OPEN EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

***We are very particular about finding the right mutual fit so although we are interviewing now, we are not in a hurry, but we are ready to make a hiring decision as soon as we find the right candidate.***

We are seeking an attentive and trustworthy live-in Dog Caregiver to join our small Team in providing excellent care to our Guest pups.  We run a small dog care/sitting/boarding business, where Guests come stay at our dog paradise! The Caregiver will follow a daily care schedule, provide love to our Guest pups, execute cleaning/maintenance schedules, and nurture relationships with our pup parents. In return, you will receive room & board with utilities included and some additional variable compensation (see more below). This is a unique opportunity, and we are very conscientious that it needs to be a mutual fit on both a personal and professional level, so please make sure to read to the very end before responding and for specific instructions.

To succeed as a Dog Caregiver you should be patient, empathetic, and have strong dog/people skills.  Must love dogs! You should be observant and committed to making our Guest pups feel safe and comfortable.  We have two houses next to each other, joined by gates.  Both properties have been remodeled into a puppy oasis with multiple separate play areas. We have outfitted the properties with all the bells and whistles for our Guests to have an amazing stay!

It is almost certainly not what you imagine. Imagine it as marrying the safety and infrastructure of a traditional dog kennel with a home environment so that we can provide a more personal level of care. For instance, we do not give Guest pups free range around the houses for safety reasons, but instead have separate climate-controlled play spaces accessible via doggy doors that are fully washable and monitored via camera feeds to TVs within the houses along with all other fun technology.

Because of the unique nature of this job and living situation, our interview/hiring process is pretty lengthy to ensure that expectations are clear, it is a good fit all around, and we will get you hands on experience so that you have a clear understanding of what a day in the life here really looks like. We feel strongly about treating people how we would want to be treated and that means we would rather take the time upfront to avoid any surprises or missed expectations. This is especially important since it is a live-in position, and we realize that this not working out impacts both your professional and personal living situation (we will discuss this more during the interview process).

I (Paul) live in one of the homes and we have 2 live in Caregivers (employees) in the other home (it is a 3 bedroom so we will have 3 employees total). Will (male) has been on our team since 2021. Will is in his early 30’s with long hair and likes technology, video games, general fiddling with his hands, and he loves his dog Lucy (male) who he adopted from one of our past customers who could no longer care for him. Michelle (female) has been with us since 2023 and is in her 30’s. Michelle worked as a Vet Tech for over 10+ years and has a genuine love for dogs. Michelle has a cat named Kitten that is very well mannered and lives in the house (full disclosure in case you are allergic). Michelle is a college student studying psychology and is studying to be a trauma counselor. She loves reading, movies, photography, and is a stained-glass artist.

The second property (where you would be staying with Will & Michelle) is a fully furnished 3 bedrooms, 2 bath house (1550 sqft). You will have access to your own bedroom and a shared hallway bathroom (shared with Michelle). The bedroom will be fully furnished, dresser, wall mounted TV, and you will have space to store personal belongings (bedrooms have keyed locks).

This is certainly a non-traditional job and living situation. We have found that it takes a unique person to be successful. We have been hosting Guest pups for over 10 years and have an amazing system down. 90+% of our Guest’s pups are repeat stays, so strive to develop long term relationships and that is crucial for our success! Our pet parents choose us because they want to have that personal feeling of having their pups stay in a ‘home’ environment, but also want the reliability/safety that a standard boarding facility offers.

The nature of the dog care business requires reoccurring tasks (feeding, cleaning, putting dogs to bed, communicating with pet parents) and then small amounts of time throughout the day, such as 5 minutes for a pickup or 10 minutes to handle a Guest arrival/check-in.

The overall availability for each Team Member to be on shift is around 30 hours per week. You do have significant flexibility and control over your time while being on your shift so there is often opportunity for flexibility with school or other work commitments (if flexible/planned in advance) depending on the specific day/time of year. The exact working time/hours allocated will be frequently be less than 30 hours depending on Guest counts (compensation varies as well as overall working hours are decreased) and there are times of the year (holidays & summer), where this is more like a full-time position.  Holidays/summer are when pet parents travel the most so the compensation structure is setup to adjust for these time periods.

Therefore, once fully trained, on an average day the morning routine may require 3 hours of dedicated time, 3 hours in the evening, and another 2-4 hours of work spread across into 10-15-minute blocks of time throughout the day (this is a representation of a full day which includes 2 shifts). Therefore, the work is often broken up throughout the day with discretionary personal time available in-between work responsibilities. Again, the amount of working time required varies depending on the day and how busy we are with Guests. This is not like a regular job as you are working from your home and the active work time will vary (as does the compensation) based on how busy we are.

