Animal Control Officer

Animal Control Officer I – City of Sacramento

This posting will be open until filled. Application cut‑off dates are the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month.

Note:

A candidate must successfully pass a thorough background investigation, including a criminal history check for job‑related convictions, fingerprinting, polygraph, credit check, and drug use history.

Under immediate supervision, the Animal Control Officer I learns to coordinate and perform a variety of animal control and compliance functions, including patrolling assigned areas; monitoring and enforcing animal control regulations; responding to animal control inquiries and complaints from the public; issuing citations and warnings; and performing all animal‑related public safety and health duties.

• Learn to investigate reports of animal cruelty, nuisances, and potentially dangerous animals; learn to communicate with and advise owners of loose animals.
• Learn to patrol City streets, neighborhoods, and/or other designated areas in order to monitor, remove, transport, and locate stray, vicious, trapped, injured, and/or dead animals.
• Learn to rescue and impound stray animals; learn to use remote chemical immobilization equipment; learn to vaccinate, photograph, and process impounded animals prior to kenneling; learn to transport injured animals to veterinary hospitals for treatment.
• Learn to assist law enforcement personnel and other agencies by taking animals into custody due to death, emergencies, arrests, and/or police investigations. May be required to forcibly enter a residence to obtain an animal.
• Learn to enforce City and State laws, regulations, and ordinances related to animal control.
• Learn to compile case evidence and prepare animal control cases for court.
• Learn to safely operate rifles, shotguns, and tranquilizer equipment to capture, humanely euthanize animals, or defend the public from vicious or uncontrollable animals as necessary.
• Learn to educate and provide the public with information regarding animal control laws, licensing requirements, owner responsibilities, and appropriate animal care.
• Learn to maintain and safeguard assigned equipment and supplies such as citation books, computers, controlled substances, and animal control vehicles.
• Learn to operate a computer and a two‑way radio to maintain close communication with dispatching personnel.
• Learn to prepare and maintain a variety of animal control records, documentation, and reports.
• Provide courteous and professional customer service to those contacted in the course of work.
• Other related duties may also be performed; not all duties listed may necessarily be performed by each individual holding this classification.

• Occupational hazards and safety precautions of work around animals.
• Habits and characteristics of domestic animals and wildlife.
• Symptoms of common animal diseases.
• Principles and practices of customer service, including conflict resolution.
• Basic computer operations and applications.
• Basic State laws and regulations related to animal control functions (such as rabies and search and seizures); current local animal control codes and regulations.
• Record keeping principles and practices.
• Basic laboratory analysis principles and practices.

• Answering inquiries and providing factual and technical information.
• Handling criticism and hostility from citizens with tact and good judgment.
• Communicating clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Collecting, compiling, and analyzing basic information and data.
• Making field contact with various animals, some of which may be hostile and/or injured.
• Using common office computer software.
• Safe and proficient use of specialized law enforcement weapons and equipment.
• Providing courteous and professional customer service.

• Read, write, speak, and understand the English language at a level necessary for efficient job performance.
• Learn, understand, retain, interpret, and enforce basic animal control codes, laws, case law, and regulations.
• Identify and report animal control problems encountered in the course of work.
• Safely care for and physically control live, sick, or…