Animal shelter worker jobs in Finland
Animal shelter workers provide animal care routine services at the animal shelter. They receive animals brought to the shelter, respond to calls about lost or injured animals, nurse animals, clean cages, handle papers for adoption of animals, transport animals to the veterinarian and maintain database with the animals present in the shelter.
Animal shelter worker – how much is the pay in Finland?
What the trade paid in 2024
| Median | 14.53 €/h |
|---|---|
| Bottom tenth | 11.08 €/h |
| Top tenth | 18.88 €/h |
| Employees | 2,458 |
Pay by sex, 2024
| Sex | Median | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Women | 14.52 €/h | 2,296 |
| Men | 14.60 €/h | 162 |
Animal shelter worker - Which skills are essential?
Direct, control or restrain some or part of an animal's, or a group of animals', movement.
Provide information to customers on how to feed and care for pets, appropriate food choices, vaccination needs, etc.
Provide food and water to animals. This includes preparing food and water for animals and reporting any changes in the animal feeding or drinking habits.
The legal boundaries, codes of professional conduct, national and EU regulatory frameworks and legal procedures of working with animals and living organisms, ensuring their welfare and health.
Assist with the transportation of animals, including the loading and unloading of animals, the preparation of the transport vehicle, and maintaining the wellbeing of the animal throughout the transport process.
Inspect the animal for any external signs of parasites, disease or injury. Use this information to determine own actions and report your findings to owners.
The study of the mechanical, physical, bioelectrical and biochemical functioning of animals, their organs and their cells.
Interview people in a range of different circumstances.
Create animal records according to industry relevant information and using appropriate record keeping systems.
Make sure animal enclosures such as habitats, terrariums, cages or kennels are in the appropriate and hygienic condition. Clean the enclosure and provide new bedding material if called for.
Find people who want to adopt animals from the shelter, help them in their choice and manage all the necessary paperwork.
Consult veterinarians and assist them in the examination and nursing of animals.
Provide employees in animal care with information on how to treat the animal, the animals eating habits, nutrition and medical condition and needs.
Dispose of dead animals which are not considered a source of meat. Bury or cremate the animal based on the wishes of the owners or on other criteria.
Monitor animals’ physical condition and behaviour and report any concerns or unexpected changes, including signs of health or ill-health, appearance, condition of the animals' accommodation, intake of food and water and environmental conditions.
Observe and evaluate the behaviour of animals in order to work with them safely and recognise deviations from normal behaviour that signal compromised health and welfare.
The study of animal body parts, their structure and dynamic relationships, on a level as demanded by the specific occupation.
Train dogs to behave appropriately and obey their owners' commands. Use a variety of techniques like clicker training, relationship-based training or dominance-based training to obtain favourable behaviours in the dog.
The natural behavioural patterns of animals, i.e. how normal and abnormal behaviour might be expressed according to species, environment, human-animal interaction and occupation.
Animal shelter worker - Which skills are useful but not essential?
Respond to and communicate with customers in the most efficient and appropriate manner to enable them to access the desired products or services, or any other help they may require.
Command products from relevant suppliers to get convenient and profitable products to purchase.
Remove deliveries from a truck and move new supplies to workplace or storage area.
Provide an enriching environment for animals to allow the expression of natural behaviour, and including adjusting environmental conditions, delivering feeding and puzzle exercises, and implementing manipulation, social, and training activities.
Advise clients and customers on the purchase of animals.
Regularly inspect and perform all required activities to maintain the equipment in functional order prior or after its use.
Administer emergency treatment to prevent deterioration of the condition, suffering and pain until veterinary assistance can be sought. Basic emergency treatment needs to be done by non-veterinarians prior to first-aid provided by a veterinarian. Non-veterinarians providing emergency treatment are expected to seek treatment by a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Keep the health and welfare of animals during transportation, including frequent monitoring for signs of stress and symptoms of ill health.
Wear relevant and necessary protective gear, such as protective goggles or other eye protection, hard hats, safety gloves.
Provide support and advice to customers in making purchasing decisions by finding out their needs, selecting suitable service and products for them and politely answering questions about products and services.
Animal responses to specific conditions or stimuli. Animal behaviour, ethology, learning theory, training methods, equipment, as well as communicating and working with animals and humans.
Work in rotating shifts, where the goal is to keep a service or production line running around the clock and each day of the week.
Provide dog-walking services, including activities such as agreement of services with the customer, selection and use of handling equipment, interaction with the dog, and safe and responsible dog walking.
Assess how a certain person will react, verbally or physically, in a specific situation or to a specific happening.
Accept, schedule and cancel appointments.
Provide exercise opportunities that are suitable for respective animals and meet their particular physical requirements.
Handle unforeseen incidents concerning animals and circumstances which call for urgent action in an appropriate professional manner.
Provide information to potential animal adopters about the animals in the shelter. Take pictures of the animals, describe their characteristics and put the profiles on a web site if applicable.
Prepare and provide information to individuals or groups of people on how to promote the health and well-being of animals, and how risks to animal health and welfare may be reduced. Provide recommendations for corrective actions.
Prepare the environment for grooming, select the correct grooming equipment and grooming methods for the animal. Apply occupational health and safety principles of basic animal anatomy and physiology, including the identification and reporting of any abnormalities.