Pet Care Attendant – No Experience Required
Pet Care Plus Resort & Spa | Chicago, IL
Starting Pay: $17.05 per hour
Morning, Afternoon, and Overnight Shifts Available
Weekday and Weekend Availability Needed
No professional pet care experience is required. We provide training for candidates who bring reliability, a strong work ethic, attention to detail, and a genuine love for animals.
Please carefully review the application instructions at the end of this posting. Applicants must complete both assessments to be considered.
About the Position
Pet Care Plus is hiring dependable, observant, and positive Pet Care Attendants to help us deliver the kind of care our brand promises: Safe. Structured. Fun.
Our Pet Care Attendants help dogs and cats remain safe, healthy, clean, comfortable, and well cared for throughout their stay.
This is a hands-on, physically active, and cleaning-intensive position. You will spend time interacting with animals, but a significant part of the role involves cleaning, sanitation, laundry, facility upkeep, and maintaining a safe environment.
This position regularly involves:
- Cleaning and sanitizing play areas, kennels, suites, cat spaces, bowls, floors, and equipment
- Completing laundry, accident cleanup, and room resets throughout the day
- Handling fur, slobber, muddy paws, pet waste, odors, and other messy parts of animal care
- Repeating cleaning and care routines thoroughly and consistently
- Remaining attentive in a busy, loud, and sometimes unpredictable environment
- Standing, walking, bending, and remaining physically active throughout the shift
If you take pride in important behind-the-scenes work, enjoy staying active, and understand that excellent pet care includes excellent sanitation, this may be a great fit for you.
Why Pet Care Plus?
Pet Care Plus Resort & Spa has cared for Chicago pets since 1998. We are proud to be Chicago’s longest-running dog daycare and boarding facility under the same family ownership.
We are more than a daycare. We are a full-service pet care company supporting dogs and cats through every stage of life. With our mission, “Your Best Friend’s Best Life Begins Here,” we focus on lifelong care rather than a one-service experience.
Our services include:
- Dog daycare
- Dog boarding
- Cat boarding
- Grooming and bathing
- Puppy socialization
- Enrichment services
- Pet taxi services
- Wellness-oriented care
We care for the whole pet—physically, mentally, and emotionally—through safe socialization, structured play, proper rest, attentive observation, and individualized care.
Families choose Pet Care Plus because of the trust we have built through high-touch care, open tours, live webcams, and consistent standards.
What You’ll Do
As a Pet Care Attendant, you will support the daily care and supervision of our animal guests while helping maintain a clean, safe, and well-organized facility.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Supervising and safely managing group dog play
- Learning to recognize dog body language, behavior, and communication
- Redirecting unsafe, inappropriate, or overly rough play
- Helping maintain safe and balanced playgroups
- Caring for dogs and cats of different sizes, ages, temperaments, and needs
- Following feeding, medication, rest, and individual care instructions
- Monitoring pets for changes in behavior, appetite, appearance, or overall well-being
- Communicating concerns promptly and clearly
- Cleaning and sanitizing animal areas, equipment, bowls, floors, and shared spaces
- Completing laundry and resetting rooms throughout the day
- Providing animals with positive interaction, affection, structure, and enrichment
- Following all safety procedures and care standards
- Supporting teammates and stepping in where needed
You May Be a Great Fit If You:
- Genuinely love animals and understand that caring for them includes cleaning and routine work
- Prefer active, hands-on work instead of sitting at a desk
- Notice when something seems wrong and speak up quickly
- Take pride in completing tasks thoroughly and correctly
- Stay calm in busy, noisy, or unpredictable environments
- Appreciate structure, routine, and clear expectations
- Work well with a team and are willing to help wherever needed
- Bring positive energy while taking your responsibilities seriously
What We’re Looking For
Strong candidates are:
- Dependable and committed to excellent attendance and punctuality
- Positive, coachable, and willing to learn
- Observant and attentive to detail
- Comfortable following established procedures consistently
- Calm under pressure
- Physically active and comfortable being on their feet for most of the shift
- Able to receive feedback and apply it
- Self-motivated and able to recognize what needs to be done
- Team-oriented, resilient, and willing to help others
- Comfortable around barking, shedding, slobber, muddy paws, pet waste, cleaning products, and odors
Our strongest team members demonstrate our SPARK values:
- Stay Connected: Communicate openly and honestly
- Passion: Care deeply about pets, people, and teammates
- Authenticity: Be genuine, kind, and professional
- Resiliency: Keep moving forward when the day becomes busy or messy
- Keep the Joy: Bring positive energy that lifts the team
No Pet Care Experience? That’s Okay.
Previous professional pet care experience is not required.
We can train the right person in:
- Dog behavior and body language
- Safe animal handling
- Group play supervision
- Feeding and care procedures
- Cleaning and facility standards
- Animal health and safety observations
Reliability, work ethic, attention to detail, sound judgment, consistency, and a genuine desire to learn are essential.
Experience in animal care, hospitality, childcare, fitness, customer service, restaurants, retail, warehouses, housekeeping, janitorial work, or other active and team-oriented environments can be helpful, but it is not required.
The Reality—and Reward—of Pet Care
Some days will be loud, messy, fast-paced, and physically demanding. There will be barking, fur, slobber, muddy paws, accidents, odors, pet waste, laundry, and frequent cleanup.
There will also be meaningful moments: helping a shy dog become more confident, watching a puppy learn how to socialize, patiently caring for a senior pet, or seeing a returning guest race through the door because they know they are safe with us.
The animals in our care depend on us to get the details right every day.
What You’ll Gain
- Hands-on experience caring for dogs and cats
- Training in dog behavior and body language
- Experience in safe handling and group play management
- A supportive, team-oriented workplace
- Professional skill development and growth opportunities
- A path into the pet care industry
- Work that directly contributes to the health and happiness of animals
- Plenty of tail wags, happy greetings, and occasional slobbery kisses
Application Process
Applicants must complete two short assessments as part of the application process. These assessments are only one part of our evaluation and help us understand how candidates naturally work and learn.
1. Behavioral Assessment
- Takes approximately 3–4 minutes
- There are no right or wrong answers
- Please answer honestly and avoid overthinking your responses
- You will receive your results by email after completing the assessment
- The second assessment link will then be sent to you by email
2. Cognitive Assessment
- Takes approximately 12 minutes
- This is a timed assessment
- It helps us understand how candidates learn, adapt, and process new information
We consider the whole person throughout our hiring process, including:
- Reliability and work ethic
- Attitude and coachability
- Interview performance
- Relevant experience
- Overall fit for the position
To be considered for the Pet Care Attendant position, please complete both assessments as part of your application.
Pet Care Plus Resort & Spa is an equal opportunity employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other status protected by applicable law.
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