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A pet adoption counselor facilitates the adoption process of animals from shelters, rescue organizations, or adoption agencies to suitable homes. Working in animal welfare or shelter environments, these counselors ensure that both the adopter and the animal have a positive and harmonious experience. Pet adoption counselors often conduct ...
Kayla calls pet adoption counselors the most important link in the chain when it comes to choosing the right pet. "We care a lot, and will spend the time you need to find the right pet!" So, if you're interested in adopting a new pet, it's okay to look on the shelter's website, but remember to speak to adoption counselor if one is available first.
Jun 10, 2024 · Adoption fees vary by location and type of pet. For a general idea of how much it will cost to adopt an animal in Canada, here are the standard fees for each animal, if you were to adopt from the Ontario S.P.C.A. and Humane Society: Dog/puppy - $585. Cat/kitten - $260. Senior cat (10 years+) - $100.
The Supported Rehoming Program is an alternative to surrender. It allows you to keep your pet in your home while we help you to find a suitable new home. We understand that rehoming a pet is a difficult process and that you want to find the best possible new home for your animal. Our adoption staff are specially trained to identify good ...
- Overview
- What does a pet adoption counselor do?
- Benefits of being a pet adoption counselor
- Pet adoption counselor skills
- How to become a pet adoption counselor
Pursuing a career as a pet adoption counselor can be an incredibly rewarding experience for animal lovers. Whether they're training volunteers to better assist shelter animals or helping match cats and dogs with their new potential owners, pet adoption counselors use their impressive skills of observation and knowledge of animal behavior to help fi...
Pet adoption counselors help animal shelters match pets with potential owners. During their workday, they often sort through pet adoption applications, observe how applicants interact with animals and inform owners about the proper care for their potential pets. Their primary responsibility, though, is to help pet owners form powerful bonds with their pets in order to reduce the amount of animals returned to the shelter. They can accomplish this by thoroughly questioning applicants and scheduling follow-up appointments with pet owners after adoption. Some other daily duties can include:
•Taking care of animals
•Training volunteers
•Filing paperwork
Rewarding career
Working as a pet adoption counselor allows you the rewarding opportunity to find shelter animals a home and a loving owner or family to assist and care for them. As you evaluate the applications of potential owners and assess their connections with the animals, you are given the opportunity to match particular personalities and understand which owners can provide the best support for certain pets.
Flexible hours
Most animal shelters hold regular business hours Monday through Friday. Working as a pet adoption counselor gives you the ability to work a regular schedule and possibly conduct some of your work remotely at home, coming into the shelter only when you need to care for the animals or meet with potential owners. This can provide you with a more flexible work schedule that can leave your evenings and weekends free.
Constant animal interaction
A lot of pet adoption counselors pursue the career because of their love for animals. This creates an excellent benefit for them as they can constantly surround themselves with cats, dogs and more, providing them with helpful services, find them new homes and taking care of their basic needs. Conducting your duties in a work environment that excites you can help increase your motivation and productivity.Read more: Positive Working Environment: Definition and Characteristics
Here are a few of the skills pet adoption counselors need to succeed:
•Communication: Working as a pet adoption counselor often requires strong communication skills to properly relay information to potential owners about pet safety and care, as well as communicating important information to colleagues and shelter volunteers.
•Observation: When assessing applicants and how they interact with their potential pets, it's important to have key observational skills to see if there are any challenges or problems that are currently present, or might appear in the future. The pet adoption counselor could then correct the issues, or find a better match for the applicant.
•Knowledge of animal behavior: Knowledge of animal behavior and how to identify behavioral issues is important for a pet adoption counselor so they can adjust any behavioral challenges from shelter animals, or communicate with potential owners on how they can work to fix the problems themselves.
•Knowledge of animal care and safety: It's important for pet adoption counselors to have extensive knowledge in animal care and safety so they can perform their duties more efficiently and relay helpful advice and training to both shelter volunteers and potential pet owners.
Do you need help with your resume?
1. Volunteer at animal shelters
Volunteering at animal shelters can be helpful to aspiring pet adoption counselors because it can provide them with significant animal handling experience and help their resume become more noticeable to potential employers. It also allows individuals to understand the major functions and responsibilities of an animal shelter operation, which can be very beneficial to their career later on. If there aren't many shelter volunteer opportunities in your local area, there are still other jobs that can provide you with great animal handling experience including a pet groomer, animal trainer or veterinary technician.Related: How to Become a Dog Groomer in 3 Easy Steps
2. Further develop your skills
Continuing to develop your skills in animal care, training and behavioral assessment can be very helpful when pursuing a pet adoption counselor career. If you're looking for ways to improve your knowledge on animals, including common health problems, food requirements and housing necessities, consider searching for classes online or in your local area that can provide that education. Otherwise, consider mentioning your career aspirations to officials at your local animal shelter and see if they would be willing to mentor you or train you to better prepare you for the position.
3. Gain other relevant experience
Though having the ability to work with animals is important for the pet adoption counselor career, it's equally important to have experience for other aspects of the job including customer service, computer proficiency and processing and filing payment information. Before applying for a pet adoption counselor position, consider finding jobs or opportunities in other fields, such as the food service industry, retail or receptionist positions, to help you develop additional skills and expertise that add to your occupational qualifications.Related: Working in Customer Service: Everything You Need To Know
Training – Many adoptable pets are already trained, but you should certainly consider the amount of training you want to do to determine both the type and age of your new companion pet. There are many more possible considerations — gender, allergies, etc. — so the best way to help ensure your family makes the best decision is to consult an adoption counselor at your local shelter or rescue.
People also ask
How do I become a pet adoption counselor?
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What can a trained adoption counselor do for You?
Finalize your adoption at a PetSmart store or bring in your adoption papers to receive your FREE Welcome Home Guide to save over $450 on everything you need for your new best friend. Pet adoption saves the lives of homeless dogs and cats. Many breeds available, even puppies and kittens. Let our adoption program help you find your next best friend.