Ideally we will have 3 employees to handle the day to day of the operations, so each person will have 2 full days off each week and then will be responsible for 5 shifts that week (each day has 2 – half day shifts). We have a shift schedule with time blocks and responsibilities set aside for the morning and evening shifts (AM shift roughly runs from 6:30am-2pm & PM shift runs from 2-9:30pm – exact times vary a bit by day of week). You will be expected to complete certain work by agreed upon times in the day when you are on duty. We will cover the specifics with you further.

The majority of the work in taking care of Guests happens in the morning for breakfast (6:30-9am), at dinner time (~4-7pm), and at bedtime (~9:30pm). Except for major holidays and peak travel times, typically only 1 person is on each shift so although the Team supports each other, there are a lot of individual responsibilities. You must be comfortable working by yourself. As a note, at times we may operate on a 2-person schedule, which is doable, but gives much less flexibility in the schedule and opportunities for full days off. This would occur for a period of time if there was any team turnover or planned time off. Since we are a small Team, we adapt and flex as circumstances change.

Pet parent’s drop-off/pickups are prescheduled throughout the day, and it is important that Guests be loosely monitored to ensure everyone has a great stay. You could be working on other projects or watching TV while, so you will not need to be actively working with dogs all day (busy days are exceptions to this). Pups typically run around, play with each other, and then nap on a repeating schedule. It is important that you be available/accessible while on shift if something should arise but other than our scheduled drop-off and pickups with pet parents, you will have flexibility to section pups off into separate areas or give nap time so you may do what you need to during the day (obviously this depends on the number of Guests staying with us each day). The schedule has some opportunities for flexibility and we have the shift timeframes/responsibilities fairly dialed in. You will need to demonstrate your ability to self-manage your time, responsibilities and competence for caring for our Guests. Additionally, we do have a weekly team meeting (Mondays for 1 hour) and each month we have a 3 hour meeting to come together to work on business improvements.

This is a very physical job where you will be on your feet often (sometimes 10-20k steps a day). This job requires being able to lift up to an 80lbs dog controlled to chest level, control a 100+ lbs dog pulling on a leash on wet surfaces, and be able to lift 40lbs metal crates on shelves above your head. Strength, stamina, and agility are very important for this job.

The interview process will start with an initial 30 minute virtual interview with Paul (the Owner), followed by a second phone interview with a current Team Member.  If there seems to be alignment that will be followed by a 1.5 hour in-person interview where you will receive a full tour, meet with Will and Michelle, and we will then have time at the end for a group discussion and questions. If there is mutual alignment, then you will be invited back for 3 partial to full day co-working sessions with the Team so you can really get a feel for the day in the life, we can see how you adapt to the situation, and we all get to know each other. Usually, we will have a team lunch on those days and there may be a small amount of cash compensation to at least cover transportation (for full day co-working sessions). We are investing our time, energy, and resources and we are looking for similar from a potential Teammate. During those co-working sessions, you will be shadowing the Team and will have the opportunity to ask questions (we love questions!). Prior to a formal offer being extended, you will be asked to pass a knowledge test, a written communication test, and a mock presentation role play. These are all with the internal Team and it is not as daunting as it might sound. Study materials will be provided in advance, you can observe how we handle similar situations, we will be available to answer questions, and we would love to practice these with you during your time here. If you invest the time and take ownership of your success, then we will support you and you should not have an issue successfully completing those.

Our overall training timeline is ~14 days once you start (each day you will be taking on more responsibilities solo). We will guide you step by step as you learn the different responsibilities of the position and find your rhythm, so we will not be throwing you in the deep end without support. We are big on feedback going both directions and we have weekly team meetings where everyone can bring up different topics both personal and professional.

Since our business is about building very personal relationships with both pet parents and our Guest pups, we are looking for someone that is interested in this being a long-term situation for them. Obviously, life changes and shifts in unpredictable ways, but if you do not think you are able to make at least a 1 year commitment then we kindly ask that you pass on this opportunity and allow someone else have it.

We are located ~1 mile from Scottsdale Community College near 101 and Chaparral in Scottsdale. ~12 minutes from ASU Tempe. The zip code is 85250.

Since we love dogs here, if you have a pup of your own, they may come to work with you if desired, assuming vaccinations are kept current, they are friendly, and are not destructive. We probably do not want another cat in the house though please.

Please note that this is an employment opportunity and not a rental agreement, so you will NOT be a tenant/renter technically as all accommodations, utilities, and mixed-use household disposables are covered. Room and board is part of your compensation. Use/access to the property is fully contingent on employment.

NOT INTERESTED IN THE LIVE-IN POSITION? If you are within 5 miles of 85250 and interested in AM and/or PM shifts (1-4 hours) we do sometimes need help during peak times and for coverage during vacations. This would be perfect as a before/after school job).  Again, we would be looking for this to be a long-term situation, so if you are only available for the summer or a short period of time, then this would not be a great fit. Please reach out to me if you are interested in the part time hourly position.

