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Pets Alive Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Veterinary Intern Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is one of Austin's most dynamic and best-loved nonprofits. The organization is the leader in the no kill movement nationally and is considered a national ...

Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is one of Austin's most dynamic and beloved nonprofits. The organization leads the No Kill movement nationally and is considered a national thought leader in animal welfare.

Veterinary Technician

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$23 - $25/hr

The Veterinary Technician provides high-quality, practical veterinary care to a wide range of patients, utilizing protocols designed by Austin Pets Alive. Stray Cat Alliance operates a dual-purpose ...

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How much do pets alive jobs pay per hour?

As of Jun 12, 2026, the average hourly pay for pets alive in the United States is $17.67, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $14.18 and $19.71 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the highest paid job working with dogs?

The highest paid jobs working with dogs typically include professional dog trainers, veterinary surgeons, and animal behaviorists. Veterinary surgeons, especially those specializing in surgery or emergency care, tend to earn the highest salaries, often exceeding six figures annually. These roles require advanced education, certifications, and experience in animal health and behavior.

How do you work Pets Alive?

Working at Pets Alive involves caring for and rehabilitating animals, often requiring knowledge of animal behavior, handling skills, and compassion. Employees may perform tasks such as feeding, cleaning, medical care, and adoption assistance, typically within a shelter environment and following safety protocols.

What qualifications do you need to be an animal welfare officer?

To become an animal welfare officer, candidates typically need a relevant qualification such as a diploma or degree in animal science, veterinary technology, or a related field. Experience working with animals and knowledge of animal care regulations are also important, along with strong communication and observational skills. Certification in animal first aid or related training can be beneficial.

How can I get paid to work with animals?

Pets Alive offers employment opportunities such as animal care technician, volunteer coordinator, and adoption counselor, which typically require animal handling skills and compassion. Paid roles often involve tasks like feeding, cleaning, and socializing animals, and may require relevant experience or certifications in animal care or veterinary assistance.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Animal Shelter Worker at an organization like Pets Alive, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Animal Shelter Worker, you need a solid understanding of animal care, handling, and basic medical knowledge, usually supported by experience with animals or relevant certifications. Familiarity with shelter management software, animal enrichment tools, and basic first aid is often required. Compassion, patience, teamwork, and strong communication skills set outstanding candidates apart in this role. These skills are crucial to ensure animal well-being, maintain a safe and organized environment, and facilitate positive outcomes for both animals and adopters.

What is the difference between Pets Alive vs Animal Care Technician?

Pets AliveAnimal Care Technician
Focuses on shelter management, volunteer coordination, and community outreachPerforms daily animal care, health monitoring, and facility cleaning

Pets Alive roles often include administrative and outreach duties, while Animal Care Technicians primarily handle hands-on animal care. Both positions require animal handling skills and may need certifications like pet first aid. Pets Alive staff typically work in shelter environments, but with broader responsibilities, whereas Animal Care Technicians focus on direct animal health and welfare. The roles are complementary within the animal shelter industry, with Pets Alive emphasizing community engagement and management, and Animal Care Technicians concentrating on daily animal care tasks.

What are some common challenges faced by animal care staff at Pets Alive, and how can applicants prepare for them?

Animal care staff at Pets Alive often face challenges such as working with animals that have diverse behavioral and medical needs, managing a fast-paced environment, and balancing emotional attachment with professional boundaries. Applicants can prepare by gaining experience with a variety of animals, developing strong communication skills for working with both team members and the public, and learning basic animal first aid. Being adaptable and resilient is key, as every day can bring new situations and surprises.

What are Pets Alive jobs?

