Job Summary:

Assist kennel staff by providing direct care and maintenance of kennel and surroundings, general husbandry of hospitalized or boarding pets. Responsible for bathing of boarding animals and maintaining clean and organized environment.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Must treat animals with care and respect and work well with them.
• Must enjoy keeping pets and kennels clean.

-Possess physical stamina and compassionate, patient demeanor.

Education and Experience:

• High school diploma or equivalent.

-Previous animal handling, bathing experience is recommended

Physical Requirements:

• Dependable attendance is required.
• Any allergies to animals must be controllable through medication.
• Must be able to lift 40 pounds.
• Must be willing to work long or irregular hours under pressure conditions.
• This position requires the ability to walk, bend, stand and reach constantly during a minimum 8-hour day.
• Visual acuity sufficient to maintain accurate records, recognize people and understand written directions.
• Ability to speak and hear sufficiently to understand, give information in person and over the telephone.

Duties:

The following is a partial list of essential job responsibilities. This list may be revised at any time and additional duties not listed here may be assigned as needed. 1. Client Relations 2. Nursing Care 3. Bathing -Responsible for bathing, drying, brushing, and performing basic tasks like nail trimming. Minimize pet stress during bathing, maintain sanitary work station, and assist groomer. 4.

Housekeeping and Maintenance of Kennel Client Relations:

• Agree to incorporate the principles of the VCA Mission Statement, Three Steps of Service and VCA Standards of Client Service in their daily job performance.
• Demonstrate excellent relations with clients/pets in waiting or exam rooms and kennel.

Nursing Care:

• Compassionate nursing care is the top priority for all patients.
• Keep kennels clean, orderly and free of odors.
• Exercise (walk) patients.
• Ensure the comfort and cleanliness of boarding pets.
• Bathe or clean pets immediately that become soiled with urine, blood or feces.

Housekeeping and Maintenance of Hospital:

• Stock supplies as needed.
• Keep the exterior of the kennel clean and orderly and free of feces.
• Janitorial care of the kennel facility
• Make certain entire kennel and runs are kept extremely clean through the day (so that a client could come back and see his/her pet without any notice.) This includes your own clothing and appearance.
• Advise Kennel Manager or Hospital Manager of any conditions that are unsafe including unrecognized hazards or infractions of safety rules.

If you are a current associate, you will need to apply through our internal career site. Please log into Workday and click on the Jobs Hub app or search for Browse Jobs.

Benefits:

We offer competitive compensation along with a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision and paid vacation/sick days, 401(k), generous employee pet discounts and more! The information in this position description indicates the general nature and level of work to be performed. It is not designed to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of associates assigned to this job. Management reserves the right to revise the job description or require that other tasks be performed when the circumstances of the job change (for example, emergencies, change in personnel, workload, or technical development) We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer - Veterans / Disabled. For a complete EEO statement please see our career page at vcacareers.com