Entry-Level Animal Care Attendant — Growth & Advancement Opportunities Farmhouse Dogs | Entry-Level Animal Care Position Do you love animals, have a strong work ethic, and want to build real professional experience working with them? We are looking for someone who is ready to start with the fundamentals, learn our business from the ground up, take on more as they learn, and grow with Farmhouse Dogs. Farmhouse Dogs is unique in that we are an in-home pet care business—we operate from our home and property rather than a traditional commercial facility. Our goal is to provide professional care while maintaining the comfortable, personal, home-like environment our clients value for their dogs. While dogs are the primary focus of our business, Farmhouse is also home to goats and chickens, and helping care for them is part of being a member of our team. No previous livestock experience is necessary—we're happy to teach you—but applicants should be comfortable around farm animals and willing to learn their routines and care. This is an entry-level position, and previous professional animal-care experience is not required. We are willing to train the right person and offer opportunities to learn additional areas of our business as experience, reliability, and skills are demonstrated. But we want to be very clear about where that training begins: Cleaning. Lots of cleaning. Professional animal care involves much more than playing with dogs. Maintaining an exceptionally clean, sanitary, organized, and safe environment for the animals in our care means maintaining the household and property to a high standard every day. Every member of our team contributes to an extensive list of daily, weekly, and monthly household chores, cleaning responsibilities, and property needs. What You'll Be Doing Your starting responsibilities will include: Cleaning and sanitizing dog-care areas, floors, crates, equipment, dishes, bedding, and household surfaces Picking up dog waste—frequently and thoroughly Laundry, dishes, sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, disinfecting, and general household upkeep Completing detailed daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning and household chore lists Helping maintain the household, outdoor areas, and property Providing hands-on supervision and care for dogs Feeding, watering, providing outside time, and following individual care routines Monitoring dog behavior and helping maintain safe, appropriate play Learning the individual needs, personalities, and routines of dogs in our care Assisting with the daily care of our goats and chickens Feeding, watering, cleaning animal areas, and following established livestock-care routines Helping maintain outdoor animal areas and noticing when something needs attention Learning to confidently and safely work around the different animals that call Farmhouse home Working both indoors and outdoors throughout your shift Keeping supplies, equipment, and work areas clean and organized Noticing what needs to be done and taking initiative rather than waiting to be asked As you become trained, demonstrate reliability, and show that you can consistently handle your responsibilities, there is room to learn more, take on more, and advance within Farmhouse Dogs. Start Here. Learn. Grow. We are looking for someone who doesn't simply want a job working around animals. We want someone who is motivated to learn, eager to take on additional responsibilities as they develop their skills, and interested in growing with Farmhouse Dogs. Employees who demonstrate initiative, reliability, attention to detail, sound judgment, and a desire to learn may have opportunities to gain experience in additional areas, including: Client communication and customer service Office and administrative responsibilities Office management Preparing and organizing individualized care instructions for dogs staying with us More advanced dog handling and behavior Grooming education and hands-on grooming experience Increased responsibility within our daycare and boarding programs Additional animal-care responsibilities Other areas of the business based on individual strengths and interests As you become more experienced, you'll also gain confidence caring for the different animals that make Farmhouse, Farmhouse. While professional dog care is our primary business, our goats and chickens are part of the household too—and our team helps make sure everyone is cared for. We don't expect you to walk through the door knowing how to do all of these things. We want someone motivated to learn them. The more you learn, the more you demonstrate that you're ready for, and the more responsibility you successfully take on, the more opportunities there are to grow within Farmhouse. The Reality of Working With Animals You will get dirty. Caring for animals in a home and farm-like environment requires constant cleaning and upkeep. You will encounter dog hair, mud, slobber, urine, feces, dirty laundry, wet dogs, dirty animal areas, and plenty of messes. Household chores and property upkeep are not side duties here. They are an essential part of providing the clean, comfortable, home-like environment our clients trust us to maintain