How To Write a Dog Walker Resume
To write an eye-catching dog walker resume, craft an accomplishment-driven document that showcases your compassion and empathy for animals. Demonstrate your ability to interface with a diverse clientele and build positive long-term relationships. Whether you’re freelancing or applying for an animal care service position, our guide will help you create a resume that encapsulates the most compelling aspects of your career.
- Entry-Level
- Mid-Career
- Senior-Level
1. Create a profile by summarizing your dog walker qualifications
To grab the attention of hiring managers and potential clients, you need to lead with a powerful summary of your qualifications. Start with a sentence describing your years of experience and three to four key competencies. Client relations and communication skills are essential for success as a dog walker or animal care professional. Pet owners often want frequent updates on their animals, and you’ll need to communicate calmly, even during stressful situations or emergencies.
Profile Example #1
A professional Dog Walker with three years of experience in animal care services, specializing in pet care, client relations, pet grooming, and animal safety. A strong history of delivering compassionate and empathetic care for animal companions in a variety of settings.
Profile Example #2
A Dog Walker and Animal Care Professional with four years of experience specializing in empathetic pet care, communication, and organization. A proven track record of providing quality dog walking services to clients and ensuring the wellbeing and safety of animals.
2. Add a compelling section featuring your dog walker experience
Showcasing your genuine empathy and compassion for animals is important to emphasize in your professional experience section, as both organizations and pet owners want to ensure the best possible care is being delivered.
In the example below, the job seeker provides insights into their experiences working in an animal shelter with cats and dogs that have suffered physical abuse and trauma. This shows the candidate has experience providing care to animals with behavioral issues and special needs, which may differentiate them from the competition during the hiring process.
Professional Experience Example #1
Dog Walker, Miami Pet Care Services, Miami, FL
May 2020– Present
- Deliver pet care services to 20+ clients per week for small and large dog breeds, including daily exercise, feeding, and emotional support during owners’ absence
- Communicate with pet owners to evaluate care needs, behavior, and medical conditions and ensure the safety of pets during walks and home visits
- Administer medication and provide meals in accordance with animal needs
- Provide cleaning services for homeowners in the event of accidents or illness
Professional Experience Example #2
Dog Walker, Philly Dog Walker Service, Philadelphia, PA
May 2019– Present
- Deliver dog walking services to pet owners, ensure strict supervision of pets during excursions, and provide a safe and nurturing environment for animals with differing needs, temperaments, and medical conditions
- Coordinate scheduling with over 25+ clients per week, conduct consultations on pet care services and provide overnight pet sitting support
- Oversee feeding of pets in alignment with nutritional needs and owner specifications and conduct proper safety measures during feeding in multi-pet households
3. Add dog walker education and certifications
Although certifications aren’t required for dog walker jobs, they won’t hurt your chances of landing the interview. Obtaining a credential may instill more confidence in potential clients that you’re qualified to provide care for their pets. The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) and PetSitters.com offer courses that can help bolster your job search.
Education
Template
- [Degree Name]
- [School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] | [Graduation Year]
Example
- High School Diploma
- Belmont High School | 2023
Certifications
Template
- [Certification Name], [Awarding Organization], [Completion Year]
Example
- NAPPS Certification, The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters | 2023
4. List key skills and proficiencies for dog walkers
Most organizations don’t use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to identify qualified candidates for dog walker positions. Yet it’s still important to incorporate key skills that companies and clients are looking for on your resume. Communication, client relations, and pet care are just a few of the terms hiring managers will look for as they evaluate your professional experience. Below is a list of key terms you may encounter in your job search:
| Key Skills and Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Animal care | Animal welfare |
| Cleaning services | Client relations |
| Communications | Compassionate care |
| Customer service | Dog walking |
| Empathetic care | Feeding |
| Grooming | Medication administration |
| Organization | Pet care |
| Pet sitting | Pet training |
| Relationship building | Safety |
| Scheduling | Time management |
5. Highlight your pet care expertise
Pet owners and companies want to ensure they can trust you to provide appropriate care to their animals before hiring you. The best way to demonstrate this is by providing specific examples of your experience in pet care throughout your career. In the example below, the candidate highlights their background working with many types of breeds and handling responsibilities such as medication management. This is important knowledge for dog walking job opportunities, as dogs with health conditions and anxious temperaments can be more difficult to handle than the average pet.
