Carmen Sunshine
Harlow,Essex
Summary
Dedicated animal care professional with extensive expertise in disease symptom recognition, aquatic life care, and reptile welfare. Demonstrates strong ethical standards and a commitment to compassionate caregiving, with proven skills in public education engagement and proactive health monitoring. Adept at developing enrichment activities and managing feed schedules while maintaining confidentiality and respecting animal behaviour. Career goals include advancing public awareness of wildlife conservation through effective education and hands-on experience.
Compassionate and driven individual with transferable skills in communication and teamwork, along with keen eye for animal welfare. Possesses strong organisational abilities and natural aptitude for problem-solving. Ready to make meaningful impact by contributing to well-being and care of animals in need. I do feel that all my experience I have gained has given me all the skills to bring to any job.
Overview
3
3
years of professional experience
Work history
Animal care volunteer
Karen
Harlow, Essex
2023.01 - 2025.08
- Performed grooming duties such as washing, brushing and nail clipping to maintain hygiene standards of pets.
- Collaborated with veterinary staff during routine check-ups to ensure optimal health of animals.
- Provided comfort to sick or injured animals with gentle handling and reassurance.
- Participated actively in community outreach programmes leading to increased support for the shelter.
- Comforted distressed animals during thunderstorms or fireworks ensuring their emotional well-being.
- Improved animal wellbeing by providing daily care, feeding and cleaning tasks.
- Developed socialisation skills in rescued animals through dedicated play and interaction time.
- Maintained detailed records of animal behaviour changes to assist the veterinary team.
- Nurtured trust in shy animals through patience, consistency and gentle interaction.
- Ensured safe environment for animals by maintaining clean and healthy living conditions.
- Conducted educational talks to public visitors for awareness about animal welfare issues.
- Organised fundraising events for financial resources essential for shelter operations.
- Monitored health of animals, reporting changes or causes for concern.
- Understood needs of different types of animals.
- Remained calm when handling animals to prevent chance of injury or reactive behaviour.
- Cleaned out animal living spaces to meet strict hygiene standards.
- Prepared and portioned food in line with feeding schedules.
- Safely handled animals with varying temperaments with firm and friendly manner.
- Maintained a safe environment for animals by cleaning and sanitising cages according to centre instructions.
- Protected from risk by using protective equipment where appropriate.
- Optimised environments for safe animal occupancy.
- Responded to questions on animal care from colleagues or members of public.
- Facilitated early detection of health issues by performing thorough health checks, including eye, ear and dental examinations.
- Socialised animals through supervised interactions with humans and other animals.
- Groomed domestic animals to keep them looking presentable.
- Minimised health risk exposure by bathing and grooming animals according to prescribed schedules.
- Enabled smooth running of centre operations by regularly clearly and inspecting cages and treatment equipment.
- Stimulated animals with engaging activities and play.
- Provided animals with right amounts of exercise.
- Refreshed water and offered treats to reinforce good behaviour.
- Assisted in daily care routines for animals, including feeding and grooming.
- Looked after sick or distressed animals, cultivating soothing environment to prevent aggressive behaviour.
- Helped animals to socialise, improving adoptability.
- Measured animals periodically to monitor changes in weight.
- Conducted basic health checks and reported observations to veterinary staff.
- Updated animal records in line with established procedure.
- Kept animals safe and secure throughout assessments and transportation.
- Bathed animals for maximum cleanliness and comfort.
- Kept animal cages spotlessly clean to minimise infection risks.
- Calmed anxious pets to achieve positive grooming experiences.
- Checked animal coats for fleas and ticks, offering treatment advice.
- Fed, watered and toileted animals ahead of treatments.
Education
Passmores academy
Harlow 09/2019 - 10/2022
NVQ Level 1 and NVQ level 2 - animal care and welfare
Pets corner
Harlow 01/2023 - 08/2025
Skills
- Strong ethical standards
- Disease symptom recognition
- Aquatic life care
- Compassionate caregiving
- Reptile welfare
- Public education engagement
- Self-Motivation in remote settings
- Patience with wildlife
- Empathy for animals
- Cage maintenance
- Avian behavior and handling
- Proactive health monitoring
- Development of enrichment activities
- Confidentiality respect
- Feed schedule management
- Active listening to veterinarians
- Animal behaviour understanding
- Calm under pressure
- Cage cleaning
- Bathing and grooming
- Exercising animals
- Animal handling
- Matted hair removal
- Feeding routines
- Animal feeding
- Small animal handling
- Cleaning cages
- Cattle feeding
- Emotional resilience
- Shed maintenance
- Compassionate care
- Poultry handling
Affiliations
- caring for multiple different species of animals in my own home.
- Socialising with family and friends.
Accomplishments
Completing my NVQ level 1 and 2
Timeline
Animal care volunteer
Karen
2023.01 - 2025.08
Passmores academy
09/2019 - 10/2022
NVQ Level 1 and NVQ level 2 - animal care and welfare
Pets corner
01/2023 - 08/2025