veterinary technician

veterinary assistant

veterinarian

certified trainer

animal caretaker

TORONTO HUMANE SOCIETY

The organization's favoritism towards a select few has fostered a toxic work environment where many employees feel overworked and underpaid. The lack of transparency in promotions for a small group of senior managers, approximately 6 to 10 in number, leaves the staff, who handle the daily responsibilities of caring for the animals or engaging with the public, feeling undervalued and demotivated.

Numerous layoffs occurred between August 2023 and March 2024 due to "lack of funds," impacting even those who had been with the organization for years before the pandemic. Meanwhile, the same management staff were promptly promoted to newly created director roles. This clear mismanagement of funds and lack of empathy highlights a disregard for the well-being of the staff.

Working in this field purely out of love for the animals is a luxury that few can afford. The staff members who interact with the public daily are the ones constantly disrespected and treated unfairly. The directors, focused on their public image, have their calendars filled with meetings among themselves for eight hours a day, five days a week. This results in significant delays in addressing even simple questions and shows how out of touch they are with reality. Proceed with caution.

Working as an ACW allows you to be directly involved in the caretaking of the animals coming into the shelter. But this job does not only involve playing with animals but also being comfortable with a lot of cleaning and preparation of the housing environment. If you are comfortable getting your hands dirty then this can be a rewarding experience. 

The environment is gravitational and people on the ground are passionate and always ready to help. Most of the time, the people around you will be the first line of support when the shelter becomes fast-paced or overwhelming. I personally adored the people I worked with for their compassion towards all the animals from so many different situations coming in, which inspired me to want to be as much involved as possible. Higher management was not around too often and was distant from the ground issues going on. This sometimes involved bringing on more animals than the team could support adequately.  

Overall, it was an enjoyable experience with incredible people and lovely animals that helped me discover an appreciation for the people constantly working in shelter environments. 

have worked here for years. Current manager has had zero schooling in animal care and was fired from the only animal related job they've had.  Supervisors aren't trained to do anything and spend most of their day sitting in an office talking with fellows supervisors or the manager.  If you talk to a supervisor about getting off their phone and helping they will most likely go crying to management who will defend them. Good luck finding a supervisor or manager if you need one as they are most likely outside smoking or have gone to the nearest Tim Hortons.  In my time there I have done many unsafe things outside of my job description and would be talked down to if I refused. Management and supervision deny going outside to smoke no matter how often they are seen and have been seen taking as many as six within a few hour period.  The only time management does anything with the animals is if a camera is present and they make sure all of the hard working ACW's are nowhere insight. ACW's are forced to keep dogs outside in any weather conditions for over an hour at all times of the year or even if the dog has heartworm.  Absolutely disgusting place to work ran and supervised by absolutely disgusting people.

Working in the shelter is full of ups and downs, but it is always rewarding knowing that we are making a difference in the lives of animals in need. The company as a whole has shown so much growth over the last couple of years and is a completely different environment now than when I first started working here. Management now puts a huge emphasis on creating work-life balance for every employee, they try to make sure that all employees feel heard and they strive to make the day-to-day work more enjoyable (despite all of the natural stresses that come with working in a fast-paced shelter environment). There is also always room for growth/career development within the many different departments of the organization. 

Overall, working at the Toronto Humane Society has been an incredible experience and has allowed me to form deep connections with both our animals and my coworkers. The team generally tries to keep a positive attitude and support each other along the way. I'd recommend working here to anyone who is passionate about caring for animals in need - it can definitely be a tough job sometimes, but it has truly been the most fulfilling experience of my life!

THS exploits new staff by throwing new staff in with limited training and allowing appointments to show up whenever causing you to leave late every day. Then questions why you're leaving late to deduct overtime. HR also handles sexism and racism poorly. The organization doesn't respect minorities. There were a far too many poor taste comments and racial slurs thrown around and HR and management blew it off. Not minority friendly at all. You're provided an hour lunch paid but rarely get to use it. Poor scheduling results in daily missed lunches. The workload isn't  difficult but you'll find yourself constantly fixing yesterday's staffs mistakes when your week starts. Nobody has Saturday and Sunday off , each Agent's week is like Sunday-Thursday or Wednesday - Sunday. If you really enjoy working with animals, work somewhere else.  Those poor taste comments I mentioned? Yeah, a lot of them involved hearing jokes about animals going to be euthanized or comparing groups of people to animals being euthanized. It's a low kill not a no kill shelter in case you didn't know.

I used to really love working at the humane society.  The pay was not great but, the work itself was rewarding. The organization was very committed to animals and animal issues.  However, there was always a number of people that were not there for the animals. They had high school mentalities and were more concerned with their status and their popularity. They also had a really nasty sense of entitlement that their skills and education did not backup. As a result they were always causing senseless problems that the people who cared about the organization and the animals needed to deal with. 
  Needless to say the people used the long standing feud between the Toronto Humane Society and the OSPCA to take over. They made the place into a charity pet shop and continued fighting with each other constantly. Its a real shame and I can't recommend working there. You will end up catering to people with a high school mentality and the pursuit of their personal interests.

Working at the Toronto Humane Society is truly rewarding. A typical day is dynamic and fulfilling.
There's also a strong emphasis on teamwork and collaboration, No two days are exactly alike, which keeps things engaging and meaningful.
The workplace culture at the Toronto Humane Society is exceptional. There's a palpable sense of shared passion and dedication to animal welfare. Everyone is genuinely committed to the mission, creating a supportive and positive atmosphere. What truly stands out is the visible involvement of management in the day-to-day operations and the overall job culture. They are approachable, supportive, and actively participate in fostering a collaborative environment. This hands-on approach makes you feel valued and heard, contributing to an excellent place to work where you feel like you're making a real difference.

As an employee at THS I would absolutely recommend working here to anyone who wants to work for a great cause. The environment has its challenges, some days really fast and overwhelming, and some days just moderately fast. All of the staff and management are devoted and work hard, however, the volume and workload can often put groups of people at odds. I have seen a change in supervisors and their approach over the past 1-2 years and can see how much everyone cares. Its a hard go, but we are working against a big hill. Animals lives depend on us; our volunteers and staff, and changing the world and the lives of animals isnt an easy task - it can leave us hurting but also over-joyed. The culture needs work but it is improving and cooperation between management and staff is visibly changing.

I really loved this job because it’s so rewarding however when they hired me they were supposed to be a minimum of 2 overnight ACWs but it was only me. I was the only human in the whole building from 8PM till 7:30AM. The duties of two people were already overwhelming but then there was an influx of kittens who required syringe feeding. It takes about 15 minutes to warm the formula, draw enough of it, safely feed the kitten, and the record the details for ONE KITTEN  There were usually 4-5 that needed feeding so with barely enough time to finish my usual work kid I had over an hour eaten up by feeding the kittens

It's fast paced when the shelter is full but being able to build personal connections with the animals and help them out is very rewarding. As an ACW, it's physically demanding and tiring but I knew plenty of good people in Animal Care that would gladly help out when needed. Upper management seems out of touch but the people on the ground are understanding and helpful despite the chaos. The pay isn't great and it can be exhausting but if you want a learning experience and lots of time with animals and you're not worried about getting your hands dirty, it's a good place to be.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Veterinary technician 9 salaries reported	$31.16 per hour
Veterinary assistant 4 salaries reported	$20.96 per hour
Veterinarian 9 salaries reported	$68.75 per hour
Certified trainer 1 salary reported	$27.21 per hour
Animal caretaker 3 salaries reported	$18.98 per hour

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