Dog Walker / Pet Care Provider

*Dog Walker / Pet Care Provider*

* Middlebury, CT

* Part Time

* Entry Level

*Calling all pet lovers!*

*RCO Pet Care is looking to add dog walkers and pet sitters to our ever-growing team of professional pet care specialists!*

This is a fun job that is great for people who LOVE pets and have a flexible schedule. Some of current and past team members include:

Scientists, Stay-at-home Moms of school-aged children, Horse farm owners, Retirees, Freelancers, Pilots, Dog Trainers, Vet Techs, College Students, Nannies & more!

It is RCO's mission to "*always provide the gold standard of pet care and provide each client and pet with extraordinary service and care to ensure a stress and guilt-free pet care experience*." Our work is based on safety, integrity and excellence.

*About RCO Pet Care*

We are much more than just a dog walking service or pet sitting company. We provide peace of mind when owners can't be there. As a pet lover this is something you should understand. It is our mission to keep pets safe, happy and home so their owners can travel the world, take vacations, or just take a long day trip knowing their pets are in the BEST hands possible.

This could be you!

*Travel to and between clients' homes to visit and care for dogs while their owners are at work or on vacation. Assignments may also occasionally include cats, birds, hamsters, chickens and fish.*

* Hours are typically Monday through Friday, 10am to 2pm. We also get lots of morning, night and weekend requests too! So for those of you who want to extra and above, while lovin' on those pets, it's available!

* Keep all pets safe and watch for changes in behavior or health and report any visible signs of injury, pain or discomfort to RCO Management.

* Pick up waste on walks or during backyard playtime (yes, there is a lot of poop cleaning!)

* Accompany management to meetings with new daytime clients. Team members are *always* to represent the company in a professional, positive way!

* Follow management and clients' directions for walking, feeding, crating and other tasks required during a visit.

* Light clean-up of puppy messes, accidents, etc.

* Light household duties such as watering plants, rotating lights, etc.

* Secure clients' homes with keys and alarm codes upon leaving.

* Provide shortened, more frequent potty breaks to puppies throughout the day (yes - there are lots of puppies!)

* Maintain contact with RCO Pet Care management and clients throughout the day via a reporting system on smart phones.

A dog walker or pet sitter position is a flexible, part-time job. Some weeks will be busier than others depending on school schedules, holidays, etc. We find fall is busy for daytime dog walking due to school resuming. Summer is busy for daytime check-ins and AM/PM pet sitting visits due to vacations. Every day is different which makes it fun! You will develop relationships with so many awesome dogs and cats!

Our Pet Care Specialists make a minimum of $15 an hour but often average between $18-$20/hour.

*Basic Requirements*

- Ability to care for, handle and restrain dogs of all different breeds and sizes.

- Physical ability to sit, walk dogs for 25+ minutes at a time, climb stairs, bend down, kneel and lift up to 50 lbs.

- Ability to follow rules, safety protocols and pay attention to detail.

- Maintain a positive attitude! We make this fun for the pups AND their clients.

- Be dependable and punctual.

- Be a consistent communicator. Must reply to emails and texts promptly and efficiently. Complete journal entries at the end of every single visit via *smartphone*.

- Maintain a degree of flexibility. People have lives and their schedules change, just like ours! Sometimes appointments can be shifted, added or cancelled and we work it out as a team.

- Must have a car, valid driver's license and insurance.

- Must pass a background check.

- MUST love dogs!

Previous paid work experience with dogs preferred but not required.

*Why You Should *TOTALLY* Love On Pets With Us!*

Some of the perks that come with walking pups for RCO Pet Care include:

* LOTS of puppy kisses, wagging tails and happy clients.

* Paid training and continuing education opportunities.

* Pet CPR and First Aid certification.

* Competitive wages and holiday stipends.

* PTO Plans

* Ample opportunity to earn tips.

* Flexible work schedule - walk/care for as many clients as your lifestyle allows.

* Performance and referral bonuses.

* Liability insurance.

* Biweekly direct deposit

* Convenient, easy-to-use live scheduling through a phone app and website.

* Protection by the company's insurance, bonding and worker's comp policies.

* Field support.

We can't wait to meet you!

Meet our mascot and resident office assistant, Rocco!

* Tell us about your experience with animals whether personal, through previous jobs or volunteer work.*