After working somewhere for only 3 days, am I obligated to give a 2wk notice?

Question

I got a new job at a local No kill animal shelter (no prior experience). I actually applied for a Kennel position working with the dogs up for adoption, but instead I interviewed for a job in the Isolation ward where the sick cats/dogs/puppies/kittens are taken to try to get better. At first I thought I was up for the challenge, but in 3 days there were 3 deaths (euthanized). One of which was a puppy that was healthy when brought in, but because of poor facilities there is overcrowding and ramped cross contamination. Cuties put in isolation to be treated with mere ring worms are being exposed to deadly upper respiratory infections and having to be put to sleep. There are animals who are kept (most all) in cages 24/7 and have developed "flat foot" and bow-legs because of cramped conditions and no exercise.

I didn't mind the p**p on me from head to toe, but seeing this just absolutely broke my heart and I couldn't go back.

I emailed the lady who hired me, explaining why I wouldn't be back. I hadn't even done any paperwork for employment yet, so I told her to just consider those 24 hours that I worked over the holiday as my volunteer contribution to the cause.

Well, I never heard back from her, but I got an email reply from her superior, who is the big wig director of the entire place, and he reamed me a new one. He told me that I was wrong for not giving a 2 weeks notice and said that I wasn't considerate blah blah blah.

I have been depressed all day. Thinking about those animals....thinking I let them down as well as the employees.

What are your opinions?

I thought I was doing a good thing by being honest with them and not wasting their times by leading them on.

I couldn't stay for another day, so to be stuck there for 2 weeks while they found somebody else would have been torture for me.

3 dogs in 3 days......14 days would mean 14 more dogs...and by then I would have been attached to a lot of them for sure.

Answer 1

Maybe technically, but I think that in such a horrifying situation, it should have been understood that you just couldn't go back in there!  How horrible for you, I don't know that I would have even lasted as long as you did.  I think you did the best that you could and you did let them know you weren't coming back.  

I probably would have called or gone to speak with the supervisor and told her I was having a very rough time and asked to be transferred to a different area, and then quit if they couldn't or wouldn't do it.  Doesn't sound like they would have been very understanding or flexible, though.  

The thing caretakers have to remember is that it's just as important for you to take care of yourself as it is for you to take care f your charges.  14 more days would have been very bad for you, and you did what you needed to do to take care of yourself.  Nothing wrong with that.

Answer 2

I think all you said over the phone could have been said in person. You seem like someone making excuses when you make these adjustments over the phone. Further, it's not easy to hire someone to do the work you did. Obviously, they saw something in you that they liked otherwise would not have hired you. In your defense, that's alot to take in for someone who has a love of animals. I am not sure what you can do now but they will likely have to pick up the slack of where you abruptly left off. The only thing you can do is never put this on your resume and just know what you can handle and what you cant. If you get some money, maybe you can donate it to them.