• Be the smiling face that greets our Guests and creates a lasting impression for our Guests and pet parents.
• Advise pet parents on our services to ensure we are creating the appropriate expectation that aligns with the experience they are desiring for their pet.
• Provide an excellent experience for Guest dogs and their owners while ensuring that Guests feel extra loved while playing/staying! Building a connection with pet parents while understanding their pet’s unique personalities and providing a safe, fun environment during the visit is critical for success.
• Slightly irregular hours (although usually predictable) and being available during holidays is critical for the operations of the business. It is expected that you will be available to assist in operations during busy times of the year unless agreed upon in advance. It is typically busiest in the summer and during major holidays. We have found that it is usually the inverse of the standard school schedule as that is when people are traveling the most. We have great historical data so we can predict with decent accuracy how busy we will be on any given day.
• Perform/report on daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual routines, which will include daily care of Guests, cleaning, sanitation, feeding, administering medications, facilities/yard maintenance, laundry, property improvements, scheduling/coordination, vetting new potential Clients/pups, handling drop-off and pickups, observing Guests to match them with similar energy pups, and moving of Guests to different play areas.
• Timely/periodic assessment and reporting on the well-being of each Guest. Safety and cleanliness are top priorities, so that should be top of mind at all times.
• Shared living spaces and dog play spaces will be kept clean and presentable. If you would like to be messy, you are welcome to do so in your space, but it is everyone’s responsibility to keep the common spaces presentable.
• We are currently available for owners to drop off and pick up dogs between the hours of 7am-8pm Monday through Friday and Saturday/Sunday 10am-6pm. You may be asked to provide services during or outside of these hours as required for caring for Guests. Availability of time specific services will be agreed upon in advance.
• Answering messages to pet parents and providing frequent written updates. We do send photos to pet parents every other day, so you will be responsible for taking, editing, and sending photos.
• Perform routine maintenance tasks to ensure the properties stay at our high standards! These will be discussed in advance.
• We are committed to excellence and improvement, so we have weekly and monthly team meetings to brainstorm, test, and implement new ways of improving the customer experience and/or improve the quality of our operations. This does take time and dedication to thinking outside of the box.
• We do offer bathing services, so although this is typically more sporadic in nature, it would be the Team’s responsibility to complete (you would receive additional compensation for this as well).
• Additionally, we do operate two other tiny businesses:  A small seasonal Airbnb business and rent a vehicle out on Turo. This is intermittent work that may take an average of a few hours a month per person depending on the time of year. These are part of the responsibilities, so we wanted to make that known up front. Both responsibilities have a checklist you will walk through, which is pretty straightforward once you receive the training. Both do provide additional compensation which will be provided for any work completed, so this is an opportunity to earn a little extra.
•         For the seasonal Airbnb business, it basically involves walking through the property prior to and after stays to ensure that everything is presentable, laundry, and may require cleaning of the house depending on the availability of our regular cleaning person. We might host 10-15 reservations each year, so this is not something that is a significant responsibility and is very seasonal.
•        For the car rental business, we typically have 3-4 reservations each month and the vehicle must be cleaned, inspected for damage, and you would need to take photos of the vehicle both prior to pick up and upon return. This is typically about 1 hour per rental total, so split between multiple people only comes to maybe a few hours of work each month.

The time required for this position varies between part and full time depending on the time of year. With a 3-person shift, you are responsible for ~30 hours of shift coverage each week (work hours may be more or less depending on how busy we are). Since you are working from your home, it is very typical that you have downtime between work responsibilities, and you are expected to use that downtime as for personal use since your compensation varies based on the scheduled work/how busy we are with Guests. Room and board are part of your compensation, so you will not have any direct overhead as it relates to your living expenses (no rent or utilities due). You will receive a small base compensation each month and variable compensation based on the number of Guests we have staying with us.  The amount of work required is highly based on the number of Guests we have staying so we try to align incentive. In addition to room and board, you should anticipate additional compensation ranging from ~$400-$1500 a month. An average month is ~$600 in addition to room and board. June, July, and December are the busiest months and therefore those months are generally higher earning months, and you are compensated for the additional work.  Additionally, you will receive tip sharing which historically has averaged $100-$200 a month per employee (tips are split evenly between employees).  Additional details, along with historical Guest counts by month (for estimating potential earnings), can be discussed during the interview process.

We will only consider applications submitted through the Apply Now form on the Careers page of our website. Please do NOT reach out via phone or in other areas of our website if you have not first submitted an application online. It typically takes us a few days to respond to applications.

Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you!