Career Center

We have YOUR perfect dream job in the Florida Panhandle!

As the Southeast’s premier animal refuge and sanctuary, Alaqua Animal Refuge is a leader in animal rescue, welfare, cruelty prevention, and advocacy. We believe that all animals deserve a second chance, from dogs and cats, to horses and goats, to birds and rabbits, and more. We even have a wildlife rehab center! Our facility is a one-of-a-kind refuge and sanctuary—the first of its kind in the U.S.—located on a total of 120 acres just minutes away from some of the world’s most beautiful beaches along Florida’s Emerald Coast.

At Alaqua, you will truly make a difference in animals’ lives every day. It’s true.

Read what our Vets have to say:

• “Working at Alaqua was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I loved being able to treat all the medical cases that we rescued without having to get treatment costs approved by owners. Many medical or surgical cases in general practice don’t get treated due to costs; this was never the case while I worked at Alaqua. I also had the opportunity work on many animals that I never would have had to chance to work with had I not worked at Alaqua. The wildlife experience was eye opening and always added a new excitement when they needed medical attention. I got to go back to my roots and work on large animals which is a passion of mine. It really was the dream job for me where I could practice high quality medicine without financial restrictions on the treatments. I got to grow as a doctor and a surgeon with the numerous difficult cases we received from cruelty situations. I will always be grateful for the opportunity to have been a small part of this great organization.” —  MYRA NEWKIRK, DVM (Only left her "dream job" when her military husband was transferred)
  
  
• “Alaqua Animal Refuge allows me the freedom to evaluate a patient and proceed with treatment plans as I see fit. I am fully supported in my decisions by our founder and other management. The variety and severity of some of the cases that we see keeps the job incredibly interesting. There is no greater feeling than seeing an animal that otherwise had no chance of survival, eventually become adopted and living a much better life after it has received the care that we provided. After over two decades in private practice, I can’t see myself doing anything else and plan on spending the rest my career at Alaqua Animal Refuge.” —  JAMES SMITH, DVM (Currently working at Alaqua)
  
  
• “After serving on the board of directors for Alaqua Animal Refuge for two years, I could see the need and ultimate advantage it would be for the refuge to have an on-site veterinarian. I began working as their part-time vet and eventually retired from private practice to work full time. This work continued until additional veterinarians were hired allowing me to go back to part-time. During these years, I found working at Alaqua Animal Refuge to be the most rewarding and impactful work of my long and varied career in veterinary medicine. It allowed me to help the animals who needed it most. It allowed me to work with like-minded people and to help change the perception of animal care of the community. It allowed me to work on animals without an owner making decisions based on economics. The work is hard, but the benefits are priceless.” —  AMY WILLIAMS, DVM (Put off retirement for years to stay with us)
  
  

Our Perfect Candidate:
Our perfect candidate would have compassion, leadership skills, and the desire to help species from domestic to wild animals. Small animal skills are a must, large animal experience is a definite plus, and wild animal experience is not required but a willingness to learn is. At Alaqua, your clients are the animals, and your focus will be on saving their lives. Join our team and become an invaluable partner to inspire, empower, and educate others to make change in our society...for the love of animals.

Our Facilities:
Our brand new veterinary clinic includes:

• Fully equipped exam rooms, with a surgical suite and ICU
• X-ray equipment and a dental machine
• Digital radiography
• In-house bloodwork and urinalysis machines
• Basic tools for orthopedic surgeries
• An isolation ward and animal recovery areas

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:              

• DVM degree from an accredited university
• Must have or maintain a DEA license
• Must have or obtain USDA APHIS Category II license
• Must have or obtain Florida State Veterinary license
• Experience with HQHV spays and neuters
• Experience handling large animals
• Shelter Medicine certification or experience in a shelter environment preferred
• Experience using ShelterLuv program is preferred

You will be responsible for diagnosing and treating a variety of medical conditions, as well as executing and directing medical operations and sound veterinary medical practices for the humane treatment of all animals. 

For full job description and to apply, visit:  https://alaqua.org/veterinarian/