Pup City is a fast-growing dog daycare and boarding facility located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. We're looking for dependable, hardworking team members who enjoy working with dogs and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
Working at a dog daycare is much more than playing with dogs all day. The environment can be loud, physically demanding, messy, and unpredictable at times. Team members are expected to supervise dogs, maintain cleanliness throughout the facility, assist coworkers, communicate effectively, and help keep daily operations running smoothly.
At Pup City, we have only two primary positions: Rotational Team Member and Shift Lead. Rather than assigning employees to a single task for an entire shift, team members rotate through various responsibilities throughout the day. Depending on operational needs, you may supervise dogs, assist with boarding care, help customers, complete cleaning tasks, assist with feeding routines, work on facility projects, or help maintain the overall operation of the business.
We're often more interested in attitude, reliability, communication, and teamwork than previous dog daycare experience. Skills can be taught. Work ethic, professionalism, and dependability are much harder to find.
What Makes Pup City Different?
Many dog daycare facilities assign employees to a single area for most or all of their shift. While working with dogs can be rewarding, standing in the same play yard for hours at a time can become repetitive, make time pass slower, and eventually lead to burnout.
At Pup City, we believe employees should be part of the entire operation, not limited to a small piece of it.
Our rotational structure allows team members to experience different responsibilities throughout the day, helping shifts stay engaging while developing a broader understanding of the business. We believe this creates a better experience for both employees and dogs.
We also work hard to maintain a positive, team-oriented culture. Employee feedback and recommendations are welcomed and genuinely considered. We don't operate with a "management versus staff" mindset. Communication is encouraged, transparency is valued, and everyone is expected to contribute to the success of the team.
We're proud of the culture we've built and are often more interested in finding people who fit our team dynamic than people who simply have the most experience.
Duties
- Supervise and safely manage groups of dogs in indoor and outdoor play yards.
- Monitor dog behavior and body language closely and proactively redirect, separate, or remove dogs when needed.
- Chaperone dogs during yard transitions, kennel movement, feeding routines, rest periods, and other daily activities.
- Clean up dog waste, accidents, spills, vomit, and messes promptly throughout the shift.
- Clean, sanitize, and help reset kennels throughout the day.
- Assist with bathing dogs as needed.
- Assist Shift Leads with meal preparation, feeding routines, and medication administration when directed.
- Assist with temperament tests and onboarding processes as directed by Management or Shift Leads.
- Help assist with customer check-ins and check-outs when needed.
- Maintain cleanliness throughout the facility, including yards, kennels, drains, walls, windows, glass, baseboards, gates, play equipment, storage areas, and hard-to-reach areas as needed.
- Complete deep cleaning tasks, dusting, wiping surfaces, sanitizing touchpoints, and general facility upkeep during slower periods.
- Help maintain outdoor cleanliness by picking up trash, pulling weeds, shoveling snow, salting walkways, and assisting with general outdoor upkeep as needed.
- Operate washers and dryers and assist with laundry duties including towels, bedding, mop heads, and pet belongings.
- Help move equipment, cots, gates, food bins, supplies, laundry, and other operational items throughout the facility.
- Assist with storage organization, inventory organization, and general facility organization projects as needed.
- Assist with miscellaneous facility improvement projects, decorating, signage setup, arts and crafts projects, and other operational projects as directed.
- Assist with basic handyman-style tasks such as assembling equipment, moving furniture, hanging items, reorganizing spaces, and other non-technical facility tasks as needed.
- Communicate clearly and professionally with coworkers, Shift Leads, and Management throughout the shift.
- Help maintain a positive, professional, and team-oriented work environment.
- Help contribute to a transparent, safe, clean, and organized business operation.
- Report safety concerns, maintenance issues, damaged equipment, unusual dog behavior, or operational concerns immediately to Management.
- Follow all company policies, safety procedures, sanitation standards, and operational expectations outlined by Pup City.
- Remain flexible and willing to assist with miscellaneous operational tasks and other duties as assigned.
Qualifications & Experience
Previous dog daycare, boarding, kennel, veterinary, grooming, customer service, or animal handling experience is helpful, but not required.
At Pup City, we're often more interested in finding people who fit our team culture than applicants with extensive industry experience. Skills can be taught. Reliability, communication, teamwork, professionalism, and work ethic are much harder to find.
Ideal candidates are:
- Comfortable working around dogs of all sizes, breeds, energy levels, and temperaments
- Able to remain calm, focused, and professional in loud, fast-paced, and high-distraction environments
- Strong communicators who work well as part of a team
- Dependable, punctual, and reliable
- Detail-oriented with good time management skills
- Willing to learn dog behavior, handling, cleaning, safety procedures, and operational processes
- Comfortable adapting to changing priorities and responsibilities throughout the workday
- Able to follow direction from Shift Leads and Management
- Physically able to lift 50 pounds
- Able to stand, walk, bend, reach, push, pull, and remain active throughout their shift
- Able to work indoors, outdoors, and in temperature extremes when necessary
We value employees who are positive, accountable, coachable, and willing to help wherever needed. We work hard to maintain a team-oriented environment where communication is encouraged, employee feedback is valued, and everyone contributes to the success of the business!
Pay: $14.00 - $16.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Flexible schedule
- On-the-job training
- Paid training
- Referral program
- Uniform allowance
Work Location: In person
