How To Become A Kennel Worker: What It Is and Career Path

What is a kennel worker and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a kennel worker. For example, did you know that they make an average of $12.51 an hour? That's $26,015 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 28% and produce 101,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreKennel WorkerUS Average

Salary

2.0

Avg. Salary $26,015

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.7

Growth rate 28%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.45%

Asian 2.96%

Black or African American 5.41%

Hispanic or Latino 15.51%

Unknown 6.23%

White 69.43%

Gender

female 75.11%

male 24.89%

Age - 29

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 29

Stress level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.1

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a kennel worker

Explore kennel worker education requirements

Most common kennel worker degrees

High School Diploma

41.4 %

Bachelor's

27.8 %

Associate

19.2 %

Start to develop specific kennel worker skills

Skills	Percentages
Clean Cages	29.32%
Facility Laundry	16.72%
Animal Handling	8.56%
Exam Rooms	5.06%
Schedule Appointments	5.05%

Complete relevant kennel worker training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New kennel workers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a kennel worker based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real kennel worker resumes.

Research kennel worker duties and responsibilities

Brush, bath, and condition animals' coats.
Prepare animals for surgery, including clipping, scrubbing, and disinfecting operative site.
Groom dogs for owners, at their request, including baths and nail clipping.
Provide animal care and management; maintain cleanliness of the facility; assist licensed veterinary technicians in restraint of animals.

Prepare your kennel worker resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your kennel worker resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a kennel worker resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable kennel worker resume templates

Build a professional kennel worker resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your kennel worker resume.