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Animal Adoption Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The Animal Haven Inc

Adoption Coordinator

North Haven, CT · On-site

$35K - $38K/yr

The ideal candidate will have a passion for animals and animal welfare, some knowledge of ... Screen adoption applications in accordance with The Animal Haven procedures and protocols to ensure ...

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Sacramento SPCA

Adoption Counselor

Sacramento, CA

Description The Sacramento SPCA is a vibrant, well-established and respected non-profit animal ... The Adoption Counselor, under the direction of the Adoptions Manager, will deliver excellent ...

LTD Global

Animal Control Officer

San Mateo, CA · On-site

$25 - $30/hr

Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, it provides a wide range of services, including animal adoption, wildlife rescue, veterinary care, humane education, and enforcement of animal-related laws. The ...

City of Foley

Animal Control Coordinator

Foley, AL · On-site

$45K - $72K/yr

Approve all animal adoptions and ensure adoption practices align with shelter policies and best practices. Determine when euthanasia is necessary, following established criteria and ethical ...

LTD Global

Animal Control Officer

San Mateo, CA · On-site

$25 - $30/hr

Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, it provides a wide range of services, including animal adoption, wildlife rescue, veterinary care, humane education, and enforcement of animal-related laws. The ...

Coweta County

Director, Animal Services

Newnan, GA · On-site

Oversees and assists with the provision of customer service to the public; provides information on the animal adoption process and educates staff and the public on humane treatment of animals ...

LTD GLOBAL, LLC

Be Seen First

Animal Control Officer

San Mateo, CA · On-site

$25 - $30/hr

Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, it provides a wide range of services, including animal adoption, wildlife rescue, veterinary care, humane education, and enforcement of animal-related laws. The ...

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Animal Adoption information

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How much do animal adoption jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 1, 2026, the average hourly pay for animal adoption in the United States is $21.51, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $17.31 and $24.52 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the highest paying job in animal care?

The highest paying jobs in animal care typically include veterinary surgeons and specialized veterinary practitioners, with salaries often exceeding six figures annually. These roles require advanced degrees, licensing, and extensive experience, and they often involve working in private practices, specialty clinics, or research settings.

What are some common challenges faced by animal adoption coordinators and how can they be addressed?

Animal adoption coordinators often encounter challenges such as managing high volumes of applications, ensuring compatibility between adopters and animals, and handling emotionally charged situations. To address these, coordinators typically rely on clear communication, thorough screening processes, and strong organizational skills. Collaborating closely with veterinary staff, volunteers, and other animal care professionals also helps ensure the best outcomes for both animals and adopters.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in Animal Adoption, and why are they important?

To thrive in Animal Adoption, you need a solid understanding of animal care, behavior assessment, and adoption protocols, often supported by experience in animal shelters or related certification. Familiarity with shelter management software, pet health databases, and basic veterinary tools is typically required. Excellent communication, empathy, and problem-solving skills help build relationships with adopters and support positive outcomes for animals. These skills and qualities are crucial for ensuring animal welfare, facilitating successful adoptions, and promoting community trust in adoption programs.

What is the difference between Animal Adoption vs Animal Care Specialist?

AspectAnimal AdoptionAnimal Care Specialist
Required CredentialsNone or basic background checkVeterinary assistant certification or related training
Work EnvironmentAnimal shelters, rescue centersVeterinary clinics, animal shelters
Employer & IndustryAnimal rescue organizations, sheltersVeterinary practices, animal care facilities
Common Search/ComparisonAdopting a pet vs caring for animals professionally

Animal Adoption involves helping individuals find and bring home pets from shelters or rescue groups, focusing on matching animals with new owners. Animal Care Specialists provide professional care, medical attention, and support to animals in shelters or clinics. While both roles involve working with animals, adoption is more about facilitating pet placement for the public, whereas animal care specialists are involved in the health and well-being of animals in a professional setting.

How can I get paid to work with animals?

Animal adoption roles such as animal care technician, shelter worker, or veterinary assistant typically pay employees for their work with animals. These jobs often require skills in animal handling, knowledge of animal behavior, and sometimes certifications like pet first aid or veterinary assisting credentials.

How do you become an animal rescue worker?

To become an animal rescue worker, individuals typically need a high school diploma or equivalent and relevant experience volunteering or working with animals. Many organizations prefer candidates with knowledge of animal behavior, basic veterinary skills, and certifications such as pet first aid or animal handling courses. Gaining experience through volunteering at shelters or rescue groups can improve job prospects and understanding of the field.

What is the best paying job that involves animals?

The highest-paying jobs involving animals are typically veterinarian positions, especially those specializing in exotic or large animals, with salaries often exceeding $100,000 annually. Advanced roles such as zoo directors or animal research scientists can also offer high salaries, especially with advanced degrees and experience.

What is animal adoption?

Animal adoption is the process of taking responsibility for a pet that needs a home, typically from an animal shelter or rescue organization. Instead of buying a pet from a breeder or pet store, adopting means giving a second chance to an animal that may have been abandoned, lost, or surrendered. Adoption usually involves an application process, fees to help cover veterinary care, and sometimes a home check. The goal is to match animals with loving, responsible families and reduce the number of homeless pets. Adopting a pet can be a rewarding experience that saves lives and enriches both the animal's and adopter's lives.
More about Animal Adoption jobs
What cities are hiring for Animal Adoption jobs? Cities with the most Animal Adoption job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Animal Adoption jobs? The most popular types of Animal Adoption jobs are:
What states have the most Animal Adoption jobs? States with the most job openings for Animal Adoption jobs include:
Animal Adoption jobs near you
Infographic showing various Animal Adoption job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 81% Full Time, 17% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 92% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 5% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $44,749 per year, or $21.5 per hour.

