09/12/2026
We are hiring an exceptional pet care provider.
If interested, please read the entire description and make sure this applies to you. If so, email your resume to [email protected]
Please do not call the business regarding this job.
We are not a traditional dog daycare and that's intentional!
Barks & Recreation is a small, independently owned pet care business built around the belief that dogs deserve more than a chaotic room full of dogs and a person simply supervising them. We focus on individualized care, enrichment, mental stimulation, canine communication, emotional wellbeing and meaningful relationships with both the animals in our care and their families.
We're looking for someone who shares that philosophy.
This is not a position for someone who simply "likes dogs." We're looking for someone who is genuinely passionate about high quality animal care and wants to learn how to provide it at a higher level.
What You'll Be Doing:
As an Animal Care Provider, you'll be an important part of the daily experience our client's pets receive. Responsibilities will include:
Providing attentive, hands on care for dogs in a small group, enrichment focused environment
Learning to recognize and appropriately respond to canine body language and communication
Providing individualized enrichment, mental stimulation, structured activities, and appropriate play
Feeding pets and following individual care instructions
Administering medications when needed
Monitoring pets throughout the day and communicating any changes or concerns
Maintaining a clean, safe, and organized environment. Cleaning is a big part of the job!
Assisting with boarding dogs and following their individual routines
Providing clients with thoughtful updates about their pets when appropriate
Building genuine relationships with both pets and their owners
Following Barks & Recreation's standards for safety, enrichment, handling, and individualized care
Being willing to learn and continually improve your understanding of animal behavior and care
Fear Free & Force Free Care Is NonNegotiable
Barks & Recreation is proudly a Fear Free and force free facility. We believe animals should be handled with compassion, patience, respect, and an understanding of their individual emotional needs. We are very proud to follow this scientific standard for canines.
We do not use or permit aversive, punitive, or adverse training or handling methods. This includes physical punishment, intimidation, force based corrections or any other method intended to cause fear, pain, discomfort or distress as a means of managing or changing an animal's behavior. Our approach is based on communication over correction and understanding over punishment.
All team members are expected to uphold these standards at all times. The use of adverse, punitive, or force based methods on an animal in our care is strictly prohibited and will be grounds for immediate termination of employment.
Who We're Looking For
The most important thing to us is who you are and how you care for animals.
You should be:
Compassionate, patient, warm, and genuinely kind
Dependable and responsible
Comfortable communicating with clients in a friendly and professional manner
Someone who notices the little things
Comfortable working independently and taking initiative
Interested in canine behavior, body language, enrichment, and learning
Comfortable with the less glamorous parts of animal care, including cleaning, accidents, feeding, and general upkeep
Someone who understands that professional animal care requires patience, consistency, attention to detail, and physical work
Willing to learn our specific approach to care, even if you have previous animal care experience
Committed to Fear Free, force free, compassionate handling and willing to follow our standards without exception
Previous professional experience with dogs, daycare, boarding, veterinary care, training, grooming, or another animal care setting is a plus. However, the right attitude and willingness to learn are just as important to us as experience. As a small business, our clients are VERY important to us and many are like family so we need someone with a great attitude.
Our clients are truly the BEST, and we are looking for someone with the right attitude and genuine desire to form bonds with them, just as we have.
The Barks & Recreation Difference
We intentionally keep our environment smaller and more individualized than a traditional, high volume daycare.
Our approach is centered around:
Communication over correction.
Quality of care over quantity of dogs.
Quality over Chaos.
Relationships over transactions.
You'll have the opportunity to learn more about canine behavior, enrichment, communication and individualized care than you might in a traditional kennel or daycare environment.
Because we are independently owned, you'll also work directly alongside the owner and learn firsthand how a small, relationship based pet care business operates.
Schedule
This position is approximately 20–30 hours per week.
Your regular schedule will consist of:
3–4 shifts per week, either 10:00 AM–6:00 PM or 12:00 PM–6:00 PM
2 days off each week
Saturday evening: approximately 2–3 hours, generally based on our current boarding needs
Some split shifts on weekends will be needed, but not often
Our schedule is intentionally structured and we're looking for someone who can be dependable and consistent with their assigned shifts, especially given the nature of our model. GOOD COMMUNICATION IS REQUIRED AND EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!
Starting pay: $12–$14/hour
We are a small, independently owned business. While we may not be able to compete with large corporate facilities on starting wages, we strive to offer something different: a genuinely relationship based workplace where you not only enjoy coming to work, but where the work itself has meaning.
You'll gain meaningful hands on experience, opportunities to learn and the ability to make a real difference in the lives of the animals we care for.
As the business grows, there will be opportunities for increased responsibility and compensation for team members who demonstrate exceptional reliability, skill, initiative and commitment to our standards of care.
We want the right person to grow with the company.
This Job Isn't for Everyone and that's okay!
If you're looking for a job where you can simply show up, let dogs run around, and go home, this probably isn't the right position.
But if you want to be part of a small business where the details matter, where animals are treated as individuals, where relationships with clients genuinely matter, and where you're encouraged to learn and grow as an animal care professional, we'd love to hear from you.
We're looking for someone who wants to become part of us trying to shift an industry model to one that is more focused on the pet's wellbeing... not simply fill a shift.
If you believe that dogs deserve patience, respect, enrichment, understanding, and genuinely thoughtful care, you may be exactly who we're looking for.
Enrichment Based | Fear Free Certified | Limited Spots | Message to Book Meet & greet!
