How to Become a Kennel Attendant

What does a Kennel Attendant do?

Animals require a lot of care, just like human beings. For instance, dogs are taken care of by a kennel attendant. Some people are assigned to take care of animals like dogs, cats, and other domesticated animals.

Kennel attendant jobs include feeding, administering medication, cleaning the kennels, bathing and grooming the dogs. The other important assignment that kennel attendants do is interacting with clients when they drop off or collect their animals. All of these duties are done in a dog kennel.

Career Opportunities for Kennel Attendants

Here are some career opportunities that a kennel assistant can apply for:

• Animal caregivers
• Animal care technicians
• Animal caretakers
• Dog daycare providers
• Animal shelter workers
• Animal trainers
• Animal groomers
• Animal sitters
• Aquarists
• Aquarium tank attendants
• Cat and dog bathers
• Dog bathers
• Dog beauticians
• Dog groomers
• Dog handlers
• Dog sitters
• Dog trainers
• Dolphin trainers
• Guide dog instructors
• Guide dog trainers
• Guide dog mobility instructors
• Horse breakers
• Horse exercisers
• Horse trainers
• Keepers
• Kennel aides
• Kennel helpers
• Kennel workers
• Licensed guide dog instructors
• Lion trainers
• Marine mammal animal caretakers
• Nonfarm animal caretakers
• Pet feeders
• Pet groomers
• Pet sitters
• Pet stylists
• Zookeepers

Requirements and Skills Needed for Kennel Attendants

Various employers have different skills and requirements that they need in a kennel attendant. As a kennel attendant, you need to have the skills and conditions that you must show in your kennel attendant resume. Below are some of the skills that you need to have:

• Monitoring skills-as a kennel attendant-you need to be very observant. This will enable you to monitor or assess your performance or the performance of other people. Being alert will also allow you to make corrections where there are wrongs or improve the same.
• Active Listening skills-you should be an active listener. This means that when someone is talking to you, give full attention to what they are saying. Take your time to understand what they are saying and also ask questions where appropriate. Do not interrupt a conversation inappropriately.
• Problem-solving skills-there is no place that doesn’t have any problems. Be quick to provide solutions whenever a problem arises. Identify issues that are complex and review the information that is related to the problem so that you come up with a tangible solution.
• Service-Oriented skills-always be ready to look for ways to help other people. You can also benefit when you help others.
• Active Learning skills-you should always be ready to learn. With the advancement in technology, a lot of information keeps changing. It would be best if you were well acquainted with the current affairs that are going to influence how you make decisions and solve problems.
• Critical thinking skills-you should be able to use your reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of solutions that you undertake.
• Social perceptiveness skills-get to know why some people behave the way they do.
• Reading skills-you should have excellent reading skills so that you understand written work in regards to work-related documents.
• Speaking skills-the way you talk to others needs to be helpful, especially when conveying information related to work.
• Time Management skills-manage your time and that of others in the right way.
• Decision-making skills-you should be accountable for any decision that you make. Choose the most appropriate decision.
• Writing skills-no one would like to meet a kennel attendant that doesn’t know how to write. You should be able to communicate effectively in writing according to the needs of your audience.
• Scientific skills-be aware of scientific rules and methods that you can use in problem-solving.
• Mathematical skills-you also need to have mathematical skills that can help you solve problems.

The other requirement for a kennel attendant is that he/she needs to have at least a High School Diploma.

The Kennel Attendant Job Description

You don’t want to miss a question on your responsibilities among the kennel attendant interview questions when asked. Your job description entails your duties as a kennel attendant. Here is what the kennel attendant job description entails:

• Transporting the animals to and from the kennels.
• Ensuring that the animals are well-fed and have water at all times.
• Disposing of trash at the right time.
• Cleaning animal waste, hair, spilled food, and other remains from the kennel.
• Grooming and administering medication to animals according to the guidelines of the veterinary doctor.
• Playing with the animals and accompanying them for walks when necessary.
• Reporting to the veterinary doctor any significant changes on how the animals behave.
• Ensuring the air temperatures are the right ones to keep the animals comfortable.
• Evacuating all the animals in cases of emergency.

Here are some kennel attendant interview questions that you will come across in an interview:

1. What would you do to ensure that all animals remain fed and hydrated? This question requires you to have excellent organizational skills.
2. How would you calm a distressed animal? The question tests your ability to interact with the animals.
3. How would you console a person who was concerned about a pet? This question assesses interpersonal skills.
4. How would you transport an animal that had difficulty walking? It tests your creative skills.
5. How would you safely evacuate all animals in case of an emergency? It tests your technical and problem-solving skills.

Prescribed Resume for a Kennel Attendant

When applying for a kennel attendant job, you need to have a kennel attendant resume and a kennel attendant cover letter. Here is an example of how you should write your resume:

Kennel Attendant Resume

Objective: To seek a position in an organization that allows expansion of knowledge and growth.

Skills: safe animal handling, customer service, computer-related skills, animal behavior, animal care, cleaning, and disease control.

Professional Experience

Dog kennel attendant

ABC Corporation-May 2009-September 2011

Duties

• Conduct kennel checks on individual animals.
• Administer oral and topical medication.
• Clean and disinfect cages.
• Wash kennel bedding.
• Ensuring fresh food and clean water bowls.

Kennel attendant

ABC Corporation-April 2006-May 2007

Duties

• Walking dogs.
• Assisting vets.
• Administering medication.
• Exercising dogs both mentally and physically with various types of training.
• Feeding the pets and facilitate appropriate time for rest.
• Provide courteous service to all clients.
• Creating new client accounts and mailing out the information packets.
• Reinforced training and obedience commands to animals.

Education

High School Diploma.

Career Prospects

A kennel attendant salary averages USD 22,230 per year. This is an equivalent of USD 10.69 per hour. This is not bad, bearing in mind that not much is required in terms of education. Training is done on the job. In the future, there is a possibility of many people succeeding in the kennel attendant job area.

What you need to do to venture into this career is to take a course on animal handling. You can also increase your skills by working part-time as a kennel attendant. In this way, you will sharpen your skills. There is a probability that a kennel worker may have better pay in the future.

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