Specialist, Animal Behavior

Position Summary

Training and behavior specialists are responsible for success towards Best Friends Animal Society’s no-kill goal. Specialists work across departmental lines to enhance animal flow through the pet resource center and effectively lower length of stay of program animals, to support fosters and adopters, to support pet retention and reduce shelter intake, and to increase live outcomes at our local municipal shelters. Specialists will work to identify programming, resources and strategies to increase lifesaving.

Culture Statement and Responsibility

We believe in treating everyone with kindness and compassion, building trust through authenticity and following through on commitments. We prioritize well-being alongside our mission, fostering strong relationships through open communication and transparent feedback. Diversity and inclusion are integral to our culture, enriching team dynamics by valuing diverse perspectives. Each team member is responsible for creating an inclusive environment where all voices are respected and contributing to a workplace that embodies our shared values and commitment to progress.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Demonstrate kindness and the Golden Rule in our everyday actions by practicing inclusion and respect for every person for the value they bring to the table.
• Be a role model for the spirit of authenticity, kindness and positive influence with each other, our visitors, and volunteers as well as to the animals every day. This includes listening, being present, being supportive of others and demonstrating compassion and curiosity in conflict.
• Build enrichment, training and animal management capabilities of the animal care teams, fosters and volunteers through one-on-one coaching and group class work; assist with specific situations as identified by animal care leadership, with the goal of reducing length of stay and increasing positive outcomes.
• Empower staff to enhance their ability to provide behavioral support for dogs in our program, both at the pet resource center and in foster care and to enhance their ability to provide post adoption behavioral support.
• Successfully complete all steps in Dog Behavior and Safety policy to be able to handle dogs of all categories, up to and including red category dogs.
• Support staff and volunteer evaluations for handling of dog categories up to and including red category dogs.
• Participate in daily population rounds to support the regular review of program animals and overall operational efficiency leading to animal outcomes; take lead in executing tasks identified during rounds by end of workday; work cooperatively with other departments to support execution of tasks in long-stay animal adoption plans.
• Proactively identify animals with greater risk for extended length of stay and/or kennel stress and work collaboratively with staff, volunteers and fosters to identify individual dogs in need of additional enrichment/behavioral support and strategize solutions, then develop training and enrichment plans with a goal of assisting animals to be successfully adopted and retained.
• Identify additional opportunities to support adoption placement through marketing, outings, foster placement.
• Host “Best Friend for a Day” participants from local shelters, providing behavior and training support for the participant, playgroups if appropriate, in and out of kennel enrichment, and capture objective information and videos and pictures to assist the shelter in expediting adoption of participant.
• Work with community programs team to support owner retention of animals at risk of relinquishment to a shelter due to behavioral challenges.
• Work with teams to establish volunteer opportunities that augment daily operations and maximize lifesaving capacity and to develop strategies for recruitment and retention of care and enrichment volunteers, ensure opportunities are aligned with organizational goals for constituent journey development and ongoing engagement with Best Friends’ mission.
• Support basic care such as feeding, cleaning, walking, and medicating animals housed or transported within Best Friends’ vehicles, buildings, or facilities; follow all policies and local standard operating procedures when completing daily functions to ensure health and safety standards are upheld.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information quickly and efficiently.
• Absorb and apply new information