Professional Pet Care Assistant – Home Base Daycare & Boarding
Professional pet care delivered with the warmth and personal attention only a locally owned business can provide.
Working with animals professionally is about much more than loving dogs.
At Dog Days Pet Care, we're trusted to care for beloved family members while their owners are away. That trust is something we never take for granted.
We're looking for dependable, compassionate, hardworking people who enjoy staying busy, aren't afraid to get their hands dirty, and take pride in providing exceptional care.
There will be barking. There will be dog hair. There will be laundry. There will be cleaning. And yes—there will be poop.
There will also be lots of happy dogs, wagging tails, puppy kisses, relationships you'll build with pets you come to know and love, and the satisfaction of knowing families can enjoy their day or vacation because their pets are safe and cared for.
If you're looking for a job where you simply play with puppies all day, this probably isn't the right fit.
If you're looking for meaningful, hands-on work where you'll make a real difference in the lives of pets and their families, keep reading.
About Dog Days Pet Care
Dog Days Pet Care is a locally owned, five-star-rated pet care company that has proudly served Central Suffolk County for more than 10 years.
We've built our reputation by providing professional, personalized pet care and exceptional customer service while giving families complete peace of mind when they're away from the pets they love.
As our company continues to grow, we're building a dedicated Home Base Pet Care Team to provide exceptional care for our daycare and overnight boarding guests.
Our Home Base Work Environment
We want to be completely transparent about where you'll be working so you know exactly what to expect before joining our team.
Our company has operated a professional, home-based daycare and boarding service for more than 10 years. This position is based at a privately owned home in the Sayville area—not at a commercial kennel, storefront, or traditional pet care facility.
While the setting is residential, the work itself is very much professional pet care.
During busy periods, Home Base can feel similar to a small boarding or daycare facility, with multiple dogs in our care, crates and pet-care areas, feeding schedules, cleaning and sanitation routines, laundry, medications, arrivals and departures, enrichment, outdoor time, client updates, and plenty of activity throughout the day.
If you've previously worked in a kennel, boarding facility, veterinary office, dog daycare, shelter, or other hands-on animal-care environment, you'll probably recognize many of the responsibilities—the biggest difference is simply that our Home Base operates within a residential setting.
We want applicants to understand the environment before accepting the position so there are no surprises on either side.
What You'll Be Doing
Every day—and every group of dogs—is a little different. Your responsibilities may include:
- Providing hands-on care for dogs staying with us for daycare and overnight boarding
- Safely moving and supervising dogs throughout indoor and outdoor areas
- Preparing and serving meals according to individual feeding instructions
- Refreshing water and monitoring pets throughout your shift
- Administering medications exactly as instructed
- Cleaning and sanitizing crates, bowls, pet-care areas, floors, and equipment
- Laundry, vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, and general cleaning throughout the day
- Picking up and properly disposing of pet waste
- Providing exercise, enrichment, playtime, companionship, and plenty of affection
- Assisting with client drop-offs and pick-ups
- Taking clear, engaging photos of pets and providing updates to clients through our pet-care software
- Monitoring pets for changes in behavior, appetite, bathroom habits, or overall well-being and promptly communicating concerns
- Helping keep Home Base clean, organized, safe, and running smoothly
- Assisting with other pet-care and operational duties as assigned
What It Takes to Succeed
The people who thrive at Dog Days are dependable, observant, hardworking, accountable, and genuinely care about doing the little things right.
You'll need:
- To be at least 21 years of age
- Reliable transportation to and from our Sayville Home Base
- A smartphone (iPhone or Android)
- Comfort confidently handling dogs of different sizes, breeds, ages, and personalities
- The physical ability and willingness to stay active throughout your shift
- Comfort working around multiple dogs, barking, crates, pet hair, pet waste, and the normal messes that come with professional animal care
- Excellent communication and time-management skills
- The ability to carefully follow feeding instructions, medication protocols, routines, safety procedures, and management direction
- Strong attention to detail
- A willingness to clean—and then probably clean something else
- The ability to work independently while also being a dependable member of a team
- Comfortable working outdoors year round.
Professional animal-care experience is certainly a plus, but reliability, work ethic, good judgment, compassion, and a willingness to learn matter tremendously to us.
Scheduling & Availability
Our Home Base operates 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays.
We're currently building our team around two primary shifts:
Morning Shift: approximately 7:00 AM–3:00 PM
Evening Shift: approximately 3:00 PM–10:00 PM
We are looking for applicants who can provide consistent, dependable availability that matches the coverage our team needs.
