Kennel Assistant at Eastern Animal Hospital

Eastern Animal Hospital; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 22,041 - 24,796; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Retirement benefits or accounts

Bonus incentive

Flexible work schedules

Career and professional development

Employee Assistance Program

Employee Referral Program

Job summary

Eastern Animal Hospital in Baltimore, MD is seeking a Kennel Assistant to provide compassionate care for grooming and boarding patients. You will admit patients according to client instructions, document details, and monitor health and appearance during visits.

Responsibilities include walking and exercising animals, feeding as directed, and ensuring cages and belongings are properly stored. Weekend availability and previous veterinary experience are preferred.

Qualifications

• Patience and compassion in professional interactions with doctors, teammates, clients and patients.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with the practice team and respond to feedback.
• Strong communication skills to convey boarding outcomes to clients.

Responsibilities

• Provides care for patients visiting for grooming and/or boarding.
• Admits patients with attention to the client’s instructions and pick-up times.
• Records feeding schedules, appearance, and behavior during visits.
• Observes illness signs and overall condition of patients.
• Handles patients safely and restrains difficult cases when needed.
• Walks patients several times daily for exercise and elimination.
• Provides appropriate food and liquids according to needs.
• Ensures patients are clean and prepared for discharge with belongings.
• Keeps kennels, cages, runs, and supplies organized and clean.
• Launders towels and blankets; maintains the hospital environment.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Skills

Patience & Compassion

Collaboration & Teamwork

Communicating

Active Listening

Client Satisfaction

Job description

Practice

Eastern Animal Hospital has won the hearts of Baltimore’s pet owners for over 30 years. Referred to as “Baltimore’s Best Vets”, we are thrilled to serve our clients in a state-of-the-act facility with wellness care, urgent care, surgery, doggie daycare, and luxury boarding services. We are an AAHA accredited practice, a designation that only 10% of practices in North America have been awarded! Our state-of-the-act facility is fully equipped to handle a wide range of needs. Our experienced staff combines expertise with compassion to promote your pet’s health. With staff on-site 24/7, including an ICU and extended hours of operation, we are always available to assist the pets of the Baltimore community!

At Eastern Animal Hospital, we believe that taking care of our team is just as important as taking care of our patients. That’s why we prioritize work-life balance, offering flexible scheduling, paid time off, and an environment that values your time outside of work. We’re committed to mental health and well-being, providing an Employee Assistance Program and an open culture where you can thrive emotionally as well as professionally. We also invest heavily in professional development, with ongoing training opportunities, continuing education support, and a clear path for career growth—because when you grow, our entire hospital grows with you.

More about the Role

Reporting into the Practice Manager, the Kennel Assistant provides care to address the needs of patients that are visiting the practice for grooming and / or boarding. The Kennel Assistant ensures that the boarding area is clean and safe for all patients by cleaning cages, runs, and ward areas and washing laundry. The Kennel Assistant walks, feeds, and administers medication to patients (as needed and supervised by Doctor or Technician and based on confidence and experience).

Competencies

• Patience & Compassion: Remaining professional while still making Doctors, teammates, clients, and patients feel as comfortable as possible regardless of the situation or challenges presented.
• Collaboration & Teamwork: Carefully coordinating actions with practice team members. Quickly incorporating feedback to ensure positive results. Sharing ideas and being open to other’s ideas. Continually looking for ways to help others.
• Communicating: Conveying boarding outcomes to clients and teammates to ensure successful client care.
• Active Listening: Following the expressed wishes of clients.
• Client Satisfaction: Ensuring all activities and interactions result in the highest level of client satisfaction.

Essential Responsibilities

• Provides great care for patients visiting the practice for grooming and / or boarding.
• Ensures patients are admitted noting the client’s specific instructions to ensure a quality outcome including contact information and pick up time.
• Accurately and legibly records information related to the patient such as feeding schedules, appearance, and behavior during practice visit.
• Observes patient’s appearance and activity for general physical condition, obvious signs of illness, disease and discontent.
• Appropriately handles patients and as needed, properly restrains hard-to-control patients.
• Walks patients several times a day to provide exercise and time for elimination of bowels and bladder.
• Applies knowledge of normal food and liquid requirements and as required, provides special food and liquids.
• Ensures patients are clean and fresh smelling and have been checked by a Technician / Doctor prior to discharge; ensures patient has all personal property upon exit.
• Ensures cages and patients are properly numbered and identified and that personal property (toys, treats, blankets, leashes) are stored in the proper areas and identified.
• Regularly cleans, disinfects and maintain kennels, cages, runs and stalls as often as is necessary to ensure no cages or kennels are soiled and odors are not apparent. Performs general cleaning in other areas of the hospital to control the spread of disease. Washes and sterilizes water and food bowls.
• Launders and dries towels and blankets.
• Walks hospital grounds regularly and cleans any trash and stool material; empties trash throughout the practice and grounds.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements/Qualifications

• Ability to work on weekends as required
• Previous veterinary experience preferred
• Ability to lift patients up to 25 pounds; ability to lift patients over 25 pounds with assistance
• Practices OSHA safety techniques including proper PPE

Benefits Offered

• Paid time off
• Health insurance; dental insurance; vision insurance
• Retirement benefits or accounts
• Bonus incentive
• Flexible work schedules
• Career and professional development
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Referral Program

Benefits offered may vary depending on full or part time employment status according to company policy.

Pay Range

USD $16.00 - USD $18.00 /Hr.