Dog Care Attendant / Kennel Assistant

About the Role

A dependable, hardworking, and compassionate individual is sought to join the team at Paws and Hearts of Gold, caring for dogs in a professional boarding, daycare, and training environment. This is a hands-on position working directly with dogs of all breeds, sizes, ages, and personalities.

Key Responsibilities

• Dog Care: Provide daily care and supervision for boarding, daycare, and training dogs, ensuring their comfort, health, and safety.
• Feeding and Meal Preparation: Prepare meals according to individual dietary needs, feeding schedules, and instructions. Maintain clean feeding areas and supplies.
• Exercise and Enrichment: Walk dogs, supervise playtime, provide individual exercise, and participate in activities that keep dogs physically and mentally engaged.
• Cleaning and Sanitation: Clean kennels, play areas, yards, bedding, food bowls, and equipment. Maintain a sanitary, organized, and comfortable environment.
• Behavior Observation: Learn to recognize canine body language, monitor behavior, and report any concerns about health, stress, or interactions with other dogs.
• Facility Maintenance: Assist with laundry, organizing supplies, maintaining outdoor spaces, and other tasks necessary to keep the facility operating smoothly.
• Teamwork: Work alongside experienced animal care professionals and trainers to maintain consistent routines and high standards of care.

Requirements & Tech Stack

No professional dog training experience is required. The company is happy to teach the right person.

Qualifications

• Genuine interest in working with animals.
• Reliability, patience, and attention to detail.
• Enjoys working with dogs and is comfortable around large and energetic breeds.
• Physically capable of spending much of the day walking, standing, bending, lifting, and working outdoors.
• Understands that caring for animals involves plenty of cleaning and physical work.
• Punctual, responsible, and capable of working independently.
• Pays attention to details and follows instructions carefully.
• Patient, observant, and interested in understanding animal behavior.
• Works well with others and takes pride in doing a job properly.

Opportunities for Advancement

For motivated employees, opportunities to develop additional skills may include:

• Professional dog handling and canine behavior
• Basic and advanced obedience training
• Working with anxious, reactive, and challenging dogs
• Assisting professional trainers with lessons and training programs
• Service dog development and training
• Supervisory, management, and operational responsibilities

Advancement will depend on demonstrated skills, reliability, initiative, and the ability to take on additional responsibilities.