Adoption and Animal Care Specialist

Maricopa County, AZ

Scottsdale, AZ • On-site

$20.25 - $32.50/hr

Full-time

Medical, PTO

Posted 4 days ago

Job description

Posting Date
07/28/26
Application Deadline
07/31/26
Pay Range
Anticipated Hiring Range: $20.25 - $26.38 hourly
Full Pay Range: $20.25 - $32.50 hourly
Salary offers are based on the candidate's equivalent experience and internal equity with other employees within the same job classification. The position is eligible for overtime compensation for all hours worked over 40 in the designated workweek.
Job Type
Unclassified
Department
Animal Care and Control
About the Position
Are you passionate about connecting adopters with pets, caring for animals, and providing excellent experiences for people and pets?
As an Adoption and Animal Care Specialist, you will play a critical role in matching animals with customers looking to adopt while providing daily cleaning and care at our PetSmart Everyday Adoption Center (EAC). You will conduct animal meet-and-greets and facilitate a conversational adoption approach through open dialogue. You will be essential in promoting our animals by ensuring that their bios and photos are updated regularly. As one of our champions, you will lead efforts to identify customers' needs and assist them through the adoption process. This position requires the employee to be in the office and customer-facing for all hours worked.
What better way to contribute to our mission than to be on the front line, bringing together the people and pets of Maricopa County!
Don't miss out on this opportunity to support our shelter! Apply today!
About Us
Maricopa County Animal Care & Control employees are committed to animal welfare and strengthening the human-animal bond in our community, and we are always looking to add talented individuals to our team. As one of the nation's largest open-admission shelters, we work with our community to serve the animals and people of Maricopa County. Our adoptions, shelter, clinic, and animal services officer teams learn firsthand about the proper care of homeless and stray animals and work hard to help find them new homes.
Proud to Offer
  • Work with a greater purpose
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Exceptional work-life balance
  • Opportunities for growth and development within Maricopa County
  • Low-cost, high-value healthcare for you and your qualifying dependents
  • Child care benefits, including access to our on-site center Maricopa County Kids Club, dedicated to serving Maricopa County families
  • Paid vacation, sick time, and parental leave
  • Extensive wellness program, including an incentive
  • Enrollment in the Arizona State Retirement System, a defined retirement benefit requiring a 11.98% per paycheck contribution rate that includes a 100% employer match on Day 1
  • Want to learn more about the County's Qualifying and Compensation Philosophy? Follow this link to learn more! Work With Us | Maricopa County, AZ

We Require
  • Two years of experience in a retail or similar customer service role
  • Six months of experience handling animals
  • High school diploma or GED
  • A combination of post-secondary education and/or job-related experience may substitute for the minimum qualifications on a year-for-year basis

Other Requirements
  • Must be flexible and able to work all shifts, which include starting as early as 6 am and finishing as late as 9 pm, working weekends and holidays, determined by the needs of the Department
  • Must complete animal handling training within three months of employment.

We Also Value
  • Animal adoption experience in an animal welfare-type environment
  • Experience with processing financial transactions
  • Bilingual skills in English/Spanish

Job Contributions
  • Conduct daily kennel cleaning, laundry, dishes, feeding, and welfare rounds. Maintain the cleanliness of the EAC, including front and back of the house areas
  • Conduct animal adoption meet-and-greets and review information and adoption materials with potential adopters
  • Perform accurate data entry, including adoption processing, fee collection, entering animal, person, and medical information, and creating and updating animal bios and photos
  • Maintain an EAC floor presence and actively engage with the general public and PetSmart employees to facilitate matchmaking and a positive customer experience
  • Demonstrate excellent verbal and written skills, including clear and effective communication with others (staff, public, volunteers) that is professional, respectful, positive, and educational
  • Ensure adoption areas are clean and tidy throughout the day by mopping floors and wiping surfaces in meet-and-greet and lobby areas, and maintaining kennel signage/cards and indoor play yards.
  • Ensure the EAC is stocked with needed supplies and addresses supply and repair needs in a timely manner
  • Participate in transferring animals from MCACC into and out of the EAC through loading and unloading transports and updating animal locations and records
  • Conduct additional animal handling as needed, including restraint, walking, playgroups, and other duties
  • Maintain and update adoption packet information and supplies to ensure new adopters have all the appropriate documentation and resources needed for their new pet

Working Conditions
  • Work is predominantly performed in a busy, often noisy, office setting within an animal shelter with close proximity to dogs and cats with unknown temperaments or behaviors
  • In this role, you will be exposed to cleaning products used in animal shelters and the smells associated with animal housing
  • While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand and walk on all types of surfaces, some of which could be slippery, uneven, and rough.
  • This position requires handling animals. May be required to drive to different shelter locations; subject to County policies regarding the use of County vehicles and/or private vehicles used on County business
  • Exerting 50-100 lbs. occasionally, 10-25 lbs. frequently, or up to 10-20 lbs. constantly
  • Machines, Tools, Equipment, Software, and Hardware: MFD printer, Desktop computer, Chameleon software, Microsoft Office suite, Avaya phone system, POS system

Selection Procedure
  • Consideration will only be given to candidates who submit online applications
  • Candidates will be contacted primarily through email and their Workday online application profile
  • Must pass a pre-employment background and/or fingerprint investigation as required by statute or policy, including drug and alcohol testing requirements for positions designated as safety-sensitive

Maricopa County is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants. If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application process or to perform the essential functions of the position under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), please contact MHRFeedback@maricopa.gov to initiate the interactive process.
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