Full-Time
Animal Care Officer
Posted on 7/15/2025
PETA
501-1,000 employees
Nonprofit advocacy group for animal rights
No salary listed
Norfolk, VA, USA
Hybrid
 Medical, Clinical & Veterinary (2) |
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- Demonstrated ability to describe and provide clients with animal and family services offered by PETA’s Community Animal Project
- Demonstrated experience with sales, customer service, public outreach or similar experience
- Demonstrated effective communication and interpersonal skills
- Minimum of two years of animal-handling experience
- Proven effective problem-solving and crisis-management skills
- Demonstrated ability to use independent judgment and discretion
- Proven ability to deal with a variety of people in a professional manner
- Proven ability to coordinate several tasks at once and handle frequent interruptions
- Demonstrated ability to manage time wisely and prioritize tasks
- Willingness to obtain euthanasia certification (on-the-job training will be provided)
- Willingness and ability to be on 24-hour emergency call
- Ability to lift and carry up to 50 lbs. without assistance on a regular basis
- Ability to engage in frequent bending, stooping, crawling, lifting, reaching, and stair-climbing
- Must be at least 21 years of age and have a valid U.S. driver's license, a minimum of three years of driving experience, and a satisfactory driving record
- Commitment to the objectives of the organization
- Perform daily Community outreach advertising, offering and providing PETA's animal and family services in Virginia and North Carolina, including spay/neuter surgeries and related transport, rabies vaccinations and other veterinary and wellness services
- Contact potential and existing clients of PETA’s Community Animal Project (CAP) to offer animal and family services in Virginia and North Carolina
- Handle incoming calls from existing and potential clients requesting services, prepare and update case sheets for providing those services, and maintain records of services provided, including photographing conditions when appropriate
- Provide companion animal care and family services, including pick up and assistance to injured or unwanted animals
- File complaints with animal control agencies in situations requiring legal intervention, and follow up to ensure that action is taken
- Conduct investigations involving neglected or abused animals
- Perform emergency first-aid procedures and euthanasia
- Care for animals in PETA's custody
- Participate in the rotation for CAP's 24-hour pager providing emergency services to clients and the general public across CAP’s service region
- Perform any other duties assigned by the supervisor
PETA advocates for animal rights and works to end cruelty toward animals. It targets four major sources of suffering—factory farms, laboratories, the clothing trade, and the entertainment industry—through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns. Its activities include exposing cruelty, lobbying for laws, conducting undercover investigations, rescuing animals, and organizing public campaigns to shift consumer and industry behavior. Unlike many groups that focus on a single issue or region, PETA is the largest animal-rights organization and uses high-profile campaigns and celebrity partnerships to raise awareness and influence policy. The goal is to stop animal suffering and secure legal protections and better treatment for animals.
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
Norfolk, Virginia
Founded
1980
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Poorva Joshipura's presidency strengthens PETA International's global advocacy reach.
- PETA toxicologists shaped Canada's strategy to end lifetime cancer tests on rodents.
- PETA completed 500th spay/neuter in Puerto Rico, rescuing dogs post-Hurricane Maria.
What critics are saying
- HSUS steals 30% of donors with milder welfare tactics in 12-24 months.
- Joshipura's leadership fragments US operations, causing turnover in 6-12 months.
- Aggressive protests trigger lawsuits from farming industries, draining funds now.
What makes PETA unique
- PETA targets factory farms, labs, clothing, and entertainment for maximum animal suffering reduction.
- PETA opposes speciesism via education, investigations, rescues, and celebrity protests since 1980.
- PETA's Science Consortium trains on non-animal toxicity testing with Colgate and IIVS.
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Benefits
Flexible Work Hours
Company News
Exclusive PETA footage shows shocking fatality at California racetrack. Published December 15, 2025 by Scott Miller. Last Updated December 18, 2025. Exclusive video footage shot by PETA shows a catastrophic breakdown and fatal injury during the Champion of Champions stakes race at Los Alamitos Race Course in California on Saturday night, December 13. PETA's video captured 4-year-old Quarter Horse Stanley Cartel suffering a devastating lower-leg fracture that left the limb dangling as he collapsed on the track. Stanley Cartel's death, in what was supposed to be his last race before retiring to stud, marks the latest in a series of serious injuries and fatalities at Los Alamitos, a track already under scrutiny by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) following a recent cluster of equine deaths. Ramiro Castillo previously trained Stanley Cartel before Los Alamitos banned him earlier this week after five horses in his care died since May. Following this incident, PETA is urging the CHRB and Los Alamitos Race Course to take immediate action. People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Inc. is calling for comprehensive veterinary examinations - including CT scans - of all horses formerly trained by Castillo to identify hidden injuries before they cause more deaths. PETA is also pressing officials to suspend all live racing and training at Los Alamitos so the track can undergo a full, independent safety review. This latest breakdown highlights the urgency of that warning.
Poorva Joshipura named inaugural president of PETA International.
PETA toxicologists collaborated with Health Canada and others to publish a strategy on avoiding lifetime cancer tests on rats and mice.
In bestowing the award, PETA recognized Friends' annual Chicago River Day which mobilizes thousands of volunteers to clean up litter and restore habitat.
PETA Science Consortium International regularly sponsors this Practical Methods for In Vitro Toxicology Training workshop, which is held at IIVS several times a year.