Dog Daycare Attendant | Animal Care & Customer Service
Do you love dogs, enjoy staying active, and thrive in a fast-paced environment where no two days are the same? The Barking Lot is looking for a dependable, energetic team member who is passionate about animal care and providing exceptional customer service.
This is much more than watching dogs play. Our team is actively engaged throughout the day supervising playgroups, monitoring canine body language, encouraging good manners, creating enriching activities, maintaining a clean and safe environment, and building lasting relationships with both our dogs and their owners.
If you're looking for a rewarding career where you can make a difference in the lives of dogs while working alongside a fun, supportive team, we'd love to meet you!
What You'll Do
- Supervise group play and individual enrichment sessions for dogs of all breeds, sizes, and personalities.
- Monitor dog body language and behavior to ensure safe, positive interactions.
- Reinforce appropriate play, good manners, and positive social behaviors.
- Create fun enrichment games and activities that keep dogs mentally and physically engaged.
- Maintain a clean, sanitary, and safe environment through routine cleaning and disinfecting throughout the day.
- Spend a significant portion of each shift outdoors with the dogs in all seasons.
- Cross-train at our front desk assisting with customer check-in and check-out, answering phones, scheduling reservations, processing payments, and providing outstanding customer service.
- Work closely with teammates to provide exceptional care and ensure every dog has a safe, fun, and enriching experience.
What We're Looking For
The ideal candidate is someone who:
- Loves working with dogs and has a genuine passion for animal care.
- Enjoys learning about canine behavior, body language, enrichment, and group management.
- Is friendly, outgoing, and enjoys building relationships with both clients and their pets.
- Can remain calm, organized, and focused in a busy, fast-paced environment.
- Is detail-oriented with strong communication and multitasking skills.
- Works well independently while also being a dependable member of a close-knit team.
- Is reliable and dependable with strong attendance. As a small team working in a live animal care environment, consistency and punctuality are essential. Each team member's presence directly impacts the safety, care, and daily flow of the facility.
- Has a positive attitude and is always willing to jump in wherever help is needed.
Physical Requirements
This is a physically active position! Team members are on their feet for the majority of every shift and should be comfortable:
- Walking, standing, bending, kneeling, and squatting throughout the day.
- Lifting up to 50 pounds when necessary.
- Frequently cleaning and sanitizing indoor and outdoor play areas.
- Working outdoors year-round in a variety of weather conditions.
- Moving quickly throughout the facility while safely handling energetic dogs that may jump, pull, or play enthusiastically.
If you enjoy staying busy and don't like sitting behind a desk, you'll fit right in!
Schedule Requirements
- Some weekends and holidays are required as part of a rotating schedule.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience in dog daycare, boarding, kennels, veterinary medicine, grooming, pet sitting, animal shelters, or other animal care fields is a plus, but not required. Customer service or receptionist experience is also beneficial.
No professional dog handling experience? No problem! We are happy to train someone with the right attitude, strong work ethic, and genuine passion for working with dogs.
Why Join The Barking Lot?
At The Barking Lot, we believe dogs deserve more than just a place to spend the day. We strive to provide a safe, enriching environment where dogs can play, learn, build confidence, and have fun.
We're a small, passionate team that truly enjoys what we do. We work hard, support one another, celebrate our successes, and are always looking for new ways to improve the experience for our dogs and their families.
This position is ideal for someone who enjoys staying active, doesn't mind getting dirty, loves learning about dog behavior, and finds it rewarding to build relationships with both dogs and their owners. If you love being busy, working as part of a close-knit team, and being surrounded by happy dogs every day, we'd love to hear from you!
Pay: $13.00 - $15.00 per hour
Benefits:
Application Question(s):
- Do you have reliable transportation?
- Have you ever worked with dogs in any setting (personal, volunteer, professional)? What did you learn about their behavior or body language?
- Are you looking to work in the animal care industry for a living?
- What is your favorite breed and why?
- This role requires consistent attendance in a small team setting. Can you describe your availability and any known scheduling limitations (weekends, holidays, etc.)?
- Have you ever worked in a job where your attendance directly impacted teammates or animals/customers? How did you handle that responsibility?
- What type of work environment do you enjoy most (busy, quiet, structure, unpredictable)? Why?
- Tell us about a time you had to stay friendly and professional while under pressure or dealing with a difficult situation.
- This job is physically active, fast-paced, includes cleaning, and requires consistency with attendance. What part of this role are you most excited about and what part might be challenging for you?
- Consider this situation: You walk into a playgroup of 15 excited dogs. What's your first thought?
- What would your coworkers say is your biggest strength? What do you consider as your biggest weakness?
Work Location: In person
