The Job
Dog Bather & Kennel Assistant (Full-Time)
Hillcrest has been caring for Nashville's dogs and cats from the same hill since the 1950s. We're a small crew where everyone knows every dog by name, and we're hiring a full-time bather/kennel assistant to work alongside our groomer and kennel team. The person you'd be replacing is helping train their replacement, so you'll learn the job from someone who knows it cold.
What you'll do
Half the job is bathing, half is keeping the kennel running:
- Bathe and prep dogs for grooming — including ear cleaning, nail trims, and thorough brushing. Some days it's 5 baths, big days it's 20
- Clean and reset kennels and runs
- Feed, water, and care for boarded dogs and cats
- Accurately administer medications as scheduled
- Help operate the facility: laundry, walks, keeping the place safe and clean
The schedule (this is the actual schedule — please read it)
- Mon: 6:45am until baths are done (~11am), back 3:30–5pm
- Tue: 6:45am–5pm
- Wed + Thu: OFF
- Fri: 6:45am–5pm
- Sat: 6:45am–4pm
- Sun: 6:45am until baths are done (~8–10am), back 2:30–4pm
Most weeks come out to 36–38 paid hours; big holiday weeks can push into the low 40s. Full days (Tue/Fri) include an unpaid hour lunch; Saturday includes an unpaid 30 minutes. Morning end times flex with the bath schedule — when the dogs are done, you're done.
Pay & perks
- $20/hour to start
- Raise to $22/hour after 60 days
- Tips on top — our bather averages a few hundred dollars extra per week
- One week of paid vacation per year
- Free bathing and boarding for your own dog
- Start ASAP — paid training with our current bather
Must-haves (please only apply if these are true)
- Able to work the entire schedule above, including early mornings, weekends, and holidays, with reliable attendance
- Reliable transportation
- Comfortable and confident around all breeds and sizes of dogs
- Able to lift 60 lbs solo and 120 lbs with a partner
- Comfortable in real kennel conditions: loud, wet, physical, on your feet, warm and cold days — and yes, cleaning up after dogs
- Hillcrest is a smoke-free property — this one is a deal-breaker
Experience working with animals you don't own is strongly preferred — but attitude and reliability matter most.