How to hire an animal care taker

Animal care taker hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring animal care takers in the United States:

In the United States, the median cost per hire an animal care taker is $1,633.
It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new animal care taker to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire an animal care taker, step by step

To hire an animal care taker, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire an animal care taker, you should follow these steps:

Here's a step-by-step animal care taker hiring guide:

Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
Step 3: Make a budget
Step 4: Write an animal care taker job description
Step 5: Post your job
Step 6: Interview candidates
Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new animal care taker
Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

Post an animal care taker job for free, promote it for a fee

Identify your hiring needs

The animal care taker hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

Determine employee vs contractor status

Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

An animal care taker's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, animal care takers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

Here's a comparison of animal care taker salaries for various roles:

Type of Animal Care Taker	Description	Hourly rate
Animal Care Taker	Animal care and service workers provide care for animals. They feed, groom, bathe, and exercise pets and other nonfarm animals... Show more	$7-20
Pet Groomer	A pet groomer typically works with pets and other animals in pet grooming boutiques and pet stores. As a pet groomer, you will perform a few tasks that may include cleaning and taking care of pets such as dogs, maintaining the cleanliness of the work area for the next client, and working with the cash registers... Show more	$10-23
Pet Sitter	A pet sitter is responsible for taking care of household pets while their owners are away. Pet sitters perform services for pet maintenance, including taking them to the veterinarian, monitoring their food, walk them in the park, and administer medications, if any... Show more	$4-29

Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:
- PET
- Animal Rooms
- Medical Care
- Surgical Procedures
- Front Desk
- Pigs
- General Care
- Exotic Animals
- RAN
- Clipping
- Wild Animals
- Scheduling Appointments
- Farm Animals
- Coats
Check all skills
Responsibilities:
- Observe pet and family interaction as final determination for adoption.
- Promote pet adoptions as well as initiated adoption forms and distribute volunteer information.
- Assist elderly or disable adults with daily living activities provide companionship and insure safely practices with severe caution.
- Milk animals such as cows and goats, by hand or using milking machines.
Make a budget
Including a salary range in your animal care taker job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An animal care taker can vary based on:
- Location. For example, animal care takers' average salary in tennessee is 43% less than in district of columbia.
- Seniority. Entry-level animal care takers 64% less than senior-level animal care takers.
- Certifications. An animal care taker with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
- Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an animal care taker's salary.
Average animal care taker salary
$12.11hourly
$25,179 yearly
Entry-level animal care taker salary
$15,000 yearly salary
Updated January 31, 2026
Writing an animal care taker job description
An animal care taker job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an animal care taker job description:
Animal care taker job description example
+ Shall have the ability to follow multi-step instructions

+ Shall have ability to clean and sanitize kennels

+ Shall have ability to operate equipment/tools necessary to clean and sanitize areas

+ Shall have ability to maintain control of animals

+ Shall provide standard feeds and liquids, per instructions

+ Possess knowledge of kennel care

+ Possess knowledge of kennel maintenance and safety practices

+ Possess knowledge of basic animal health care practices

+ Be comfortable around animals, dogs

Roles & Responsibilities

+ Provide food and water to canines.

+ Determines the types and amount of food each animal requires in accordance with the feed chart.

+ Observes animals daily for changes in appearance and/or activity. Keeps track of canine health records, insuring vaccinations are kept up to date, and all medical issues are documented and treated as instructed.

+ Records changes such as signs of illness, disease, discontent, and general physical conditions.

+ Reports any signs of illness, disease, injury, or unusual activity to the instructors and supervisor.

+ Bathes dogs and prepares them for routine visits by the veterinarian.

+ Cleans, sanitizes, and prepares canine runs and exterior break yards daily.

+ Ensures overall kennel safety and makes minor repairs.

+ Maintains tools, equipment, and supplies necessary for maintaining the kennel.

+ Restocks kennel supplies.

+ Follows special instructions pertaining to the canines when necessary.

+ Reviews documentation for completeness.

+ Communicate with onsite supervisors

+ Complete all necessary online training courses to facilitate access to USDA computer.

+ Adhere to all applicable guidelines related to the use of government computer system.

+ Removes lawn and landscape debris from break yard

+ Leash walk canines

+ Provides basic first-aid treatment to canines

+ Transport canines

+ Sanitize feeding pans, indoor and outdoor kennels, and all assigned areas

+ Request and Restock Supplies

+ Set Up Kennels and break yards

+ Complete Canine Approval Form

+ Weigh Canines

+ Scan canines for microchips and accurately record the existence.

+ Construct temporary canine folder for each animal

+ Enter canine information into database

+ Create medication Sheet

+ Create Kennel Identification (ID) Cards

+ Create Vaccine History Chart

+ Clean Automatic Watering System

+ Utilize Industrial Grinder

+ Prepare Canine for Shipment
Post your job
There are various strategies that you can use to find the right animal care taker for your business:
- Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
- Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
- Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
- Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.
Post your job online:
- Post your animal care taker job on Zippia to find and recruit animal care taker candidates who meet your exact specifications.
- Use field-specific websites.
- Post a job on free websites.
Interview candidates
Your first interview with animal care taker candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.
Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.
The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.
Send a job offer and onboard your new animal care taker
Once you've decided on a perfect animal care taker candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.
It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.
Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new animal care taker. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.
Go through the hiring process checklist
- Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
- Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
- Define job responsibilities and requirements
- Establish budget and timeline
- Determine hiring decision makers for the role
- Write job description
- Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
- Promote the job internally
- Process applications through applicant tracking system
- Review resumes and cover letters
- Shortlist candidates for screening
- Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
- Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
- Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
- Conduct background checks on top candidates
- Check references of top candidates
- Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
- Extend offer to top candidate(s)
- Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
- Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
- Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
- Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire an animal care taker?

Hiring an animal care taker comes with both the one-time cost per hire and ongoing costs. The cost of recruiting animal care takers involves promoting the job and spending time conducting interviews. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider the cost of animal care taker recruiting as well the ongoing costs of maintaining the new employee.

You can expect to pay around $25,179 per year for an animal care taker, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for animal care takers in the US typically range between $7 and $20 an hour.

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Updated January 31, 2026

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How to hire an animal care taker