Vantaggi
I loved the people at Berkeley Humane. Enthusiastic, hugely devoted to ensuring the well-being of animals, and every team member is committed to furthering to goal of saving lives in the East Bay. You're generally welcome to bring your dog into work, which makes for a great work environment and helps lessen stress for everyone. The executive director and program directors/managers are really bringing Berkeley Humane into the public eye and making the organization viable and well-supported. To this end, staff are sometimes asked to pitch in on bigger projects that take place outside of usual work hours or location. (Always fairly compensated for this, and staff always welcome to turn down the requests.) On the job training went beautifully for me, as I understand it tends to for many staff. HR is responsive and friendly. Lots of employee gatherings meant I got to know everyone well enough to have a working relationship.
Svantaggi
High turnover in the adoption center: it's hard work taking care of animals and burnout is a very real thing when you're working on weekends and evenings. Animals need care all day long. This is not unique to Berkeley Humane, though, and turnover at BHS is markedly lower than at similar animal welfare organizations. Vegetarianism and veganism are extremely common here, and if you eat animal products you can attract some unfriendly glances. No one spouts any opinions about it, certainly, and you're free to do what you choose, but privately many employees feel strongly about consumption of animal products.