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Kennel attendant vs pet sitter

The differences between kennel attendants and pet sitters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both a kennel attendant and a pet sitter. Additionally, a kennel attendant has an average salary of $26,373, which is higher than the $25,823 average annual salary of a pet sitter.

The top three skills for a kennel attendant include PET, animal handling and facility laundry. The most important skills for a pet sitter are PET, walkers, and clients homes.

Kennel attendant vs pet sitter overview

Kennel AttendantPet Sitter
Yearly salary$26,373$25,823
Hourly rate$12.68$12.41
Growth rate28%28%
Number of jobs72,23921,735
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 37%Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age3232
Years of experience33

What does a kennel attendant do?

A kennel attendant is responsible for the daily care of boarded dogs and kennel maintenance. Some of the duties that you will perform will include cleaning cages, scheduling boarding appointments, and monitoring the behavior of these dogs. In addition, it is your responsibility to clean spilled food and animal waste and to dispose of trash on time. Other duties include walking animals if required, ensuring that the animals are always comfortable, and evacuating them when an emergency arises.

What does a pet sitter do?

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. They also reach out to the pet owners for possible updates and emergencies, taking their instructions immediately. Apart from being highly communicative and organizational, a pet sitter should have an interest and passion in taking care of pets to ensure high-quality services.

Kennel attendant vs pet sitter salary

Kennel attendants and pet sitters have different pay scales, as shown below.

Kennel AttendantPet Sitter
Average salary$26,373$25,823
Salary rangeBetween $20,000 And $34,000Between $10,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City-Newport, RI
Highest paying state-Rhode Island
Best paying company-CARE
Best paying industry-Non Profits

Differences between kennel attendant and pet sitter education

There are a few differences between a kennel attendant and a pet sitter in terms of educational background:

Kennel AttendantPet Sitter
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 37%Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common majorMedical Assisting ServicesBusiness
Most common collegeVermont Technical CollegeUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst

Kennel attendant vs pet sitter demographics

Here are the differences between kennel attendants' and pet sitters' demographics:

Kennel AttendantPet Sitter
Average age3232
Gender ratioMale, 20.8% Female, 79.2%Male, 19.7% Female, 80.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 2.7% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 2.6% White, 68.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between kennel attendant and pet sitter duties and responsibilities

Kennel attendant example responsibilities.

  • Assist in managing shelter for animals and arranging for adoption or euthanasia of confiscate animals.
  • Train to give dogs baths, brushing out coats, scissoring, and toenails.
  • Perform animal grooming duties such as washing, brushing, clipping, and trimming coats, etc.
  • Experience in the use of specialize equipment such as cage washers, autoclaves and animal transport vehicles.
  • Assist owner in preforming body clips and bathing/drying dogs and cats, preform all grooming tasks including clipper skills except scissoring.
  • Operate cage/bottle washers, autoclaves and bedding dispensing/disposal equipment.
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Pet sitter example responsibilities.

  • Help managed the company and train new walkers
  • Cat and dog feeding, medicine, dog walking, cleanup; 5 animals : 3 cats , 2 dogs.
  • Provide constant supervision and companionship for elopement risk and suicide precaution patients.
  • Provide care for dogs, fish, cats, bunnies, birds, snakes, hamsters and most other household pets.
  • Execute cash register POS system.
  • Specialize in extra TLC for elderly pets.
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Kennel attendant vs pet sitter skills

Common kennel attendant skills
  • PET, 39%
  • Animal Handling, 10%
  • Facility Laundry, 8%
  • Animal Hospital, 5%
  • Animal Restraint, 4%
  • Administer Medications, 4%
Common pet sitter skills
  • PET, 90%
  • Walkers, 2%
  • Clients Homes, 2%
  • CPR, 1%
  • Topical Medications, 1%
  • Litter Boxes, 1%

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