The Position
This is a continuous filing exam. Next filing cut-offs are at 5:00 pm on:
9/4/2026, 9/18/2026, 10/16/2026 (Final)
Under general supervision, the Animal Care Attendant feeds and cares for animals and maintains safe and sanitary kennel facilities and equipment at the Sacramento County Animal Shelter.
Examples Of Knowledge And Abilities
Knowledge of
- Practices, methods, and materials used in cleaning animal facilities
- Feeding and caring for animals
- Physical and behavioral characteristics of various animal species
- Basic symptoms of common animal diseases
Ability to
- Work with co-workers, staff, volunteers, and members of the general public from various socio-economic and cultural backgrounds in a courteous and effective manner
- Read, write, and speak English at a level necessary for satisfactory job performance
- Work safely with aggressive animals
- Learn to euthanize animals in a safe and humane manner
- Learn to operate the equipment used in handling various types of small and large animals, birds, reptiles, and livestock
- Safely operate a County vehicle in performance of duties
Employment Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
Six months paid or unpaid full-time experience in the care and treatment of animals. Examples of qualifying experience are: veterinarian technician or helper, kennel attendant, S.P.C.A. attendant, zoo attendant, 4-H or farm experience, or animal training experience.
Note: If the word "experience" is referenced in the minimum qualifications, it means full-time paid experience unless the minimum qualification states that volunteer experience is acceptable. Part-time paid experience may be accumulated and pro-rated to meet the total experience requirements.
General Qualifications
Background/Criminal History Check: The County may access criminal history information on candidates who have accepted a conditional offer of appointment for this class consistent with the provisions of Board of Supervisors Resolution No. 82-602, Personnel Policies and applicable federal and state laws. The County shall not consider for employment any candidate who has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor that relates to or impacts the candidate's ability to perform the job duties of this class unless it is determined that mitigating circumstances exist. For purposes of accessing criminal history information, the candidate will be fingerprinted. A subsequent arrest notification may be obtained.
The County may also conduct a background check on the candidate prior to appointment to a position within this class. The background check may include personal and professional reference checks, credit history checks where authorized by Labor Code section 1024.5, Social Security Number verification, professional license/registration verification, military service information and driving history. Information obtained in the course of this background check will be considered by the appointing authority in the selection process. In obtaining such information, the County will comply with applicable consent and disclosure practices in the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the California Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act.
Driver's License: A valid California Driver License, Class C or higher, may be required at the time of appointment. Failure to obtain or maintain the appropriate California Driver License may constitute cause for personnel action in accordance with Civil Service Rules or applicable bargaining agreement. Individuals who do not meet this requirement due to disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Some positions in the Animal Care Attendant class series may require possession of a Registered Veterinary Technician license from the State of California. Failure to successfully obtain and maintain the required license may be cause for personnel action in accordance with Civil Service Rules or applicable bargaining agreement.
Permit Requirement: In accordance with the State Veterinary Medical Board (VMB), incumbents appointed to this class shall be required to obtain a Veterinary Assistant Controlled Substance Permit within three months of appointment. Failure to successfully obtain and maintain the required permit may be cause for personnel action in accordance with Civil Service Rules or applicable bargaining agreement.
Age Requirement: Minimum age - 18 years.
Physical Requirements: Positions in this class require incumbents to be able to:
- Stand and walk for extended periods of time.
- Bend, stoop, squat, and crawl in small, low, and/or confined areas.
- Climb ladders and work at aboveground levels.
- Lift up to 40 pounds and occasionally lift up to 80 pounds with assistance.
Individuals who do not meet these requirements due to disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Working Conditions: Positions in this class require the incumbents to:
- Be exposed to infectious, poisonous, and threatening animals.
- Be exposed to chemicals used to perform euthanasia.
- Work outdoor in all types of local weather conditions.
- Work around dust, dirt, and odors.
- Work in and around animal fur, dander and excrement.
