Jobs at The Secret Garden
We have several different jobs here at The Secret Garden. All of our positions
are part time, however, multi skilled, industrious people can work a significant
number of hours each week.
Safety, for both our guests and our team is always our
number 1 concern.
Presently we have a full staff. Please inquire if you believe you are qualified and willing
to work on a great team, doing (what we think is) a fun job.
Grooming Department
In the Grooming Department, we hire for bather / brusher positions, where your
primary responsibility is to prepare dogs and cats of all breeds for their grooming.
You must be able to muscle around large dogs and maneuver small ones with excellent
pet handling skills. All of our pets come out of the bathing operation, as Lisa says,
"Squeaky Clean." Bathing hours are typically Mon-Sat 8 AM till done, which is usually around
2 PM. We frequently bathe on Sunday as well, from 11 AM - 2 PM. Bathers will do
pets nails and ears and be able to identify the correct soaps / process for each
pet on each visit.
Groomers take the product of the bathing operation and finish the job. Groomers
are responsible for having excellent pet handling skills and the artistic ability
to create a very cute dog/cat which matches the customer expectation and our own
quality standards. We rarely hire groomers, as we prefer to provide growth opportunities
for our existing staff.
Kennel Department
Our kennel staff is responsible for everything happening in the kennel. We check in, check out
walk, play with, feed, water, administer medications and be the surrogate family for
a large number and variety of dogs/cats/birds.
We usually have adults on the morning shifts (typically 7 AM - 11 AM) and mature high schoolers for the
afternoon / evening shifts and mornings on weekends, holidays, vacations. We do not
have volunteers, nor do we hire under 17 years of age. The afternoon / evening shift is
occupancy dependent and typically runs from 5 PM - 8 PM.
We usually hire in April for training in May to work for the summer under close supervision. Those that do well
in the summer months continue on throughout the winter and again the following summer.
We're looking for mature, responsible, dependable people who have pets and care deeply
about working with them.
We usually look for someone with good grades, good attendance, good attitude and willingness
to learn. We've found that sports schedules typically interfere with work schedules, it is
hard to do both.
Facility Maintenance
We usually have one person on staff who, in addition to caring for pets, can operate large lawn mowers,
weed whackers, shovels, etc. to perform a wide variety of maintenance tasks. This person must
have excellent work ethics, some skills with tools and equipment, and be very safety conscious. Weekly
and monthly safety checks are performed and typically the job is different every day.
Careers in Pet Care
The Pet Care industry is growing fast. There are
many opportunities in grooming, veterinary care
boarding, day care, pet sitting, dog walking and
training
These jobs are probably a lot more fun than you
imagine. They are also a lot more work than you
probably conceive.
Before leaping into working at a small company
in the pet care industry, do your homework. Make
sure you realize that in all of these businesses,
pet care comes first. There aren't a lot of the
typical big company/big government benefits and
we expect you to work industriously while here,
after all our guests deserve nothing less.