for their dogs—and of properly caring for all of the animals who call Farmhouse home. You will also work outside when it's hot, cold, raining, snowing, muddy, or otherwise less than ideal. The needs of the animals, household, and property don't stop because of the weather. There are fun moments, puppy cuddles, and plenty of animals—but those moments come alongside a significant amount of cleaning, physical work, and responsibility. If you're looking for a job where you primarily play with dogs, this is probably not the right position for you. If you're looking for an opportunity to learn how professional animal care actually works in a unique, in-home setting and build your skills and responsibilities from there, we'd love to teach you. Reliability & Attendance Are Essential Animals require care every single day, regardless of weather, weekends, personal plans, or how busy the day becomes. Our team depends heavily on one another, which means reliability, punctuality, and consistent attendance are essential requirements of this position. We are specifically looking for someone who understands the responsibility that comes with animal care and takes their work schedule seriously. Frequent call-outs, tardiness, or ongoing attendance issues will not be tolerated. Reliability is also one of the most important factors we consider when determining when an employee is ready for additional training, responsibility, and advancement. Who We're Looking For Previous professional animal-care experience is not required. This is an entry-level position, and we can teach animal-care skills to someone who comes to us with the right foundation. We're looking for someone who: Is exceptionally reliable and punctual Has a strong work ethic Has excellent attention to detail Is organized and takes pride in cleanliness Understands the importance of completing even small tasks thoroughly Can follow detailed instructions, checklists, and established routines Takes initiative and sees tasks through to completion Is motivated to learn new skills Wants to take on more responsibility as they learn Is receptive to training and constructive feedback Can adapt, problem-solve, and overcome challenges with a positive attitude Is comfortable working independently as well as with a team Is comfortable around dogs, goats, and chickens Understands that no cleaning or household task is "beneath" them Can remain productive without constant supervision Genuinely enjoys animals while understanding that caring for them professionally requires hard work Is interested in becoming a valuable, long-term member of our team Bring Your Dog to Work Have a dog—or dogs—of your own? One of the unique benefits of working at Farmhouse Dogs is the opportunity for employees to bring their own dogs to work with them, provided their dogs are a safe and appropriate fit for our environment. While you're working, your dogs can spend their day with you and their Farmhouse friends. Care for employees' personal dogs at Farmhouse is provided free of charge, making this an especially valuable benefit for dog owners who would otherwise need to arrange care while they're at work. Physical & Environmental Expectations Applicants should be comfortable with a physically active job that may include prolonged standing and walking, bending, squatting, reaching, lifting and carrying supplies, repetitive cleaning tasks, handling dogs of varying sizes, working around goats and chickens, and working outdoors in changing weather conditions. Because we operate from our home and property, everyone on our team plays a role in maintaining the household and property. Applicants should be willing to jump in wherever needed—whether that's caring for dogs, feeding goats and chickens, doing laundry, cleaning floors, organizing supplies, completing household chores, cleaning outdoor animal areas, or helping with other property needs. This is a hands-on job. You should expect to leave some shifts tired, dirty, and covered in dog hair—and hopefully proud of what you accomplished. More Than an Entry-Level Job This position is designed to be a starting point. For someone motivated to learn and grow, it can become an opportunity to develop experience in professional animal care, dog behavior, group management, grooming, client relations, administration, office management, livestock care, and the day-to-day operation of an established in-home pet care business. We are happy to invest our time and knowledge into teaching the right person, and we would love to find someone who wants to continue learning and taking on more as they become experienced and proven. We can teach animal care. We can teach our routines, systems, and business. What we can't teach is reliability, work ethic, attention to detail, initiative, and the desire to grow. If you're dependable, hardworking, comfortable getting dirty, willing to start with the fundamentals, eager to learn, and excited about earning additional responsibilities as you grow, we'd love to hear from you.

Pay:

$17.13 - $25.00 per hour

Benefits:

Employee discount Flexible schedule On-the-job training

Shift:

8 hour shift Day shift

Work Days:

Monday to Friday Rotating weekends

Work Location:

In person