action based on such data or information.

PEOPLE INVOLVEMENT:

Requires persuading or influencing others in favor of a service, point of view, or course of action; may enforce laws, rules, regulations or ordinances.

INVOLVEMENT WITH THINGS:

Requires handling or using machines requiring moderate instruction and experience such as computers, cameras, animal control equipment, chemical immobilization rifle, etc.

COGNITIVE REQUIREMENTS

REASONING REQUIREMENTS:

Requires performing skilled work involving rules/systems with almost constant problem-solving.

MATHEMATICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Requires using addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, and/or calculating ratios, rates and percentages.

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS:

Requires reading technical instructions, procedures, manuals and charts to solve practical problems; composing routine reports and specialized reports, forms and business letters with proper format; speaking compound sentences using normal grammar and word form.

MENTAL REQUIREMENTS:

Requires doing clerical, manual or technical tasks requiring a wide range of procedures and requiring intensive understanding of a restricted field or complete familiarity with the functions of a unit or small division of an operating agency; requires normal attention with short periods of concentration for accurate results or occasional exposure to unusual pressure.

VOCATIONAL/EDUCATIONAL AND EXPERIENCE PREPARATION

VOCATIONAL/EDUCATIONAL PREPARATION:

Requires high school diploma, GED or specialized vocational training.

SPECIAL CERTIFICATIONS AND LICENSES:

Must possess a valid state driver’s license.

Must possess or be able to obtain Animal Control certification; may be required to possess or obtain other certifications as deemed necessary by department head.

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

Requires over six months and up to and including one year.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT REQUIREMENTS

PHYSICAL AND DEXTERITY REQUIREMENTS:

Requires medium-to-heavy work that involves walking, standing, stooping, lifting, climbing, pushing or raising objects and also involves exerting between 20 and 50 pounds of force on a recurring basis and 50 to 100 pounds of force on an occasional basis.  Requires routine keyboard operations.

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS:

The job may risk exposure to bright/dim light, dusts and pollen, extreme heat and/or cold, wet or humid conditions, animals/wildlife, fumes and/or noxious odors, traffic, heights, disease/pathogens, toxic/caustic chemicals, violence.

SENSORY REQUIREMENTS:

The job requires normal visual acuity and field of vision, hearing and speaking abilities, depth and color perception.

JUDGMENTS AND DECISIONS

JUDGMENTS AND DECISIONS:

Responsible for guiding others, requiring frequent decisions affecting co-workers, customers and others who depend on the service or product; works in a somewhat fluid environment with rules and procedures but with many variations from the routine.

ADA COMPLIANCE

Richland County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  ADA requires the County to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities.  Prospective and current employees

Compensation Range: $18.74 - $29.96