The role of a Kennel Attendant, also known as a Kennel Assistant, as the name implies, is to provide care, such as food, warmth, and water, to animals found in shelters and veterinary clinics and centers.

Their tasks might range from simple ones to more complicated ones. They often transport animals from one kennel to another, check on animals regularly, clean up around the kennel and the center, providing company to these animals so that they do not feel mistreated or lonely, and reporting on the animals' health and state, should any change occur, to higher management or the local veterinarian.

A prospect in this field should have a high school diploma or a GED. Prior experience with animals and animal care is always preferred but not necessarily a must. Strong organizational skills and a strong passion for animal welfare are key to doing well in this position.

What Does a Kennel Attendant Do

There are certain skills that many kennel attendants have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, manual dexterity and physical strength.

How To Become a Kennel Attendant

If you're interested in becoming a kennel attendant, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 31.4% of kennel attendants have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 1.1% of kennel attendants have master's degrees. Even though some kennel attendants have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Kennel Attendant Career Paths

Top Careers Before Kennel Attendant

Top Careers After Kennel Attendant

Average Salary for a Kennel Attendant

Kennel Attendants in America make an average salary of $26,373 per year or $13 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $34,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $20,000 per year.
Average Kennel Attendant Salary
$26,373 Yearly
$12.68 hourly

What Am I Worth?

salary-calculator

Roles and Types of Kennel Attendant

There are several types of kennel attendant, including:

Attendant

Role:

Attendants can be found in multiple industries. So you've come to the right place if you're looking for a career with opportunities. Almost every industry benefits from having an attendant or two, so you'll never have to worry about not being able to find a job.

Attendants are there to keep areas tidy and clean. Whether it's a company's office or an airplane. Sometimes you'll be relied on to keep food or other materials stocked. Essentially, you'll be attending to others.

A flight attendant position might be enjoyed by someone who likes to travel. A room attendant is a great position for someone who enjoys consistency in their job. But the list of types of attendants goes on and on. If you can dream it, then you can be it.
  • Average Salary: $27,453
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Kennel Technician

Role:

Kennel Technicians see to the care and maintenance of animals like dogs and cats who are commonly housed in kennels. They could also tend to other domestic animals like birds. Your responsibilities include feeding the animals in your care, walking them, administering medications where necessary, bathing and grooming them, and seeing to the maintenance and tidiness of the kernels.

You might decide to work in a pet boarding facility or at a veterinarian's office. This would require you to work with veterinarians and veterinary technicians in seeing to the overall health of the animals. You might be required to keep track of the animals' behavior on a chart which will later be analyzed by the specialist.

A high school diploma should usually suffice for the role of a kennel technician. You need to have a natural flair for animals and possess great physical stamina, communication, and interpersonal skills as you might be required to interact with pet owners and other staff. The average annual salary for this position is $20,819 at the rate of $10 an hour.
  • Average Salary: $26,664
  • Degree: High School Diploma

Animal Daycare Provider

Role:

It does not get any more fun than this. As an animal daycare provider, you get to hang out all day with a bunch of pets that their owners drop off on their way to work; feeding and entertaining them, taking them on walks, and supervising their playtime.

You get trained on the job to get up to speed with safety measures, what to do with aggressive dogs, and how to restrain the ones that go overboard. You will learn how to spot an injury and know when it is time to call a vet. You will have to feed the babies... ahem, I mean animals, clean their spaces indoors and outdoors, and give medications to the ones who need them.

Animal daycare providers might have to work odd hours, early mornings, and late nights, weekends, and holidays. But on the upside, part-time options are usually available. Getting bitten or scratched and stepping in poo is part of the package, but if you love animals, none of this will be too much of a problem.

  • Average Salary: $30,390
  • Degree: High School Diploma

States With The Most Kennel Attendant Jobs

Number Of Kennel Attendant Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1Texas1,543$24,623
2Florida1,507$20,938
3California1,321$26,123
4Ohio703$22,092
5Georgia648$20,333
6New York616$26,723
7Arizona615$27,192
8Pennsylvania608$29,722
9North Carolina596$24,231
10Michigan540$27,556
11Virginia517$25,911
12Illinois501$29,348
13New Jersey496$26,460
14Colorado470$26,215
15Maryland458$24,649
16Massachusetts423$31,220
17Minnesota405$27,001
18Tennessee400$20,190
19Missouri371$24,956
20Indiana349$29,747
21South Carolina274$21,947
22Oregon271$30,895
23Washington255$28,499
24Wisconsin250$26,577
25Alabama245$22,460
26Utah216$29,452
27Nevada212$28,839
28Kentucky202$29,780
29Iowa198$26,872
30Kansas177$25,138
31Oklahoma176$25,864
32Louisiana157$22,703
33Connecticut146$29,522
34Mississippi127$24,736
35Nebraska113$27,453
36Arkansas113$23,655
37Montana103$25,005
38New Hampshire95$30,954
39New Mexico78$22,416
40Idaho72$31,602
41Maine68$32,526
42Hawaii63$21,980
43Rhode Island60$25,637
44Alaska59$30,118
45West Virginia59$30,899
46Vermont57$29,830
47Wyoming49$27,041
48South Dakota37$24,087
49North Dakota33$32,206
50Delaware24$29,394

