Kennel & Cattery Operator - Career Advice - Retail and Hospitality

Kennel Hand /Animal Care Attendant

Boarding Kennel or Cattery Operators manage the operations of establishments which offer temporary boarding for dogs and cats. FutureGrowthModerate Kennel managers are responsible for the daily operations of the kennel and care of the animals kept under their supervision. They must oversee the dogs (and sometime other animals) kept in their kennels to ensure that they are cared for properly.

ANZSCO ID: 149911

Alternative names: Boarding Kennel/Cattery Manager; Kennel/Cattery Supervisor;

Specialisations:

Knowledge, skills and attributes

To be successful in this role, you’ll generally need the following skills and qualities:

Compassion: Kennel managers must be kind and caring when dealing with animals and their owners.
Interpersonal skills: Kennel managers must interact with owners as they drop off and pick up their pets and maintain a positive relationship with kennel staff.
Physical stamina: People in this role may need to be on their feet for long hours at a time or may need to crawl, bend, and lift to work with the animals.
Trustworthiness: Kennel managers must demonstrate that they can be trusted to care for for other peoples' animals.

At work
(Source: Pet Guide)

Duties & Tasks

Coordinating and overseeing operations for kennels that house dogs (and sometimes other animals)
Hiring, training, and supervising other kennel workers
Creating work schedules
Developing and enforcing kennel policies and procedures
Scheduling boarding appointments
Ensuring cages, runs, and the overall facility is cleaned on a regular basis
Ensuring the animals are groomed, fed, exercised, and generally cared for
Monitoring the behaviour of boarded animals
Directs and oversees reservation.
Organises the feeding, bathing and grooming of animals at their facility.
Detects illnesses and injuries and arranges appropriate treatment.
Plans and supervises animal activities.
Assesses and reviews customer satisfaction.
Oversees accounting and purchasing activities.
Ensures compliance with appropriate legislation.

In boarding kennels that operate as a part of a veterinary clinic, the kennel manager may be responsible for helping handle animals for procedures performed by the vet during their stay. Some kennels also may offer dog training services while dogs are being boarded, so managers may be involved with performing or supervising training activities.

Working conditions

Kennel managers can work in a variety of settings including boarding kennels, show dog breeding facilities, veterinary clinics, animal rescue facilities, and doggie daycares. A kennel manager may work for an established kennel or open their own facility.

As with any animal-related career, there is potential for injury while working with animals that have been brought into unfamiliar surroundings. Kennel workers must use caution when administering medication, feeding, and exercising boarded dogs to minimize the risk of bites or scratches.

Kennel managers may be required to work irregular hours that can include evenings and weekends. They must also be available when “on call” for emergencies that might arise after hours or on holidays, and fill in when employees call in sick or must miss work. The kennel manager has the ultimate responsibility for making sure all duties are completed each day.

Education and training/entrance requirements

You can work as a Boarding Kennel or Cattery Operator without formal qualifications, however, they may be useful. Some workers have a certificate III or IV. No degree or formal training is usually required to secure a position as a kennel manager. However, most successful applicants have a solid background working with animals professionally before they advance to the position of kennel manager.

Useful prior experience may include work as a veterinary technician, dog show handler, dog groomer, dog walker, or dog trainer. Taking a job as a kennel assistant and working up to a management role is also a frequent pathway to achieving a management position.

Did You Know?

In Australia, around 40% of households own a pet, including at least one dog and there are an estimated 3.75 million dogs in the country as a whole. Pet-care is valued at AUD 4.62 billion annually, over half of which is spent on dogs.

It seems that this is a ‘recession proof’ industry and animal lovers worldwide are taking on more pets – some reasons being that people are having children later and the proven benefit to stress levels and health an animal can bring.

And when owners go away, these growing numbers of furry friends need somewhere special to go.

The 'kennel' and the 'dog hotel'

Akuna Pet Resorts
(Source: Australian Dog Lover)

There is now a marked distinction between a humble ‘kennel’ and its glitzier cousin, the ‘dog hotel’. Kennels traditionally have partially open pens, with partition walls and mesh doors and are fairly stark in decor.

As sensitivity has grown about the stress such noisy and exposed environments can cause the family pet, the ‘dog hotel’ has come into its own.

Offering single rooms with solid walls and catering to smaller number of animals, this ‘home from home’ can also provide a whole range of services to ensure the dogs’ stay is as comfortable as possible.

A resident of a ‘dog hotel’ or ‘boutique boarding kennel’ can expect anything from luxury grooming, outdoor agility areas, in-door gyms, in-house training, on-line pet-watch and chauffeur collection and delivery.