You do not need to be available for every shift or every day of the week. However, weekend availability is an important part of this position, and applicants whose availability aligns with our current staffing needs will receive priority consideration.
Schedules are provided in advance. Hours may occasionally vary based on daycare and boarding reservations, holidays, vacation periods, and business needs.
Please provide your specific weekly availability when applying, including the days and shift(s) you are regularly available to work.
Pay, Training & Benefits
Starting Pay: $18.00 per hour
New team members begin with a comprehensive paid training and introductory/probationary period of approximately 90 days.
After successfully completing the introductory period, employees become eligible for a performance and compensation review.
Team members who demonstrate strong performance, reliability, excellent pet care, attention to detail, and a consistent work ethic may have opportunities for future wage growth and advancement.
You'll also receive:
- Comprehensive paid training
- Company-paid Pet CPR & First Aid certification
- Ongoing coaching and support from an experienced management team
- Small tip pool from appreciative clients
- Complimentary bottled water and snacks during your shifts
- Opportunities for additional responsibility, advancement, and promotion from within
At this time, Dog Days Pet Care does not offer employer-sponsored medical benefits.
A Place to Grow
We're not simply looking for someone to fill a shift. We'd love to find people who want to grow with Dog Days.
Our developing career path includes opportunities such as:
Pet Care Assistant → Pet Care Professional → Senior Pet Care Professional → Team Lead
As our company continues to grow, additional opportunities may become available in administrative support, client consultations and onboarding, hiring and training, cross-training between Home Base and Field Pet Care, scheduling, management, and broader company operations.
For employees interested in leadership, future opportunities may include positions such as Assistant Manager, Manager of Daily Operations, and General Manager.
Advancement isn't based simply on how long you've been here. It's earned through performance, reliability, initiative, demonstrated skills, increased responsibility, and available opportunities within the company.
Our goal is to recognize great people, develop their strengths, and whenever possible, promote from within.
You Might Be a Great Fit If...
✔ You genuinely enjoy the work involved in caring for animals—not only the fun parts.
✔ You like staying busy and take pride in keeping things clean, organized, and safe.
✔ You understand that feeding instructions, medications, gates, crates, and safety procedures aren't suggestions—they matter.
✔ You're dependable and understand that the dogs in our care are relying on you to show up.
✔ You're comfortable working professionally in a pet-care business operated from a private residence.
✔ The starting compensation and scheduling needs listed above align with what you're looking for.
✔ You're looking for an opportunity to become a valued member of a team and potentially grow with the company.
If that sounds like you, we'd genuinely love to hear from you.
A Personal Note From Laurie
Thank you for taking the time to learn about Dog Days Pet Care.
I know accepting a new job is an important decision, and I truly appreciate you considering us.
As the owner, my goal has always been to build a company where our clients feel complete peace of mind and our team members feel supported, respected, and proud of the work they do.
I'll never expect you to know everything on your first day. We'll teach you our systems, support you through training, and help you grow into a confident member of our team.
What I can't teach is kindness, integrity, reliability, a strong work ethic, and a genuine desire to care for others.
If you've read this posting and found yourself thinking,
“This feels like the kind of company I'd be proud to be part of,”
I sincerely hope you'll apply.
I'd love the opportunity to meet you and learn more about your story.
Thank you for considering Dog Days Pet Care.
— Laurie Schmeizer
Owner, Dog Days Pet Care
Pay: From $18.00 per hour
Benefits:
- On-the-job training
- Opportunities for advancement
- Paid training
Application Question(s):
- Our primary Home Base shifts are approximately 7 AM–3 PM and 3 PM–10 PM, seven days a week. Please list the days of the week you are regularly available and indicate whether you are available for the morning shift, evening shift, or both on each day.
- Dog Days Home Base is a professional daycare and boarding operation located within the owner's private residence in Sayville rather than a commercial facility. Are you comfortable working professionally in this type of environment?
Yes / No
- Professional pet care includes a lot of behind-the-scenes work—cleaning crates, doing laundry, picking up pet waste, preparing meals, sanitizing, managing barking dogs, and staying busy throughout the shift. What part of this type of work do you think you would enjoy most, and what part do you think would be the biggest adjustment for you?
- Pets in our care depend on our team showing up reliably and on time, including mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays. Tell us about a previous job or responsibility where others depended on you. What did being dependable look like in that role?
- Imagine you're working independently and notice that one of the dogs in our care is behaving differently than usual—perhaps they aren't interested in eating, seem unusually tired, or something simply doesn't feel right. What would you do?
Experience:
- Pet care: 1 year (Required)
Work Location: In person
