Working as a kennel attendant is a great way to gain experience in animal care. I applied for a kennel attendant position at a veterinary hospital because I want to be a veterinarian and I need hands-on experience working with animals. I’ve already learned so many skills that will help me succeed in animal care and that will look great on future resumés! I love my job and I want to share with you a small piece of what I do.
I learned quickly that my job is very fast-paced and physically demanding.
The facility is set up so that the majority of dogs are boarding downstairs in various sized kennels. Some kennels are small for a single dog, while others are large enough to fit two or three dogs from the same family. Each kennel consists of an inside area where they have beds, blankets, water, food and any toys their owner brings. The back of the kennel has a door that can be opened by pulling a large wire pulley from the hallway. Through the door is the run, which has a concrete floor and chain linked fencing. During the day, the dogs are free to travel between the inside kennel and the outside run.
Upstairs, we have a room of stacked “cat condos.” Each condo has three sections (one large and two small) with blankets, litter box, water and food. Two condos can be connected to allow sibling cats to share their space. Another room upstairs is designed specifically for small dogs. When entering this room, you walk down a hallway lined with small rooms for each dog. These rooms can hold up to three small dogs each. Downstairs, we have a room specifically designed for dogs with special medical needs. This room is away from all the noise of the facility where dogs can have a stress free stay.
The shifts are split so that one person works upstairs (cats, small dogs and special needs) and two downstairs (the kennel). We start the day by administering any time specific medications needed at 7 am upstairs and downstairs. Downstairs, dogs are let out to potty and food is set out for each dog with any medicine needed. This takes up a large part of the morning, especially when our boarding is completely full. After setting out breakfast, we bring the dogs out to their runs and shut the run doors to clean the inside of every kennel. We go through each kennel and pick up food bowls, take out soiled beds and blankets to wash, and dump water bowls down the drain. Once every kennel is empty, we spray them down with a cleaning chemical and let it set for 10 minutes. We then rinse the chemicals down the drain and refill water bowls, set out beds and blankets and replace any uneaten food. We open the runs to let the dogs in and shut the doors behind them. Next, we clean the runs in the same way.
By the time the cleaning and feeding is finished, the morning is over. Now we give out lunches, afternoon medications and we start on services. Owners can chose to sign their pet up for different services throughout their stay. We offer Individual Turnouts, Group Turnouts, Fetch, Treat Time and Extra TLC. Turnouts can be once or twice daily and treats can be peanut butter or canned food. Groups are usually three to five dogs at a time and are carefully supervised to insure everyone’s safety. Extra TLC is my favorite service to give. We get to spend five minutes in the kennel with the dog giving them extra attention (head pets, belly rubs, scratchies, whatever affection they want!).
The routine for working upstairs is more or less the same as downstairs, but we have to juggle three rooms. In addition to feeding, medicating, cleaning, and services, the upstairs shift is responsible for baths and nail trims. We schedule up to four nail trims and two baths each day, but sometimes we have less or none. Both shifts also work on laundry throughout the day and clean dishes among other things.
Later in the day, we give out dinners and refill water bowls. We continue working on services and give out medications in the evening. As owners pick their dogs up, we deep clean their space for the next boarder and prepare for the next day. When everything is done and all the animals are safely in their places, we close run doors and give each animal a wellness check. We scoop the yards and runs, take out the trash and lock up for the night.
This isn’t an exhaustive description of what I do everyday, just a basic outline of the biggest parts. In the end, the most important part of the job is keeping the animals safe and healthy. The job in its entirety isn’t super glamorous, but taking care of animals can be extremely rewarding. I think working as a kennel attendant is a great way to start a career in animal care because I’m gaining experience and knowledge while doing something that I really enjoy.
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