Even the most standard kennel is having to adopt some of these features to remain in competition.

(Source: Businesses for Sale)

Kennel Hands provide routine care for dogs, including feeding, exercising, monitoring their health, and cleaning kennels. Animal care and service workers provide care for animals. They feed, water, groom, bathe, and exercise pets and other non-farm animals. Job tasks vary by position and place of work. Future Growth Strong

Kennel attendants provide daily care for boarded dogs and assist with kennel maintenance. They are involved with scheduling boarding appointments, cleaning cages and runs, bathing, grooming, exercising, feeding, administering medication, and monitoring the behavior of boarded dogs. They also interact with clients as they pick up and drop off their dogs.

Kennel attendants work under the direct supervision of a kennel manager, veterinarian, breeder, or other facility supervisors. In boarding kennels that operate as a part of a veterinary clinic, kennel attendants may help handle and restrain dogs for veterinary procedures that are performed during their stay. Some kennels also may offer dog training services while dogs are being boarded, so attendants may assist with such activities under the supervision of the trainer.

ANZSCO ID: 361115

Alternative names: Animal Care & Service Worker, Kennel Attendant

Knowledge, skills and attributes

To become an animal care worker, you would need:

a strong interest in working with animals
the ability to handle animals calmly and confidently
the ability to deal with distressing situations like working with injured or abused animals
a willingness to do unpleasant or messy tasks
the ability to take responsibility for the welfare of animals.

Kennel Hand
Kennel Attendant
(Source: The Balance Careers)

Duties & Tasks

As an animal care worker, your tasks could include:

preparing food and feeding animals
keeping animals clean and grooming them
taking dogs for walks or using exercise pens
cleaning out kennels, pens and cages, and changing water and bedding
looking after unwell animals or those in distress
answering questions and inquiries from colleagues and visitors
ensuring that animal enclosures are secure and well maintained.
inspects, prepares, cleans, disinfects and maintains comfortable cages and enclosures
transports food, fills water troughs and feeds animals according to their individual needs
maintains animal health records, treats minor injuries and reports serious conditions to veterinarians
exercises and plays with animals, answers visitor questions and transfers animals between enclosures by leading or carrying them
dusts and sprays insecticides on animals and immerses them in insecticide baths to control insect pests.

In some jobs you could have other duties, for example, keeping records, taking bookings and advising owners on how to look after their animals.

There may also be opportunities to specialise in hydrotherapy or physiotherapy, working with animals recovering from injury or having behavioural issues.bathes, cuts, combs, blow-dry's and styles pets' coats, clips their nails and cleans their ears

Working conditions

As animals must be looked after seven days a week, you may work shifts. This could often include starting early, and some evenings and weekends. Working with animals can involve hard physical work, and you could spend time working outdoors in all weathers. You could look after animals in a number of different places, like kennels, animal rescue centres and animal sanctuaries. You could also work as an animal collection officer for the RSPCA, or in animal care at an animal hospital.

Kennel attendants may be required to work irregular hours including evenings, weekends, and holidays. They also must be prepared to handle dogs that may be stressed due to being in an unfamiliar environment. Kennel workers always should use caution when administering medication, feeding, and exercising boarded dogs to minimize the chance of an injury.

Education and training/entrance requirements

You can work as an animal care worker without formal qualifications. You would get some training on the job. Your employment prospects may be improved if you have a VET qualification in animal studies, animal technology, captive animals, companion animal services or a related area.

Employment Opportunities

Overall employment of animal care and service workers is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations. Animal care and service workers will continue to be needed as the variety and number of pet services increases. Employment in kennels, grooming shops, and pet stores is projected to increase to keep up with the growing demand for animal care.

Most successful applicants for kennel attendant positions already have prior experience working with animals as pet sitters, veterinary assistants, or dog walkers. Experience with family pets also may count toward a candidate’s prior experience. Most kennels have experienced staff that can train new employees to complete the required daily duties.

The strongest growth with regard to animal service workers is likely to be in training of companion pets, such as dogs.

Kennel attendants most frequently are employed by boarding kennels, but they can also find employment with veterinary clinics, doggie daycare businesses, show dog breeding facilities, and animal rescue organizations. Kennel attendants also can work their way up to a managerial role or go on to open their own boarding or pet sitting business.

Some kennels also offer boarding services for cats, rabbits, exotic birds, and a variety of other pet species, though these animals are kept in a separate area away from the dog kennel.

Related Jobs or Working with these Jobs

Animal Attendant/Trainer Dog Handler	Animal Control Officer	Border Force Officer	Park Ranger
Pet Groomer	Public Servant	Vet	Workplace Health and Safety Officer
Zookeeper Animal Technician