Announcements

PAWS is hiring

Kennel and Maintenance Assistant: Centre County PAWS

Company: Animal shelter
Location: State College, PA
Position type: Part time, 20 hours/week
Experience: 0-1 years
Salary: $8.00/hour
Desired education level: High school diploma/GED
Date posted: May 13, 2012

Description:
Kennel assistant needed to work morning shifts, Monday through Friday. All applicants must be extremely comfortable working with dogs and cats. This position is primarily responsible for the cleanliness of the living environment for dogs and cats housed in the facility as well as the maintenance of general areas and equipment.

Duties include:
Assist in daily cleaning of all occupied indoor and outdoor kennels and regular cleaning of the facility’s general areas and unoccupied kennels.
Assist with cat side cleaning shifts.
Spot clean kennels and general areas throughout the shift.
Keep supervisor informed of any visible animal behavior or health concerns.
Keep supervisor informed of any problems with the facility.
Work outdoors on landscaping projects.
Help maintain equipment throughout the PAWS facility.
Other duties as assigned.
Successful applicants will possess strong initiative, be detail oriented, and enjoy cleaning and maintaining a healthy living environment for the resident animals. Kennel assistants work alongside volunteers and must display exemplary interpersonal skills.

Physical requirements:
Must be able to bend and kneel repeatedly. Must be able to work standing for 4 hours or more. Must be able to lift and carry 50 lbs. Must be able to work outdoors in all weather conditions. Must have a good range of motion in back, knees, wrists. Must have an acceptable sense of balance and ability to navigate through cramped areas.
Must be able to pass a drug test.
Position is physically demanding.

Centre County PAWS is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer

Reduced Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic - June 2

PAWS will host a reduced cost spay/neuter clinic on Saturday, June 2, sponsored by Dr. Shelly Mannino of Metzger Animal Hospital and Dr. Mary Ellen Sayre. If you have a cat or male dog in need of altering, please see our Spay/Neuter Assistance page for more information and to get a clinic application, or call 237-8722, Line 5. Please note that residency and income restrictions apply. Don't delay! Spaces fill up quickly.

This way for more information....

Does Your Dog Pull on the Leash?

Gentle Leader video training: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWFPWj08Bhs

Megan Maxwell Trainer: http://www.petbehaviorchange.com/index.htm

As with any training, it is important to be knowledgeable and patient. Gentle leader collars are not like a typical collar and are only worn on walks. The object is to gently re-direct the dogs head and not pull on the leash which differs from traditional walking methods.

Front Desk Training

Front Desk volunteers are the face and voice of PAWS! Training sessions will be offered on Sunday May 20th and June 24th. All sessions are at 4:30pm in the lobby of the PAWS Shelter. 1½ hour training session initially. Shadowing with a veteran volunteer will be scheduled at that time. Advance registration is necessary. Please contact e_cassin@comcast.net no later than 2 days prior to the session that you would like to attend. Please provide your name and phone number in case of a cancellation.

Front Desk duties include meeting and greeting visitors to PAWS, dispersing accurate information, answering phones, taking dog/cat surrender information, and collaborating with volunteers from the cat and dog wings. Best of all you get to work alongside amazing PAWS cats and dogs! Shifts available: 10:45-1:30pm and 1:30pm-4pm weekends; 4:45-7 on Mondays, 11-2 Tuesdays. Training is required.

What Happens if a Dog Receives More Than One Application?

Applications are accepted (in person), once a dog is posted as available on the website, during our open hours. All applications will be considered and in the event that all homes are equally appropriate for the adoption, the first approved applicant will adopt the dog.

As with all available dogs at PAWS, an applicant who has been "pre-approved" to adopt and offers an appropriate home for the specific dog may adopt him/her as soon as the dog is available. We encourage you to come to PAWS for "pre-approval" so you can adopt the perfect dog for you as soon as he or she is available in the future.

What is pre-approval? Many people come to PAWS looking for their new family member but don't find the perfect match. These people can fill out a non-specific application which is then processed in the same manner all applications are processed. Approved applications are held for 90 days and can be renewed indefinitely. Approved applicants can come to PAWS for their perfect match and often can take home an animal who does not yet have an adoption scheduled, the same day or same weekend since they have already completed the application process.

Dog Volunteer Training Dates...

Please consider spending a few hours each week with the PAWS dogs. Without consistent, regular volunteers, PAWS is limited as to how many animals we can help!

