Shelter Attendant - Part time

Shelter Attendant - Part Time - Pet Refuge (Rodney, NZ) 

Hours: 24 hrs per week - Wednesday, Friday & Saturday

Pet Refuge, New Zealand’s only not-for-profit shelter dedicated to temporarily caring for pets while their beloved humans escape family violence, is seeking an Experienced Shelter Attendant to join our team at our Rodney-based facility.

This role offers a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives and welfare of pets, with the goal of reuniting them with their families and helping them start a new future together.

As a Shelter Attendant, you’ll play a pivotal role in delivering high-quality, tailored care to pets, supporting their recovery from trauma until they can safely return home. This position is ideal for someone with prior animal care experience, strong resilience, and a passion for making a positive difference. 

What You’ll Do:

In this role, you'll be responsible for enhancing the wellbeing of the pets in our care by proactively managing their mental and physical health through enrichment, training, and treatment plan support, all while maintaining a clean and safe environment. Your ability to remain resilient and focused on our mission—caring for pets from diverse and often traumatic backgrounds—will be key to your success.

• Provide compassionate care to pets of all species, breeds, and backgrounds at our purpose-built shelter.

• Manage pets’ physical and mental health needs, including personalized enrichment activities.

• Maintain high standards of cleanliness, disease control, and health and safety awareness.

• Actively participate in training and professional development.

What You Bring:

You have strong companion animal handling skills, a solid understanding of animal behavior, and a belief that every pet deserves the best chance at recovery. Your ability to contribute to a small but dedicated team makes you an ideal candidate.

• Proven experience handling companion animals and knowledge of animal behavior.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to perform physical tasks, including handling animals and lifting heavy objects (e.g., feed bags, pets).

• Previous experience in an animal shelter or a similar environment.

• Must have a full driving license and own transport

Our Shelter is not accessible by Public Transport. This role is attracting 500+ applicants each time we post, due to this we will not be considering applicants who don't have a full drivers licence and their own car.

What Sets Us Apart:

Pet Refuge is the only not-for-profit organization in New Zealand dedicated to removing a major barrier to families leaving violence—the fear of what will happen to their beloved pet if left behind. In just four years, we’ve changed the lives of over 600 pets, and we’re just getting started!

As part of the Pet Refuge team, you’ll receive a range of benefits, including:

• Discounted pet products.

• Ongoing training opportunities, including courses in pet nutrition, grooming, and pet care.

• A structured development pipeline.

• A commitment to paying the living wage at minimum.