Pet Care Specialist / Kennel Tech

Vicar Operating, Inc. dba VCA; United States; On-site; USD 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

Paid vacation

401(k)

Pet discounts

Job summary

VCA Animal Hospitals' Happy Tails Pet Resort seeks a dedicated Pet Care Specialist to provide kennel care, guest safety, and clerical support. You will manage feeding, cleaning, and play activities for dogs and cats, perform reservations, and ensure accurate documentation for each guest.

The role emphasizes friendly client interactions, adherence to kennel and hospital procedures, and proactive promotion of services. A focus on teamwork with Resort Supervisors is essential.

Qualifications

• Experience with kennel organization and standard veterinary terminology.
• Ability to lift 40 lb regularly.
• Excellent client communication and record-keeping skills.

Responsibilities

• Care for dogs and cats, including feeding, cleaning, and playtime.
• Handle reservations and client communications for boarding and daycare.
• Maintain accurate boarding forms and records for all guests.
• Greet clients and help with additional services and purchases.

Skills

Customer service

Record keeping

Animal handling

Clerical skills

Job description

PET CARE SPECIALIST – HAPPY TAILS PET RESORT

Introduction

The purpose of this position is to serve as a Kennel Technician (Pet Care Specialist) at Happy Tails Pet Resort, to perform record keeping and clerical duties related to animal patient care and treatment, and to provide miscellaneous support to the Kennel Supervisor and coworkers. This position requires a practical knowledge of kennel organization and services, the basic rules and regulations governing visitors and animal boarding as well as hospital treatment, and a practical knowledge of the standard procedures, veterinary records and terminology used in the kennel and/or hospital.

Major Goals

• To be efficient, very pleasant, courteous, polite, concerned and helpful to all clients under ALL conditions at ALL times.
• To ensure the safety, comfort and well-being of our guests.
• To keep the office organized, ensuring an efficient flow.
• To promote our services and products.
• To post charges to all accounts accurately.

Major Duties

• Guest caretaking: Making sure guests are well taken care of and happy!
• Dogs: Feed, clean housing areas, play times (which are interactive requiring ball throwing, climbing 3 flights of stairs) and provide general care for the guests.
• Cats: Feed, clean housing including litter boxes, play times (which are interactive) and provide general care for guests.
• Receive telephone calls; routine calls include callers seeking information and reservation requests for boarding and/or daycare.
• Determine whether vaccines are current.
• Recommend update on necessary vaccinations.
• Inform client of past due vaccines.
• Schedule reservations after obtaining all necessary data concerning the animal and owner.
• Prepare all required forms such as kennel service card, etc. in advance of the visit.
• Be sure to inform clients of kennel drop off and pick up times when making reservations.
• Make sure clients are aware of additional charges for late pick-ups.
• Be sure any animal requiring veterinary services has the record promptly placed in the hospital, with the correct information filled out.
• Greet every client with a smile and address client and pet by name.
• Promote additional playtime services and treats.
• Accurate completion of all boarding forms.
• Ask all clients: “Is there anything additional that I can help you with or get for you today?”
• If a client is unhappy with services/treatment, ascertain the problem and handle. If unable to do so, contact the Practice Manager.

Controls over Work

• Work under the supervision of the Resort Supervisors who indicate general assignments, limitations and priorities.
• Recurring assignments are performed independently.
• Deviations or unfamiliar situations are referred to the supervisor.
• Completed work is reviewed for accuracy and compliance with kennel and hospital procedures.

Other Significant Facts

• Educate each client as much as possible; if we don’t do it, someone else will!
• Able to lift 40# regularly.
• Keep drawers, cabinets and desk area neatly organized.
• Make note of any office supplies that are depleted.
• Keep all forms well stocked.
• Leave pertinent notes for next shift in notebook.
• Keep laundry clean, folded and stored neatly.
• Check address/phone/work phone as each client arrives for appointment.
• We believe strongly in work/life balance and strive to make that happens for everyone employed at HTPR and SCAH.
• Due to the fact that the resort is busiest over holidays and during summer, vacations during peak times of the year are unlikely to be approved.
• With advanced notice we will always try to work something out for you within our confines.

Benefits

• We offer competitive compensation along with a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision and paid vacation/sick days, 401(k), generous employee pet discounts and more!

The information in this position description indicates the general nature and level of work to be performed. It is not designed to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of associates assigned to this job. Management reserves the right to revise the job description or require that other tasks be performed when the circumstances of the job change (for example, emergencies, change in personnel, workload, or technical development).

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

For a complete EEO statement please see our career page at vcacareers.com.

A leader in veterinary care, VCA Animal Hospitals is committed to taking care of the future of veterinary medicine.

We are a family of hometown animal hospitals determined to positively impact pets, people and our communities.

From primary care to emergency, urgent and specialty care, VCA delivers world-class medicine and hometown care to more than four million pets each year.

We invest in cutting-edge tools, training and technology that enable Associates across our national network of hospitals to lead the industry today and into tomorrow.

Among our talented 35,000 Associates are nearly 7,000 veterinarians – including 500 who are board-certified specialists – nearly 4,000 credentialed technicians and over 10,000 veterinary assistants – all dedicated to giving pets the very best in medical care.

The future of veterinary medicine is in our hands.

Join us.