Kennel Cleaning & Facility Assistant

Kennel Facility & Cleaning Assistant

Happy Tails Learning Center for Dogs – Shelby Township, MI

Schedule: Saturday & Sunday, 6:00 AM–12:00 PM (Fridays available as well)
Hours: Approximately 12-18 hours per week
Position Type: Part-Time, Weekends (Fridays available)

Happy Tails Learning Center for Dogs is looking for a dependable, hardworking Weekend Kennel Facility & Cleaning Assistant to help keep our professional dog training and boarding facility clean, safe, organized, and ready for our team each morning.

This is a cleaning and facility-support position with ZERO dog handling. You will work in an active dog facility and alongside our kennel team, but you will not be responsible for handling, walking, feeding, playing with, supervising, or caring for dogs.

What Your Morning Will Look Like

Your shift begins promptly at 6:00 AM every Saturday and Sunday.

You'll be the first people at the facility and will begin by helping prepare the property for our kennel team to safely begin their morning.

• During Michigan winter weather, this includes snow-blowing, shoveling snow and applying salt to outdoor walkways and paths so our team can safely move dogs throughout the property when they arrive.

Once the facility is prepared for the morning, you'll transition into kennel and facility cleaning. As our trained kennel staff move dogs through their morning routine, you'll focus specifically on the cleaning side of operations.

After the main kennel cleaning is complete, you'll work through a scheduled list of facility cleaning, sanitation, organization, and upkeep tasks until the end of your shift.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities may include:

• Shoveling snow from outdoor walkways and paths
• Salting outdoor walking areas during icy or snowy conditions
• Preparing outdoor pathways for staff arrival and safe use
• Cleaning and sanitizing kennels
• Deep cleaning and sanitizing dog crates
• Washing, sanitizing, drying, and putting away dog dishes
• Washing, drying, folding, and organizing laundry
• Sweeping and mopping floors
• Emptying indoor trash cans
• Taking trash to outdoor dumpsters
• Cleaning and sanitizing designated areas throughout the facility
• Restocking cleaning supplies and facility items
• Organizing laundry, dishes, cleaning supplies, and kennel equipment
• Completing assigned daily and weekly cleaning checklists
• Maintaining clean and organized indoor and outdoor areas
• Identifying areas that need cleaning or attention without always needing to be directed
• Assisting with general facility upkeep as assigned

ZERO Dog Handling

It's important for applicants to understand that this is not an animal-care or dog-handling position.

Our trained kennel and training staff are responsible for all dog handling, including moving dogs in and out of kennels and crates.

If you're looking for a position where you'll walk dogs, play with puppies, cuddle dogs, or provide hands-on animal care, this will not be the right position for you.

If you enjoy cleaning, organizing, physical work, and being part of the behind-the-scenes team that keeps a busy facility running smoothly, you may be a great fit.

Who We're Looking For

We're looking for someone who is:

• Exceptionally reliable and punctual — this position begins at 6:00 AM
• Able to consistently work both Saturday and Sunday
• Comfortable arriving early and beginning work independently
• Comfortable working outdoors in Michigan winter conditions
• Willing and physically able to shovel snow and salt walkways when necessary
• Someone who genuinely enjoys cleaning and organizing
• Comfortable working independently from a checklist
• Able to follow detailed cleaning and sanitation procedures
• Detail-oriented and able to recognize when something needs additional attention
• Self-motivated and able to move from one task to the next without constant direction
• Comfortable working in an environment with barking dogs, dog hair, water, dirt, odors, urine, feces, and the other normal realities of a kennel facility
• Physically capable of being on their feet and active throughout the shift
• Comfortable bending, reaching, scrubbing, sweeping, mopping, lifting, carrying, shoveling, and taking out trash
• Someone who takes pride in leaving a space cleaner, safer, and more organized than they found it

Schedule

Saturday: 6:00 AM–12:00 PM
Sunday: 6:00 AM–12:00 PM
Approximately 12 hours per week

(Fridays are available based on applicant's schedule capacity)

This is a consistent weekend position. Applicants must be able to reliably work both weekend days and arrive ready to begin work at 6:00 AM.

Because this employee helps prepare the facility before our kennel team begins handling dogs, punctuality is especially important in this role.

A Great Fit for Someone Who...

This position could be a great fit for someone who likes early mornings, enjoys physical work, prefers having a clear list of tasks to accomplish, and gets satisfaction from keeping a facility exceptionally clean, organized, and prepared for the day.

Previous kennel experience is not required. We're much more interested in finding someone with a strong work ethic, excellent reliability, attention to detail, and a willingness to work hard.

Pay: $14.00 per hour

Expected hours: 10.0 – 15.0 per week

Benefits:

• Employee discount
• Opportunities for advancement

Application Question(s):

• Why are you interested in this kennel & facility cleaning position?
• As the job description stated, this is a cleaning and facility-support position with ZERO dog handling. You will work around dogs, but will not walk, play with, feed, or directly care for them. Are you comfortable with this?
• During winter weather, this position may begin the morning by snow-blowing and/or shoveling snow and salting outdoor walkways before the kennel team arrives. Are you comfortable performing this type of outdoor physical work?
• This position involves cleaning kennels and crates, including areas that may contain urine, feces, dog hair, dirt, water, and odors. Are you comfortable performing this type of cleaning?
• This position requires working every Saturday AND Sunday from 6:00 AM–12:00 PM. Are you able to consistently work this schedule and arrive ready to begin work at 6:00 AM?
• Friday hours may occasionally be available for this position based on scheduling needs and your availability. Friday availability is NOT required. Would you be interested in working Fridays when hours are available?

Work Location: In person

Salary : $14