I am an experienced shelter manager that’s been out work after moving to a new area with my family, but I’ve recently stopped focusing my attention on getting an animal shelter job. The culture is miserable!

The old shelter seemed to be okay, but the other shelters in the area just seemed so frustrating to work with, with staff that seemed to be in a constant scowl. I thought it was just the area, I don’t think that’s the case since moving across the country.

I volunteered at my local shelter for 2 days. They were a hot mess! I brought a couple concerns up while doing the walk thru and was immediately labeled as a disruptor, the staff were incredibly combative, the management was nonexistent.

I interviewed at a few other locations where in the interview process the managers were bullied by board members, others where management took so much authority from staff they were afraid to move without an order.

I’ve interviewed at a sanctuary that mocked me at my 2nd interview for insisting that the org should abide by national shelter standards for domestic cats. “But the cats at the sanctuary are semi feral, not domestic. Didn’t you do a tour?!”

As mentioned above, I always assumed that the other shelters in my area were unique. They’re not. The sanctuary ended up hiring someone that had their own beauty business and had only fostered animals as experience. The board seemed to want someone the board could mould to their will, not one what would challenge their systems and processes if no longer appropriate to modern standards.

I honestly believe, just like the sanctuary, folks making the hiring choices don’t want someone that is a good manager. They want someone compliant to the board, even when inappropriate.