Kennel Technician
Full time: 4x10 schedule with weekday and weekend flexibility required.
About You
You are dependable, compassionate, and attentive to detail. You take pride in keeping pets comfortable, kennels clean, and the team supported through daily care tasks such as feeding, walking, cleaning, monitoring, and restocking supplies.
Responsibilities
- Provide attentive daily care for boarding and hospitalized pets, including feeding, watering, walking, exercising, enrichment, clean bedding, and a comfortable environment.
- Monitor pets for changes in health, comfort, appetite, or behavior, and promptly communicate any concerns to the medical team.
- Administer medications as directed by veterinarians or veterinary technicians, including injectable medications when appropriate and within hospital protocols.
- Maintain a clean, organized, and sanitary boarding area by cleaning and disinfecting kennels, cages, runs, litter boxes, bowls, laundry, common areas, and waste according to hospital protocols.
- Support boarding check-ins and check-outs, answer phones when needed, communicate professionally with clients, and maintain accurate boarding records and documentation.
- Assist veterinary technicians and doctors with patient restraint when appropriate, help monitor supplies and inventory, participate in opening and closing duties, and support coworkers with clinic tasks as needed.
- Perform other duties as assigned to support patient care, client service, and daily hospital operations.
Requirements
- High school diploma or GED preferred.
- Previous experience working with animals is preferred.
- Ability to safely handle dogs and cats of all sizes, breeds, and temperaments.
- Strong communication, organization, and time management skills.
- Ability to work independently while contributing to a supportive team environment.
- Willingness to learn and follow hospital protocols.
- Compassionate, patient, and attentive approach to animal care.
- Positive, professional attitude with a commitment to patient safety, cleanliness, and comfort.
- Reliable attendance and the ability to complete assigned duties before the end of each shift.
Physical Requirements
Team members must be able to perform the essential functions of this role, with or without reasonable accommodation, which includes:
- Lift up to 50 pounds.
- Stand, bend, kneel, crouch, and walk for extended periods.
- Work around animals of various sizes, temperaments, and medical conditions.
- Tolerate exposure to animal hair, odors, cleaning chemicals, noise, and varying temperatures.
Schedule
This position requires a flexible schedule to support the needs of the hospital, including mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed. Scheduled hours may vary based on patient census, boarding volume, staffing needs, and clinic operations.
Skills
Here, you can grow your career as best fits you through access to comprehensive learning and skillset programs. You can build your skills and earn credentials through:
- Our vast, diverse, and free library of continuing education courses
- ThriveU Live, virtual interactive workshops to develop valuable leadership skills
- A program designed to teach you the fundamentals of running a pet hospital
And, with so many locations nationwide, you can find and move into any specialty, hospital type, or environment.
Benefits
Thrive offers a suite of benefits to support team members’ emotional, physical, professional, and financial wellbeing. In addition to our health and life insurance, and short- and long-term disability plans, we offer eligible team members:
- Competitive pay
- 401(k) with employer match
- Mental health resources, including easy access to therapy through Lyra Health
- Paid parental leave
- Purr-ental leave for when you adopt a pet
- Subsidized backup childcare and elder care
- Expert advice, support and network discounts for fertility and family planning
- FREE CE courses
- Pet perks and veterinary service discounts
- Student loan support tools and assistance
Some benefits shown are only for full-time team members who work 30 hours or more per week. Certain benefits may be subject to waiting periods or length of service requirements.
About The Hospital
Animal Clinic of Los Alamos is a veterinary hospital dedicated to providing compassionate care for pets and the people who love them. As part of the kennel team, you will help create a clean, safe, and welcoming environment for boarding pets, hospitalized patients, and the clinical team that supports them.
About Thrive
Thrive Pet Healthcare creates the future of pet well-being through medical excellence, innovative technology, and a connected community of teams and partners. Today, its network of 360+ primary, emergency, and specialty hospitals across the U.S. cares for pets of all ages and health needs, while portfolio companies provide tools and technology that help veterinary teams work smarter and deliver better care. Thrive invests in its people—through mentorship, leadership programs, continuing education, and well-being initiatives—so teams can grow and feel supported.