Kennel Attendant Education

Kennel Attendant Majors

11.0 %

Kennel Attendant Degrees

High School Diploma

37.5 %

Bachelors

31.4 %

Associate

19.9 %

Top Colleges for Kennel Attendants

1. Vermont Technical College

Randolph, VT • Private

In-State Tuition

$15,108

Enrollment

1,350

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Nursing
Medical Assisting Services
Business

2. North Dakota State University

Fargo, ND • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,414

Enrollment

11,182

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Nursing
Education
Business
Psychology

3. Saint Francis University

Loretto, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$36,410

Enrollment

1,668

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Medical Assisting Services
Business
Education
Biology
Nursing

4. Midway University

Midway, KY • Private

In-State Tuition

$24,750

Enrollment

1,036

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Education
Business
Nursing
Health Care Administration
Psychology

5. Ohio University

Athens, OH • Private

In-State Tuition

$12,192

Enrollment

22,072

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Nursing
Liberal Arts
Business
Education
Health Care Administration

6. Becker College

Worcester, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$39,200

Enrollment

1,725

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Nursing
Medical Assisting Services
Business
Psychology
Biology

7. Otterbein University

Westerville, OH • Private

In-State Tuition

$31,874

Enrollment

2,361

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Nursing
Education
Biology
Business
Environmental Science

8. Wilson College

Chambersburg, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$24,595

Enrollment

832

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Education
Nursing
Medical Assisting Services
Liberal Arts
Business

9. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Business
Liberal Arts
Communication
Psychology

10. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-State Tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Liberal Arts
Education
Biology
Business
Nursing

Top Skills For a Kennel Attendant

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 39.3% of kennel attendants listed pet on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and manual dexterity are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Kennel Attendant Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Kennel Attendant templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Kennel Attendant resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Kennel Attendant Resume
Kennel Attendant Resume
Kennel Attendant Resume
Kennel Attendant Resume
Kennel Attendant Resume
Kennel Attendant Resume
Kennel Attendant Resume
Kennel Attendant Resume
Kennel Attendant Resume
Kennel Attendant Resume
Kennel Attendant Resume
Kennel Attendant Resume
Kennel Attendant Resume
Kennel Attendant Resume
Kennel Attendant Resume
Kennel Attendant Resume

Kennel Attendant Demographics

Kennel Attendant Gender Distribution

Female
Female
79%
Male
Male
21%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among kennel attendants, 79.2% of them are women, while 20.8% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among kennel attendants is White, which makes up 67.8% of all kennel attendants.

  • The most common foreign language among kennel attendants is Spanish at 71.6%.

Online Courses For Kennel Attendant That You May Like

Advertising Disclosure  

1. Essentials of Palliative Care

coursera

This course starts you on your journey of integrating primary palliative care into your daily lives. You will learn what palliative care is, how to communicate with patients, show empathy, and practice difficult conversations. You will learn how to screen for distress and provide psychosocial support. You will learn about goals of care and advance care planning and how to improve your success with having these conversations with patients. Finally, you will explore important cultural...

See More on Coursera

2. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course

coursera

The Palliative Care Always Capstone course is designed to let you test your knowledge about palliative and help others understand the value of palliative care, while showing your creative side. In this course, you will impact community awareness about palliative care, promote self-care and wellness, show-off your communication skills in a virtual environment, and finish the course off by proving your thoughts on ways to offer psychosocial support to a patient and family...

See More on Coursera

3. Symptom Management in Palliative Care

coursera

This course should be taken after the Essentials of Palliative Care course and continues building your primary palliative care skills – communication, psychosocial support and goals of care. You will learn how to screen, assess, and manage both physical and psychological symptoms. You will explore common symptoms such as pain, nausea, fatigue, and distress and learn specific treatments. You will continue to follow Sarah and Tim’s experience and learn cultural competencies critical for optimal...

See More on Coursera
Show More Kennel Attendant Courses
Job type you want
Full Time
Part Time
Internship
Temporary

How Do Kennel Attendant Rate Their Jobs?

Working as a Kennel Attendant? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall Rating*
Career Growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary
Do you work as a Kennel Attendant?
Rate how you like work as Kennel Attendant. It's anonymous and will only take a minute.

Top Kennel Attendant Employers

Most Common Employers For Kennel Attendant

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Petland$31,181$14.9910
2St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center$29,045$13.9614
3Alexandria Animals$27,806$13.3717
4Pennsylvania SPCA$27,670$13.308
5Animal Shelter, Inc$27,587$13.266
6Animal Humane Society$27,507$13.226
7top-notch$27,360$13.157
8ASPCA$27,344$13.156
9Xanterra$27,116$13.049
10The Animal Medical Center$26,874$12.9228

Kennel Attendant Videos