Kennel Technician

If you enjoy working with dogs, don’t mind getting your hands dirty, and take pride in knowing that the work you do directly affects an animal’s comfort and well-being, we’d love to hear from you.

Donte’s Den Foundation is a nonprofit private operating foundation and animal sanctuary dedicated to providing loving care and a safe home for dogs through programs including Lifetime Care, boarding, and other mission-driven services.

We are seeking a dependable, compassionate, and hardworking Kennel Technician to join our animal care team. This is an active, hands-on position responsible for helping provide a clean, safe, comfortable, and enriching environment for the dogs in our care.

Our Kennel Technicians play an important role in the daily operation of Donte’s Den. The ideal candidate is comfortable working with dogs of different sizes, personalities, and needs; pays close attention to details; communicates well with coworkers; and understands that excellent animal care includes everything from feeding and enrichment to cleaning, observation, and documentation.

What You’ll Do:

As a Kennel Technician, your day will revolve around the care, comfort, cleanliness, and safety of the dogs entrusted to Donte’s Den.

Responsibilities include:

• Providing daily care for dogs, including feeding, fresh water, exercise, enrichment, and general comfort
• Following established feeding instructions, care and cleaning plans, and daily routines
• Safely handling and moving dogs throughout the campus
• Walking dogs and providing appropriate outdoor exercise and enrichment
• Monitoring dogs throughout the day for changes in behavior, appetite, mobility, appearance, or overall well-being
• Promptly reporting health, behavioral, or safety concerns to the appropriate supervisor or management team
• Cleaning and sanitizing kennels, runs, crates, feeding areas, common areas, and other animal-care spaces
• Washing food and water bowls, bedding, toys, and other animal-care supplies
• Completing laundry and helping maintain clean bedding and linens
• Maintaining outdoor dog areas, including removal of waste and general cleaning
• Assisting with boarding arrivals and departures as needed
• Helping ensure boarding dogs’ belongings, feeding instructions, medications, and care information are properly organized and documented
• Maintaining accurate animal care, feeding, cleaning, and other required records
• Restocking supplies and helping keep animal-care areas organized
• Communicating clearly with other team members during shift changes regarding individual dogs, care needs, concerns, and completed tasks
• Providing friendly and professional assistance to boarding clients or visitors when interaction is required
• Following Donte’s Den safety, sanitation, disease-prevention, and animal-handling procedures
• Assisting with other animal-care and campus responsibilities as needed

Animal care is a team effort, and responsibilities may change throughout the day depending on the needs of the dogs and the organization.

What We’re Looking For

Required:

• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Professional and friendly customer service etiquette
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and changing priorities
• Comfortable working independently as well as part of a team
• Dependable attendance and punctuality
• Reliable transportation to and from our Myakka City, FL campus
• Availability to work weekends and some holidays as required
• Comfort working directly with dogs of different sizes, breeds, temperaments, and activity levels
• Willingness and ability to perform physically active work throughout the shift
• Ability to work indoors and outdoors in Florida weather conditions
• Ability to follow established animal-care, sanitation, and safety procedures consistently

A Plus:

• Previous experience working with dogs or in an animal-related environment
• Experience in animal boarding, veterinary medicine, rescue, sheltering or another animal-focused environment
• Previous kennel, animal-care, dog-handling, pet-sitting, grooming, or training experience
• Familiarity with canine behavior and safe animal-handling practices
• Experience working in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment

Schedule:

This is a full-time, five-day-per-week position. Candidates must be available to work the following shifts on an as needed pre-scheduled basis:

• 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• 2:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Because animal care is a seven-day-a-week responsibility, weekend availability is often required, and team members must be available to work some holidays based on operational needs. Applicants should consider the full rotating schedule before applying.

Compensation: Starting pay: $15.00 per hour / Compensation can be reevaluated following successful completion of the 90-day onboarding period based on performance, reliability, progress in the position, and demonstrated ability to meet the expectations of the role.

Physical & Work Environment:

This is an active animal-care position rather than a desk-based role. Team members should be prepared to:

• Spend much of the workday standing, walking, bending, reaching, and moving throughout the campus
• Safely lift, carry, push, or move animal-care supplies and equipment
• Work around barking dogs, animal hair, odors, cleaning products, water, and other conditions common to an animal-care environment
• Work both indoors and outdoors throughout the year
• Perform cleaning and sanitation duties regularly
• Handle dogs safely and confidently while following established procedures

Reasonable accommodations may be made for qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable law.

Why Donte’s Den?

Working at Donte’s Den is more than spending the day around dogs. Good animal care takes consistency, patience, teamwork, attention to detail, and a willingness to do the less glamorous work just as carefully as the fun parts.

Our Kennel Technicians are among the people who know our dogs best. They notice when a dog isn’t eating normally, when behavior changes, when something needs additional attention, or when a nervous boarding guest finally begins to settle in.

We are looking for someone who understands that cleaning a kennel thoroughly, preparing a meal correctly, documenting a concern, giving a dog some extra patience, and communicating clearly with the next shift are all equally important parts of providing excellent care.

If you are dependable, compassionate, comfortable with physical work, and want your workday to have a direct impact on the animals in your care, we encourage you to apply.

Donte’s Den Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an inclusive workplace and consider qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics. Donte’s Den is a drug and smoke-free workplace.

Pay: From $15.00 per hour

Expected hours: 35.0 – 40.0 per week

Benefits:

• Employee discount
• On-the-job training
• Opportunities for advancement
• Paid time off

Ability to Commute:

• Myakka City, FL 34251 (Required)

Work Location: In person