


Kennel Hand /Animal Care Attendant
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Boarding Kennel or Cattery Operators manage the operations of
establishments which offer temporary boarding for dogs and cats.
Kennel
managers are responsible for the daily operations of the kennel and care
of the animals kept under their supervision. They must oversee the dogs
(and sometime other animals) kept in their kennels to ensure that they
are cared for properly.
ANZSCO ID: 149911
Alternative names: Boarding
Kennel/Cattery Manager; Kennel/Cattery Supervisor;
Specialisations:
Knowledge, skills and attributes
To be successful in this role, you’ll generally need the following
skills and qualities:
-
Compassion: Kennel managers must be kind and
caring when dealing with animals and their owners.
-
Interpersonal skills: Kennel managers must
interact with owners as they drop off and pick up their pets and
maintain a positive relationship with kennel staff.
-
Physical stamina: People in this role may need to
be on their feet for long hours at a time or may need to crawl, bend,
and lift to work with the animals.
-
Trustworthiness: Kennel managers must demonstrate
that they can be trusted to care for for other peoples' animals.

(Source:
Pet Guide)
Duties & Tasks
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Coordinating and overseeing operations for
kennels that house dogs (and sometimes other animals)
-
Hiring, training, and supervising other kennel
workers
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Creating work schedules
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Developing and enforcing kennel policies and
procedures
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Scheduling boarding appointments
-
Ensuring cages, runs, and the overall facility is
cleaned on a regular basis
-
Ensuring the animals are groomed, fed, exercised,
and generally cared for
-
Monitoring the behaviour
of boarded animals
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Directs and oversees reservation.
-
Organises the feeding, bathing and grooming of
animals at their facility.
-
Detects illnesses and injuries and arranges
appropriate treatment.
-
Plans and supervises animal activities.
-
Assesses and reviews customer satisfaction.
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Oversees accounting and purchasing activities.
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Ensures compliance with appropriate legislation.
In boarding kennels that operate as a part of a veterinary clinic, the
kennel manager may be responsible for helping handle animals for procedures
performed by the vet during their stay. Some kennels also may offer dog
training services while dogs are being boarded, so managers may be involved
with performing or supervising training activities.
Working conditions
Kennel managers can work in a variety of settings including boarding
kennels, show dog breeding facilities, veterinary clinics, animal rescue
facilities, and doggie daycares. A kennel manager may work for an
established kennel or open their own facility.
As with any animal-related career, there is potential for injury while
working with animals that have been brought into unfamiliar surroundings.
Kennel workers must use caution when administering medication, feeding, and
exercising boarded dogs to minimize the risk of bites or scratches.
Kennel managers may be required to work irregular hours that can include
evenings and weekends. They must also be available when “on call” for
emergencies that might arise after hours or on holidays, and fill in when
employees call in sick or must miss work. The kennel manager has the
ultimate responsibility for making sure all duties are completed each day.
Education and training/entrance requirements
You can work as a Boarding Kennel or Cattery Operator without formal
qualifications, however, they may be useful. Some workers have a certificate
III or IV. No degree or formal training is usually
required to secure a position as a kennel manager. However, most successful
applicants have a solid background working with animals professionally
before they advance to the position of kennel manager.
Useful prior experience may include work as a veterinary technician, dog
show handler, dog groomer, dog walker, or dog trainer. Taking a job as a
kennel assistant and working up to a management role is also a frequent
pathway to achieving a management position.
Did You Know?
In Australia, around 40% of households own a pet, including
at least one dog and there are an estimated 3.75 million dogs in the
country as a whole. Pet-care is valued at AUD 4.62 billion annually,
over half of which is spent on dogs.
It seems that this is a ‘recession proof’ industry and animal lovers
worldwide are taking on more pets – some reasons being that people
are having children later and the proven benefit to stress levels
and health an animal can bring.
And when owners go away, these growing numbers of furry friends need
somewhere special to go.
The 'kennel' and the 'dog hotel'

Akuna
Pet Resorts
(Source:
Australian Dog Lover)
There is now a marked distinction between a humble ‘kennel’ and its
glitzier cousin, the ‘dog hotel’. Kennels traditionally have
partially open pens, with partition walls and mesh doors and are
fairly stark in decor.
As sensitivity has grown about the stress such noisy and exposed
environments can cause the family pet, the ‘dog hotel’ has come into
its own.
Offering single rooms with solid walls and catering to smaller
number of animals, this ‘home from home’ can also provide a whole
range of services to ensure the dogs’ stay is as comfortable as
possible.
A resident of a ‘dog hotel’ or ‘boutique boarding kennel’ can expect
anything from luxury grooming, outdoor agility areas, in-door gyms,
in-house training, on-line pet-watch and chauffeur collection and
delivery.
Even the most standard kennel is having to adopt some of these
features to remain in competition.
(Source:
was at
Businesses for Sale)
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