The Animal Care Internship program is designed to offer our interns the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge, basic skills, and hands-on experience caring for cats and dogs in a fast-paced shelter environment. This is particularly useful for students planning to apply to vet school or looking to pursue a career in the animal care field as interns will gain valuable experience in shelter care, basic medical observations, and more. Non-students are welcome to apply as well! This internship is an unpaid volunteer position, but we are happy to arrange course credit. Upon successful completion of an internship, participants will receive a Certificate of Completion and Letter of Recommendation.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Work closely with staff to ensure proper feeding, cleaning, housing, and oversight of animals according to Berkeley Humane standards
- Follow behavior and medical plans set forth by animal care and veterinary staff
- Enter information into animal database as needed
- Assist in monitoring health and behavior of all animals
- When appropriate, be responsive to visitor inquiries
- Other duties as assigned
REQUIREMENTS
- Excellent customer service experience and/or skills
- Passion for exceptional animal care
- Comfortable learning new computer programs and familiarity with PC use, including Microsoft Office programs
- Comfortable working with a diverse population of animals and people
- Able to commit to 3+ months
- Able to commit to 20+ hours per week, including some weekends
- Able to bend, stoop, squat, reach, and push moderately heavy objects
- Able to lift 50lbs.
- No allergic conditions which would be aggravated by animals in our care
- Professional animal handling experience (including volunteer experience) is preferred but not required
TO APPLY
Please download and complete an Animal Care Internship Application. Please also submit a cover letter — describe your background, pertinent experiences, interests, accomplishments, and how this internship will benefit you. Completed applications should be submitted with a resume to fwanko@berkeleyhumane.org. Submission does not guarantee acceptance into the program.