Pets Alive jobs refer to positions at Pets Alive, a nonprofit animal rescue organization dedicated to saving the lives of animals and finding them loving homes. Jobs at Pets Alive can include animal care technicians, adoption coordinators, veterinary assistants, and administrative staff. Employees work directly with animals, help with adoptions, and support the daily operations of the shelter. These roles are ideal for individuals passionate about animal welfare and looking to make a difference in their community.
More about Pets Alive jobs
Infographic showing various Pets Alive job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 67% Full Time, 31% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 98% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 1% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $36,751 per year, or $17.7 per hour.
Veterinary Internship

$80K/yr

Full-time, Internship

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 5 days ago


Austin Pets Alive! rating

6.9

Company rating: 6.9 out of 10

Based on 5 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz


Job description

Veterinary Intern
Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is one of Austin’s most dynamic and best-loved nonprofits. The organization is the leader in the no kill movement nationally and is considered a national thought leader in animal welfare. APA! locally rescues, treats, and adopts out 10,000 homeless dogs and cats each year, providing the safety net for Austin’s most at-risk shelter pets, which helps Austin to be a no-kill city, while also assisting other communities in saving homeless animals. The organization is distinguished by the scrappiness of its grassroots, non-traditional community-based animal rescue work.
The organization continues to innovate best practices to save lives and teaches its renowned lifesaving model through American Pets Alive!, APA!’s national division. In 2020, AmPA! began the Human Animal Support Services (HASS) project, a collaborative movement of more than 10,000 animal welfare professionals working in nearly 1,900 organizations. HASS is the first-of-its-kind collective of shelters and animal welfare professionals coming together to build community-focused animal services that better meet the needs of people and pets by keeping human-animal families together and keeping pets unnecessarily out of shelters.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: The Veterinary Internship consists of one year working under the mentorship of multiple Associate Veterinarians. Candidates would get excellent hands-on experience in challenging medical cases and various types of surgeries. APA! performs surgeries each day ranging from routine high quality/high volume spay/neuter, routine soft tissue surgeries, emergency surgeries, to onsite orthopedic surgery with a board specialist. The internship position will work closely with technicians and support staff/volunteers in providing the most effective medical care to our rescue animals. This position will receive training in veterinary life-saving techniques on the basis of low-cost treatment and quick yet efficient exams with the goal of providing quality of life and finding forever homes. Thus maximizing the number of lives saved by providing quality medical care in a cost and time-effective manner. The Veterinary Intern would also research cases and present cases weekly during weekly round sessions.
QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, amp; EXPECTATIONS:
  • License to practice veterinary medicine in Texas
  • High interest in learning how to save as many lives as possible and be comfortable with triage, using systems and protocols, as well as a high volume medical caseload
  • Excited by the challenge of making decisions based on physical examination/carefully chosen diagnostics/history without all the bells and whistles of a full lab/referral hospitals
  • Must embody APA!'s core values of innovation, respect, drive, resourcefulness, and inclusion
  • Commitment to APA!'s customer experience expectations
  • Willing and committed to working well with volunteers and staff in all roles

SALARY: $80,000
TIME COMMITMENT: This is a full-time, exempt position, for a period of one year. Scheduling would need to be flexible as work weeks would be 5 days a week, consisting of 8-12 hour days depending on the number of patients seen each day. The Veterinary Intern will also be on call every other week, initially under the mentorship of senior veterinarians.

BENEFITS

Austin Pets Alive! is proud to offer a competitive benefits package for full-time employees, including up to 95% subsidy on employer sponsored medical coverage, subsidized and voluntary life insurance, voluntary dental, vision and short term disability options, all effective the first day of employment. We also offer voluntary wellness and emergency sick plans, up to 2% match on 401(K) retirement plan, supplemental benefits, subsidized pet insurance, flexible spending accounts and additional life coverage. Full-time employees receive 10 paid holidays and accrue 10 days paid time off during the first year of employment, with an additional 5 days of PTO accrual upon completion of 12 months of employment. Employee’s will also receive professional development opportunities through APA!’s ongoing mission to advance our animal welfare professionals in our life saving work.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCOMMODATIONS STATEMENT

Austin Pets Alive! is an equal employment opportunity employer and we value having staff who come from communities that are most impacted by the issues we engage on. We especially encourage people of color, LGBTQ people, women, transgender and gender non-conforming people, and people with disabilities to apply.

Austin Pets Alive! does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Austin Pets Alive! is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion, respect and integrity, community focus, and innovation.