Kennel Assistant

Columbus State Community College•Columbus, OH

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Kennel Assistant is responsible for the daily operation, care, and maintenance of the Veterinary Technology program's animal care facilities. This position provides direct support for the health, welfare, and enrichment of program animals through daily cleaning of dog runs and cat cages, feeding animals, administering prescribed medications, monitoring animal health and well-being, and ensuring a clean, safe, and humane environment. The Kennel Assistant assists students with animal handling activities, including exercise, grooming, enrichment, and patient care experiences that support instructional objectives. This role maintains kennel operations by completing laundry generated through animal care and classroom activities, keeping food preparation areas and kennel hallways clean and organized, ordering food and supplies, maintaining inventories, and ensuring compliance with applicable safety and regulatory requirements. The Kennel Assistant works closely with faculty, staff, and students to support instructional and clinical learning experiences while promoting the highest standards of animal care and facility management.

Requirements

High School Diploma or Equivalent (GED).
One (1) year experience working in an animal kennel, clinic or related training.
An appropriate combination of education, training, coursework and experience may qualify a candidate.
State Motor Vehicle Operator's License or demonstrable ability to gain access to work site(s).

Responsibilities

Cleans and sanitizes dog runs, cat cages, kennel hallways, food preparation areas, and associated animal care facilities.
Feeds animals according to established protocols and schedules.
Administers prescribed medications to dogs and cats and maintaining appropriate records as required.
Monitors animal health, behavior, and welfare; reporting concerns or changes in condition to faculty, veterinarians, or supervisors.
Assists students with animal handling, exercising, grooming, enrichment activities, and patient care experiences that support instructional objectives.
Assists with patient animal care teams learning experiences.
Walks, feeds, transports, handles, and provides basic care for animals while ensuring humane treatment practices.
Provides environmental enrichment for the animals in the kennel.
Completes laundry generated through kennel operations, grooming activities, and classroom use.
Works with faculty, staff, students, and other College departments to facilitate smooth kennel operations.
Maintains logs, records, and required documentation in compliance with applicable federal, state, College, and program regulations.
Provides guidance and training to student employees and assists with safe animal handling procedures.
Monitors compliance with safety procedures and reporting safety concerns to the supervisor or Department Chair.
Maintains kennel and associated storage areas.
Orders food, supplies and materials, as needed.
Completes training needed to update inventory spreadsheets for purchasing procedures.
Reports any equipment malfunction and maintains the general operating of equipment, including routine maintenance.
Assists to maintain logs of equipment preventative maintenance; and assists to arrange for vendor maintenance and repair of equipment, when necessary.
Performs and maintains weekly eye wash station testing, chemical and waste spills, and personal injuries, as needed.
Maintains responsibility for kennel and prep-rooms, including cleaning, organizing, and labeling storage areas, maintaining and repairing equipment and supplies.
Ensures that items no longer in use are packed for storage or disposal, as required.
Coordinates with outside sources to order supplies.
Unpacks and reconciles received items with PO’s.
Maintains responsibility for storing, discarding, and properly labeling instructional materials and lab specimens, pharmaceuticals, chemical inventories, and hazardous waste disposal.
Provides information to adjunct faculty regarding department standards for classrooms and laboratories, as requested.
Maintains student PACT participation records.
Orientates new adjunct faculty to the kennel and assists with training, as requested.
Fosters and maintains a safe environment of respect and inclusion for faculty, staff, students, and members of the community.
Attends all required department meetings and training.
Works a flexible schedule including overtime as required and approved to meet workload demands.
Regular, predictable, and punctual attendance is required.