- Work weekends, holidays, and non-routine hours, including fluctuating hours and after hours call outs.
- Work at various locations throughout the County.
- Wear a uniform that conforms to departmental standards.
Probationary Period
The probationary period for this classification is
six (6) months.
Application and Testing Information
APPLICATION
Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply immediately. All applicants must complete and submit an online County of Sacramento employment application by
5:00 PM on the posted cut-off date. Click here to apply.
County of Sacramento
Department of Personnel Services
Employment Services Division
700 H Street, Room 4667
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone (916) 874-5593; 7-1-1 California Relay Service
Email EmployOffice@Saccounty.net
Inter-Office Mail Code: 09-4667
www.SacCountyJobs.net
- Employment applications and all documentation requested in this announcement must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.
- Employment Services is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by an applicant's computer or web browser. Applicants will be automatically logged out if they have not submitted their applications and all documentation prior to 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.
- Your application should highlight all relevant education, training, and experience, and clearly indicate how you meet the minimum qualifications for the position as of the cut-off date.
- Application information must be current, concise and related to the requirements in this job announcement. You may only apply for this recruitment once. Duplicate and incomplete applications will be disqualified.
- A resume may be included with your application, however it will not substitute for the information requested on the application.
SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE
Applicants are required to provide a full and complete response to each supplemental question. The Supplemental Questionnaire is located in the tab marked "Supplemental Questions". Please be descriptive in your response.
Note: Responses of "See Resume" or "See Application", or copy and paste of work experience are not qualifying responses and will not be considered.
- Supplemental Questionnaires must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date. Employment Services is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by an applicant's computer or web browser. Applicants will be automatically logged out if they have not submitted their applications and all documentation prior to 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.
- The supplemental questions are designed to elicit specific information regarding a candidate's experience, education, and training. Responses should be consistent with the information on your application and are subject to verification.
- Please provide place of employment, pertinent dates, and concise, descriptive and detailed information for each question.
- If a job included responsibilities applicable to several questions, separate the different functions of the job to answer all the questions completely.
- Resumes or referral to the application or other questionnaire responses will not be accepted in lieu of completing each question.
- If you have no experience, write "no experience" for the appropriate question.
- For many individuals, it is more efficient to develop responses to the supplemental questions in a word processing document and then paste them into the final document to be submitted. Changes or corrections to your Supplemental Questionnaire cannot be made once your application packet has been submitted.
- If the Supplemental Questionnaire is used in the Formula Rate exam, failure to complete all of the questions or incomplete responses will result in a lower score. While scoring the Supplemental Questionnaire, the candidate's application and/or attachments will not be reviewed, therefore, a candidate's responses to the questions should be accurate, thorough, detailed, and complete.
FORMULA RATE EXAMINATION (Weighted 100%)
All candidates meeting the minimum qualifications by the cut-off date will have their Supplemental Questionnaire scored in the Formula Rate Examination.
This examination will evaluate the relevance, level, recency, progression and quality of candidate's education, training and experience. The candidate's application or other materials will not be included in this examination. Therefore, the candidate's responses to the supplemental questionnaire should be thorough, detailed and complete. The score from the Formula Rate Examination will determine the ranking on the eligible/employment list for this job.
All candidates competing in the testing process will receive written notice of their examination results by email. Notices can also be accessed in their governmentjobs.com inbox. Applicants achieving a passing score will be placed on the eligible list in rank order. The rank is determined by the test score attained from the examination.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Click here for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
For information regarding County jobs:
Sacramento County is about enriching communities to thrive. We strive to create inclusive workplaces that reflect the communities we serve. We value and celebrate the unique perspectives, backgrounds, abilities, and diverse dimensions of our employees and residents. Through transparency, courage, innovation, and trust we are committed to advance equity and transformational change.
We are a proud equal opportunity employer. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability for any phase of the hiring process, please contact our Disability Compliance Office at dco@saccounty.gov or 916-874-7642, CA Relay 711