Training Dates:

All trainings are at 4:30pm and last about 1 - 1.5 hours.

Apr 22
May 27

Once you've filled out your Volunteer Application online, you can RSVP to a training by contacting us at dogvolunteertraining@centrecountypaws.org. Training lasts around 1.5 hours and includes an intro to PAWS, dog handling, volunteer and dog safety, and in-kennel care and cleaning. Training dates are subject to change.

What do the PAWS Dog Volunteers do?

Care for the PAWS dogs:

Dog Fosters care for PAWS dogs in their homes.

Adoption Counselors process dog adoption applications.

Dogs living in the kennels at PAWS are cared for by volunteers who staff the AM and PM Cleaning/Walking shifts.

Dogs living in the kennels need our help every day — 7 days/week, 365 days/year.

We feed, walk, and spend time with the kennel dogs — as well as clean their kennels, do dishes and laundry, and clean the various rooms in the Dog Wing.

Outlines of the basic tasks:

Dog Wing shift times
AM/PM cleaning/walking tasks
AM shift-specific tasks
PM shift-specific tasks
Sunday dog show help

Staff Dog Wing during open hours:

The PAWS Center is open to the public:

Saturdays 11am-4pm
Sundays 11am-4pm, Noon-2pm Fosters in for Dog Show
Mondays 5-7pm
Tuesdays 11am-2pm

During open hours we need volunteers to staff various shifts:

Escort/monitor: escort people through the kennels. Answer questions about the dogs & PAWS adoption policies and procedures. Ensure public safety while they are visiting the kennels.

Sunday dog show help: handle a kennel dog during the dog show. Answer questions from the public about the dog.

Other ways to help the PAWS dogs:

Special events: planning, coordinating, and staffing

Landscaping: maintaining grounds, mowing, etc.

Other volunteer opportunities

Cat Volunteer Training Dates...

Please consider spending a few hours each week with the PAWS cats. Without consistent, regular volunteers, PAWS is limited as to how many animals we can help! Once you've filled out your Volunteer Application online, you can RSVP by contacting the trainer listed next to the date you are available. Attendance is limited to 8 persons per session, so advance registration is required. Training dates are subject to change. Be sure to include contact information so that we can reach you if the session must be rescheduled.

Cat Care Training:

Sunday, May 13, 6-7:30 p.m., Karen Grubb: karen1263@comcast.net
Tuesday, May 15, 6-7:30 p.m., Judy Roberts: jwr110@comcast.net
Sunday, May 27, 6-7:30 p.m., Karen Grubb: karen1263@comcast.net

Sunday, June 10, 6-7:30 p.m., Karen Grubb: karen1263@comcast.net
Tuesday, June 19, 6-7:30 p.m., Judy Roberts: jwr110@comcast.net
Sunday, June 24, 6-7:30 p.m., Karen Grubb: karen1263@comcast.net

Floor Volunteer Training*:

Floor Volunteer training will be offered by appointment. Please contact Marilyn Eastridge at: e8o@psu.edu

*Cat Care Training is a prerequisite for Floor Volunteer Training.

All sessions are held at the PAWS Adoption Center, 1401 Trout Road, State College, PA

What do the PAWS Cat Volunteers do?

Care for the PAWS cats:

Cat Fosters care for PAWS cats in their homes.

Adoption Counselors process cat adoption applications.

Cats living at PAWS are cared for by volunteers who staff the AM and PM Cleaning shifts.

Cats living at PAWS need our help every day - 7 days/week, 365 days/year.

We feed and spend time with the cats as well as clean their cages, do dishes and laundry, and clean the various rooms in the Cat Wing.

Cat Wing shift times vary on weekdays, but there is an am and pm cleaning crew Monday through Friday. Usually they begin between 8 and 9 am and 4-6 pm On the weekends the crews work from 9-11 am and 4-6 pm

Staff Cat Wing during open hours:

The PAWS Center is open to the public:

Saturdays and Sundays 11am-4pm
Mondays 5-7pm
Tuesdays 11 am - 2 pm

During open hours we need volunteers to staff various shifts:

Floor Volunteers: Escort people through the cat wing. Answer questions about the cats & PAWS adoption policies and procedures. Ensure public safety while they are visiting the cats.

Adoption Counselors: Take adoption applications for cats, meet with potential adopters, discuss cat ownership, and follow through on applications and adoption.

Other ways to help the PAWS cats: