I got a job interview with American Boarding Kennels Inc!!! I'm so excited! I also got a job offer with Toys R Us but I HATE pushing credit at the registers and I got my dream doggy job interview on Monday! I'm so happy, can you tell? LOL Get to call Toys R Us and say Thanks but no thanks!

wow jessica that is so kool i bet pickles is glad too hee hee

THANKS I'm in a really good mood today LOL oh and here is the website: http://www.americanboardingkennel.com/index.html

Hi Jessica ..

I don't know you, so I apologize in advance if my post might seem a little direct.

Please be aware, working for a kennel is NOT just about playing with cute doggies. It's hard, often back breaking work. It's messy, and at times downright disgusting. I'm a retired professional dog groomer, and I worked for a large boarding kennel for 5 years. Many young people came to work for us, thinking how great it would be to work with animals .. and it can be, don't get me wrong. But be aware, it's not always fun and it's never easy work. It can also be dangerous .. dogs act differently when boarded .. they're usually stressed about being away from familiar surrounding .. and even the sweetest, cutest dog can send you to the hospital for stitches.

My grooming career ended quickly and painfully due a vicious dog attack. A Siberian Husky, who had boarded with us many time before, who I had bathed and groomed dozens of times, freaked out when another dog charged the fence as we were walking by. For some unknown reason, when the other dog startled her, she turned on me, and put a total of 27 stitches between my left arm, shoulder and rib cage. It took 3 other kennel attendants to pull her off me. Not my fondest memory of working there, to be sure. I absolutely loved what I did, and even though I was unable to groom after that, I still worked there for several years, managing the grooming department. I wasn't the first kennel worker/groomer to be bit, but at the time, I was the only one who was every attacked like that.

Being around dogs and cats in a boarding situation is a lot like owning a bird .. it's not usually a question of "if" you'll get bit, more of a matter of "when". Not to mention, you'll need to be very careful about bringing home "nasties" to any pets you own. We were lucky where I worked, as we had showers and locker rooms .. I never went home without first taking a shower, and the clothes that I wore to work never entered the house .. they went straight into a special hamper I kept in the garage.

By no means am I trying to discourage you nor scare you .. I just want you, as a young, eager animal enthusiast, to be aware that it's not all kisses and cuddles. Be fully and completely aware of what working in a kennel can involve.

Just be sure to ask EXACTLY what your responsibilities will be. Ask about how aggressive or cage shy dogs/cats are handled.

Good luck with your interview .. I'm certain you get through it with flying colors!

Oh thanks for the advice Xcali, but I've already worked at a boarding kennel and know what you mean, but I still loved it And I'm a dog person, so I knew I'd get bit, and we met some vicious dogs and worked with a police German Shepherd that we couldn't be in contact with. And most of the work was scrubbing out the kennels with bleach but I didn't mind it...I don't think I'm like a lot of teenagers in the sense that I actually like being at work and don't mind working 9 hours straight without a break (had to at my last job). Lost a few favorite pairs of jeans to bleach spills though

That's awful about the siberian husky! They are one of my favorite breeds, that's awful that happened to you! I've worked with a few and they were all friendly, but not very obedient lol sometimes freak accidents happen though...

I also learned what I was comfortable doing, and with some dogs I could let them outside through their patios without ever having to handle them, and we could put them outside if they were food aggressive. I'm doing college work right now to become a certified dog trainer too so I'm learning a lot about problem behaviors and how to work on them, and understanding dog behavior I think this will be a great job for me, as I'm used to all animals.
Thanks for the advice though

If you are just going for the interview at the kennel, don't turn down Toys R Us just yet ... until you have a firm job offer, I'd keep my options open ... or you may end up with NO job and that is a hard situation to be in ...

Good luck on the kennel job interview, though. Here's hoping you get your dream job and THEN you can tell Toys R Us thanks but no thanks...

Hi Jessica,
My name is jl. Just wanted to say YAAAA! for u. Good luck I am sure you will be great.

Actually there are several reasons why I am saying no to Toys R Us:
I think it's unethical to badger my customers with signing up for store credit and resorting to tricking non English speaking people into opening one up in order to meet store quotas

I'm starting at $7.30 which is less than my last job payed me and it's seasonal so in two months I would be looking for a job again

Jo Anne Fabrics and Michaels are both hiring as well as Kohl's and they said they would hire me back if I wanted to, so I'm ok with telling Toys R Us no And my parents both agree.

As you can see I don't go into things lightly

Jessica you sound like a very level headed young lady who thinks things through carefully. Good for you! Considering your options and reasoning things out is the best way to handle things. Crossing fingers and toes and sending up a little prayer for you on Monday! Good Luck!!

Best of luck on Monday! I'd love a job like that no matter how messy it was. To paraphrase a bumper sticker I sometimes see: The worst day spent with dogs beats the best day at the office!

Thanks so much everyone! Sorry Jl, I think we both posted at the same time so I didn't see your post until now
I'm still really excited, fingers crossed

Good luck Jessica! I worked at JoAnnsas a second job for fabric money and the employee discount and loved it. Handing all those fabric and notions and getting to know customers and see what they make. If the kennel doesn't work out, consider JoAnns. It's an awesome place to work.

Congrats and way to go Jessica. Im excited for you that you got your dream job. Now go get em gal and the best of luck!! also that to at one time that was my dream job to work at a boarding place with dogs and cats. The work was hard and grueling for me and we had to do split shifts. I had no real time to play and sociallize with the dogs and cats since there were only two kennel attendants there. But it was a good experience for me to know if i would go further into this type of work but i didnt. I now just enyoy caring for my neighbors dogs and cats as that is much easier to house sit for them then it is to work at a kennel full time.

Oh man is a kennel a lot of work. What really sucks is being management in a kennel. The aggressive to human dogs had to be walked by management. So on days when they were overwhelmed with aggressive dogs in the kennel I would have to leave the avian room, and take out dogs that weighed more then me, and had a good chance of turning me into a chew toy. Luckily all of the management was trained in handling violent dog, and it had come in handy at least a couple dozen times. I miss managing the avian department, but hopefully one day they'll open it back up, and they'll pay me more money with a bigger staff. Well I can hope can't I?