animal caretaker

facilitator

admission counselor

counselor

volunteer coordinator

Calgary Humane Society

Slow to improve, were not cooperative with people stepping up to address concerns, never following through with promises, anyone that doesn't work closely with Animal Care or Health just don't bother to communicate and would just assume everything. So many tasks that were not for AC were dumped on us and expected for us to continue to carry out the tasks and maintain them. Management is such a mess. I was without a manager for most of the time I worked there and the turn over rate is ridiculous. They don't have an overly great training routine and most stuff is through email which AC has little time to look at due to the fact that they are constantly moving around and away from any access to a computer.
Benefits are so expensive and not that great, the social comity is also such a waste of mandatory funds. Pay is not sustainable for a position considered to be a career, it's not sustainable.

Just happy to not be working under a company that didn't feel grounded or overly secure with their goals. They spent a large donation on the lifestyle rooms, when it could have easily gone to so many other things that the shelter needed. The Lifestyle rooms are such a waste of space and money.
it's ridiculous how long CHS has been around and they still don't have their stuff figured out. AC and health are probably the hardest working teams of the whole company and definitely do not get enough of the credit that they deserve. Health works long hours and are often over worked, animals do not get all the attention they need frequently due to all the intakes and seizures. 
Stressful enviroment and not well regulated or organized.


Sadly, the CHS organization is poorly run and devoid of a positive staff culture. These issues may not seem important to someone first starting their role, but they are a big factor in determining whether you stay longer than a few months.

The management structure at CHS is a convoluted one with many layers of managers, supervisors, and leads in every department. There is very little “real” responsibility given to any of these roles as every decision in every department at CHS needs to be approved by the very top. As you can imagine, this had led to a culture of one-upping, spite, resentment, sycophants and yes men.

There is a lot of room for upwards movement at CHS, but unfortunately this is only because so many employees quit or are fired each month. When this happens, the next in line moves up and the endless hiring cycle keeps churning.

There are more problems with this model than I can list, but primarily it leads to major burnout with the staff as everyone is expected to pick up the slack of the terminated/resigned staff and each department ends up spending half of their much-needed “work” time doing continuous interviews and training new hires in a seemingly endless cycle. This sadly leaves less time for what really matters, which is the animals.

Questions to ask in your interview would be:

What percentage of the staff at CHS have worked there for longer than one year? 

How many staff stress leaves has there been over the last five years?

How often is outstanding performance rewarded with pay raises?

Lip service is paid to the concept of maintaining positive mental health among the staff but if a staff member shows signs of feeling very stressed, overwhelmed or burned out, they are quickly and quietly relieved of their role so the organization won’t have yet another stress leave, And the hiring cycle begins once again.

If I had a suggestion for the management, it would be to respect the staff you have and spend more time appreciating and encouraging them.

Our end goals are all the same - caring for the animals that need us. Have confidence in us and give us the respect we work so hard for.


It saddens me to write this but CHS is no longer the wonderful organization it once was. The culture has become extremely toxic and that makes it near impossible for staff to do their jobs well, and want to continue working at CHS. 

This toxicity is perpetuated on the staff by the highest levels of management and human resources. Staff are mistreated, distrusted, managed poorly, and treated as disposable. 

The level of staff turnover at CHS is astounding and I have now seen two departments turnover ENTIRELY within the last three months. That many terminations and resignations is NOT normal. 

There is constant restructuring and replacing happening and stress leaves are rampant. Staff are not permitted to offer ideas on positive changes without being criticized for rocking the boat and being unappreciative. Look at how many jobs CHS is hiring for at any given time, as that alone tells a story. 

I wish this organization could get back to what it once was, which was one of kindness and care towards both animals and people. 

CHS is a charity, so its the job and responsibility of the board or an external committee to look into the terrible behaviour of the CEO and the HR department towards the staff. Trust what is being experienced and said over and over by regular staff just trying to make a difference and do their jobs. 

Inept management who have little idea how to run an organization. Animals are overcrowded and under cared for due to poor staffing and high turnover. Management is aware of this and gets upset when anyone tries to approach them with constructive ideas.  They care more about keeping up appearances than the care of the ridiculous number of animals they accept (all the while replacing a team of fulltime employees with volunteers to do the work instead). They have fired multiple employees as scapegoats to keep upper management looking positive to the Board. Absolutely disgusting treatment of staff and therefore the animals as well. Stay away at all costs.

Despite being a charity, it’s clear the higher ups shower in the MASSIVE amounts of donations, while the bottom tier staff who are keeping animals alive and healthy, working their absolute hardest, are paid minimum wage and treated like garbage. 
If you like to constantly feel like you’re walking on glass, get yelled at, take on responsibilities and risks WAY beyond your pay grade, and then lied to by management, then this is the place for you!
Each new exciting day you’ll clock in and ask your coworker “why are you crying again today? Is it from losing another animal or from management or the vet team verbally abusing you?” 


It's a charity organization that will show its employees their value. Unfortunately a large turn over rate, safety issues, no support to employees who experience burn out. Wages are determined by how much they can raise, the board members ensure management levels get six figure wages while other employees barely make enough to survive. Huge divide between staff, and very top heavy with supervisors, all of which compete with each other. Was sad to go though.

We were assigned small groups with two counsellors each, plus at least one volunteer per camp. Management was super supportive, allowing us to take breaks as needed when the situation was too stressful. I love working with children, but it can often be stressful and exhausting. Thanks to all the support systems that CHS provided, I was actually excited to go to work in the morning most days!

work place culture was wonderful with helping as many animals as we can with focus on also educating and helping the public. hardest part was seeing neglect of animals that came into our care but the best part was for sure also seeing the happy endings of the animals.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Management was very supportive and benefits are great 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Dealing with troubled dogs is always hard

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very open, supportive and inclusive

A great place to volunteer for early teens. Your job is to supervise the children and participate in the games in order for them to have fun. You work around seven hours a day for five days with a 20 minute break at lunch.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Animal caretaker 6 salaries reported	$34,058 per year
Facilitator 7 salaries reported	$35,032 per year
Admission counselor 2 salaries reported	$33,696 per year
Counselor 3 salaries reported	$33,203 per year
Volunteer coordinator 1 salary reported	$33,696 per year

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