Description

Kennel Technician

Full-time

Austin, TX

Westlake Animal Hospital is looking for a Kennel Technician to join our team as part of the Thrive Pet Healthcare community.

At Westlake Animal Hospital, a Thrive Pet Healthcare partner, you will have the support, tools, and resources to elevate your skills. As a hospital deeply rooted in the local community, you will experience the best of both worlds: a genuine local feel with the benefits of Thrive's national resources.

Position Summary

The Kennel Technician is responsible for providing daily care, monitoring, and enrichment for animals housed within the facility. This role ensures a clean, safe, and low-stress environment while supporting veterinary and boarding operations. The ideal candidate is compassionate, dependable, detail-oriented, and comfortable working in a fast-paced animal care setting.

Key Responsibilities

Includes but is not limited to:

• Provide daily husbandry care including feeding, watering, cleaning, and disinfecting kennels and cages
• Monitor animal health and behavior; promptly report concerns to supervisors or veterinary staff
• Administer medications as directed and accurately document treatments
• Maintain sanitation standards in compliance with facility protocols
• Assist with animal intake and discharge procedures
• Safely handle and restrain animals of varying sizes and temperaments
• Wash bedding and maintain supply inventory
• Support client interactions during drop-off and pick-up as needed
• Assist veterinary technicians and doctors with basic animal handling tasks

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required
• Prior experience working with animals preferred (boarding, shelter, veterinary clinic, daycare)
• Ability to safely handle dogs and cats of all sizes and temperaments
• Strong attention to detail and ability to follow written and verbal instructions
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills
• Basic computer skills for record keeping

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to stand, walk, bend, and lift up to 50 lbs regularly, with our without reasonable accommodation
• Comfortable working around animal dander, cleaning agents, and noise
• Ability to work weekends, holidays, and flexible shifts as required

About the Hospital

We are a busy 7-doctor practice located in the lovely city of Austin, Texas! We nurture not only our clients and their pets, but also our staff. We offer professional and personal growth as well as promote a healthy work/life balance. We strive to make work fun, engaging, and rewarding and offer an excellent benefits package!

Benefits - our care in action

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 24/7 access to Lyra Health
• Paid parental leave
• Purr-ental leave for when you adopt a pet
• Employer-sponsored childcare and elder care
• Personalized care for every family-forming journey
• FREE CE courses
• Pet perks and veterinary service discounts
• Student loan management tools and assistance

Provide your best care with more bridges and less barriers.

We listen to your needs and then meet them. Through training and free CE experiences, your career development can flourish. And in our locally rooted, nationally connected community, you’ll be able to make connections, access opportunities and find support with ease.

Support for you is as vital as the support you provide.

You’ll Thrive With Us

At Thrive, you have the opportunity to develop your career in a way that best suits your goals. Take advantage of our comprehensive learning and skill-building programs to enhance your expertise. 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

• Scholarship opportunities and tuition reimbursement

• Move into any specialty, hospital type, or environment - across the nation.

• Leadership training for a thriving and long career in the veterinary profession.

About Thrive

Thrive Pet Healthcare is one of the first veterinary services offering a comprehensive continuum of care for pets’ primary, specialty, and acute needs. Through a nationwide community of over 360 veterinary providers, and an industry-leading membership program, Thrive Pet Healthcare provides personalized, accessible care through every stage of a pet’s life and health. Founded by veterinarians, the organization provides industry-first benefits for practice staff while elevating privately held veterinary hospitals with innovative service and technology solutions. By focusing on the needs of care providers and professional collaboration, Thrive Pet Healthcare is supporting the well-being of the industry and raising the national bar for veterinary excellence.

Thrive Pet Healthcare is united by our mission to create the future of pet well-being through medical excellence, innovative technology, and a connected community of teams and partners. We exist to nurture both pets and people through meaningful relationships and exceptional veterinary care.

Our Support Office teams power that mission by supporting our hospitals through operational excellence, innovative programs, people-centered culture, and forward-thinking business solutions - all while having plenty of fun along the way.

We nurture pets & people through meaningful relationships and exceptional pet care-and we are united by a shared set of values.

• Service - delivering exceptional service
• Empathy - leading with care
• Accountability - achieve meaningful outcomes
• Joy - be a source of light
• Exploration - learn to fuel growth
• Team - connect for success

At Thrive Pet Healthcare, we are committed to creating a culture where everyone from any background can be heard, respected, and valued. We pledge to build an inclusive environment nurtured by respectful curiosity to support, encourage, and celebrate the diverse voices of our teams and the communities we serve.