Dog Handler

Downtown Dog Lounge, LLC; Seattle, Northern (WA, KY); Hybrid; USD 23,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Downtown Dog Lounge, LLC is seeking a Dog Handler to provide direct care for our dogs, ensuring their health and safety while on-site and delivering excellent customer service to pet parents.

You will supervise a busy dog park, learn dog behavior, and perform front-facing duties like answering phones, responding to emails, and posting in Slack. The role includes walks, jogs, and one-on-one play, with training and growth opportunities in a lively, team-oriented environment.

Qualifications

• Comfortable working with many dogs in a shared space.
• Strong customer service and communication skills.
• Ability to respond quickly to changing situations.
• Able to work in a loud, active environment.

Responsibilities

• Live out and advocate Downtown Dog Lounge's safety culture.
• Uphold the company Purpose and Core Values in actions and words.
• Oversee a designated dog park to ensure safe interactions and mitigate escalations.
• Develop knowledge of dog breeds and behavior.
• Follow safety guidelines and protocols.
• Attend daily recap meetings and read recap notes.
• Provide exceptional customer service and transparent communication with clients.
• Build relationships with customers (dogs and people).
• Learn basic concierge duties (phone, emails, Slack) and front-facing tasks.
• Perform dog walking, jogging, and one-on-one play sessions.
• Become proficient with Gingr and communicate with pet parents.
• Assist with dog rotations and mealtimes; support check-in/check-out processes.
• Clean up after dogs and maintain overall cleanliness of the location.
• Disinfect and tidy crates, surfaces, laundry, and related areas.
• Support the team and uphold DDL values; communicate clearly and kindly.
• Participate in trainings and All Team Meetings; mentor new team members.
• Take on daily tasks as assigned and cross-train for other roles.

Skills

Dog behavior

Customer service

Quick reaction

Loud environment

Stamina

Physical ability

Flexible scheduling

Dog interactions

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Job description

Description

Position Overview & Purpose

The Dog Handler is responsible for providing direct care for our dogs, as well as their health and safety while on-site, resulting in exceptional customer service and high-quality pet care.

A Week in the Life of a Dog Handler

The following is a list of general job responsibilities for the Dog Handler position. Please note that this list is not all-inclusive and may be amended to meet changing business needs.

Daily Operations:

• Live out and be a positive advocate for Downtown Dog Lounge's safety culture
• Understand and uphold the Purpose and Core Values of the business in actions and words
• Actively oversee a designated dog park in person to ensure positive and safe dog interactions and mitigate escalating behaviors
• Develop thorough knowledge and understanding of dog breeds and dog behavior
• Follow all safety guidelines and protocols
• Attend daily recap meetings, as well as read and understand recap daily

Spend Time With Dogs & Their Parents:

• Provide exceptional customer service, including transparent communication
• Develop strong relationships with customers (dogs and people)
• Learn basic customer service, concierge, and front-facing role duties (answering the phone, replying to emails, posting in Slack, etc.)
• Perform additional services such as dog walks, dog jogs, and one-on-one play with a ball
• Become an proficient Gingr user and communicating with pet parents
• Assist with dog rotations and mealtimes
• Assist with running dogs at check-in and check-out

Support with Cleaning:

• Clean up after dogs
• Cleanliness of the location
• Perform additional cleaning and disinfection duties including, but not limited to, taking out the garbage, mopping, cleaning crates and surfaces, laundry, etc.

Support the Team:

• Uphold DDL Purpose and Values, communicating clearly, openly, honestly, and kindly
• Communicate and participate as part of the team
• Attend periodic required trainings and All Team Meetings
• Mentor new team members as assigned
• Perform other daily tasks as assigned by the Pack Leader and/or Supervisors
• Cross-train for other positions within the company over time (concierge, pack leader, trainer, bather, etc.)

Downtown Dog Lounge is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. We look forward to your application.

Requirements

Experience and Education:

• Minimum of High School Diploma, GED, or equivalent
• Must be 18 years of age to work independently in the dog parks

Required Skills and Abilities:

• Comfortable working within close proximity to approximately 30 dogs in an enclosed park
• Desire to develop a thorough understanding of dog behavior
• Quick reaction time to unpredictable situations
• Comfortable working in a loud environment
• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills
• Comfortable standing for 8 hours at a time
• Able to lift 45 pounds
• Must be flexible and will be expected to be available to work weekends, evenings, and during holidays