animal control officer

animal caretaker

dispatcher

human resources coordinator

veterinary technician

The Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo and Stratford Perth

My experience working at the Humane Society this summer was amazing. Right from the start I received helpful training from staff members, and they always made sure I was comfortable completing each task before I moved to doing things more independently. Coworkers were always checking in to ensure I knew how to do tasks that were asked of me. I felt able to ask questions when I needed, and always received helpful answers. Any information I needed was communicated clearly to me in a timely manner. I was never left hanging or surprised with tasks that needed to be done last minute. Also, work stayed at work, I was not expected to answer emails or communicate during non work hours. Everyone was friendly and welcoming towards me, and would lend a helping hand whenever necessary. I had a lot of fun working alongside such a great team. I felt appreciated by everyone I worked with. Not only do the staff appreciate their coworkers, but the animals are also treated extremely well. As a student, I was on my feet most of the day helping out with anything that needed to be done to keep things flowing smoothly. I really liked that many of the tasks expected of me were typically repeated each day, so it was easy to get into a routine where I was completing everything as efficiently as possible. And of course, getting to work with animals was a huge plus! Nothing like kittens, puppies, and other animals to make your day every day. I loved getting a chance to be a part of the team helping these animals ultimately find happy homes. Overall, I really enjoyed working at the Humane Society and would recommend this workplace to anyone. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
The people who work at this organization are incredibly passionate about animals. They truly pour their heart and soul into the work and contribute well beyond their pay grade. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Leadership  is the problem with this organization. The CEO has caused significant harm to the organization and has created a work culture of fear and anxiety. There have been repeated mass departures of staff over the past year and most would cite the CEO and the poor work culture as the reason for this. The board is aware and continues not to act. As a result, departures continue and a huge percentage of current staff have been in the job less than a year. This is completely unsustainable and it's affecting the organization's ability to serve its mission. Until the current CEO is replaced, I do not recommend working here. Some will say that this is simply the nature of non-profit employment. That certainly have not been my experience. What's currently happening at the Humane Society is unprecedented. Change is desperately needed. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The current work culture is terrible. Staff are over-worked, underpaid, and constantly stressed. The work culture used to be very positive, but staff have checked out due to poor culture, micro-management, lack of empathy, and complete distrust of staff the CEO has repeatedly displayed.

Employees are deeply passionate about the mission and care strongly about the cause. Many managers genuinely try to support their teams and act with integrity, despite operating under significant constraints. 

The organization is highly dysfunctional and chaotic, largely due to an authoritarian, micromanagement-driven leadership approach at the executive level. Decision-making is centralized, reactive, and poorly communicated, creating ongoing uncertainty and unnecessary pressure.

While staff are committed and mission-driven, they are not adequately valued or recognized. There is little to no work-life balance.

Managers are under constant pressure, lack meaningful support. Resulting in burnout, declining morale, and high turnover of tenured employees.

I worked really hard when working there, treating every animal like my own. I’d never take my 15 min lunch breaks since I was always so busy doing my job or helping out others. 
Then one day without warning I’m let go without warning (I never saw it coming). All because I’m knowledgeable on the job and knew more than HR, which they saw as “talking over my superiors”, though when talked about they encouraged me to share my knowledge. 
So if you’re actually knowledgeable and hard working, either don’t be so you can keep your job or don’t work here. 
I didn’t mind working full time, even though I was hired as part time and had a part time pay, because I thought I was helping the animals but after working there I don’t feel I was. They don’t let you do anything of significance to help the animals and god help anyone who suggests ideas on the animals welfare. 

Can be fast paced
May encounter difficult emotional cases of neglect/abuse
Can be very stressful
A lot of things to complete in a short amount of time
Knowledge of animal body language an asset
Confidence needs to be a requirement when working with animals. You cannot teach someone to be confident

You want to love the job because you love animals, but the lack of resources and toxic work environment causes burn out. You are left feeling overwhelmed and frustrated because the full time staff slack off and leave you with more work. The pay isn't worth the stress and trauma this place causes. 

I love animals and I love working with my team. There is a great life-work balance. Everyone that works here is genuinly kind and really care about animals. The best part - I get to spend quality time with animals that come in. 

This job was hard work but was well rewarding. Everyone there was very friendly and the work the Humane Society is doing for animals is inspiring. The hardest part of the job was having to spend 100% of your time focused on kids and never have time to yourself.

Extremely unprofessional. Extreme issues with cliques. Gossiping. Insensitive. Main issues is management/administration. Fire many good staff with no reason or warning.

In this workplace, I was constantly challenged with new tasks and exciting opportunities. There was never a dull moment, as there was always something new that had to be done.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Animal control officer 10 salaries reported	$23.20 per hour
Animal caretaker 5 salaries reported	$19.26 per hour
Dispatcher 5 salaries reported	$19.26 per hour
Human resources coordinator 1 salary reported	$44,000 per year
Veterinary technician 2 salaries reported	$24.00 per hour

Working at The Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo and Stratford Perth: company overview and reviews

The Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo and Stratford Perth

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