- Deliver pet care services to over 20 clients per week for small and large dog breeds, including daily exercise, feeding, and emotional support during the owner’s absence
- Communicate with pet owners to evaluate care needs, behavior, and medical conditions and ensure the safety of pets during walks and home visits
- Administer medication and provide meals in accordance with animal needs
6. Best dog walker apps to find jobs
The two most popular dog walking apps on the market are Rover and Wag. While both of these applications are easy and efficient to use, there are some key differences between the two. First, Rover takes 20% of the user’s commission, which is much lower than the 40% rate that Wag receives from its dog walkers.
An alternative to these two platforms is BarkleyPets, which has recently expanded beyond Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York, and is 100% commission-free. That being said, the user is larger on the more popular apps, so you may find yourself having an easier time securing consistent jobs. Ultimately, whether you use a dog walker app or work directly for a pet care services company, ensure you’re receiving proper compensation for your time and effort. Be sure to value the services you provide accordingly.
How To Pick the Best Dog Walker Resume Template
When selecting your template, prioritize structure and readability over visual appeal. Heavy use of colors and bulky graphics may look nice, but they can distract the reader from your content. Seek a template that organizes your content effectively but also fits with your brand. Clients and hiring managers will always be more interested in your experience as a dog walker over aesthetics.
Dog Walker Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
- Example #1
- Example #2
- Example #3
Raymond Ortiz
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
123 Carpenter Street, Philadelphia, PA, 12345
Profile
A Dog Walker and Animal Care Professional with four years of experience specializing in empathetic pet care, communication, and organization. A proven track record of providing quality dog walking services to clients and ensuring the wellbeing and safety of animals.
Professional Experience
Dog Walker, Philly Dog Walker Service, Philadelphia, PA
May 2019– Present
- Deliver dog walking services to pet owners, ensure strict supervision of pets during excursions, and provide a safe and nurturing environment for animals with differing needs, temperaments, and medical conditions
- Coordinate scheduling with over 25+ clients per week, conduct consultations on pet care services and provide overnight pet sitting support
- Oversee feeding of pets in alignment with nutritional needs and owner specifications and conduct proper safety measures during feeding in multi-pet households
Dog Walker, Northern Liberty Pet Care, Philadelphia, PA
June 2018 – May 2019
- Managed relationships with 20+ active clients for the delivery of pet care, grooming, and dog walking services, which included conducting at-home visits, monitoring pets during extended absences, and providing empathetic care and support to animals
- Ensured compliance with feeding routines based on individual pet needs and conducted household cleaning in the event of accidents or potential health hazards
Education
High School Diploma
Benjamin Franklin High School, Philadelphia, PA September 2014 – June 2018
Key Skills
- Pet Care
- Dog Walking
- Communication
- Time Management
- Client Relations
Frequently Asked Questions: Dog Walker Resume Examples and Advice
What are common action verbs for dog walker resumes?-
It’s easy to run out of action verbs to describe your work experience during the resume-building process. That being said, using a variety of verbs to showcase your professional experience will improve the readability of your document and help your bullet points stand out to the reader. We’ve provided a list of potential action verbs to highlight your animal care expertise:
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Analyzed | Built |
| Collaborated | Communicated |
| Conducted | Coordinated |
| Delivered | Determined |
| Ensured | Evaluated |
| Identified | Led |
| Maintained | Managed |
| Monitored | Oversaw |
| Provided | Supervised |
| Resolved | |
How do you align your resume with a dog walker job description?-
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, animal care and service worker jobs are expected to grow by 16% over the next decade. Despite these positive projects, you’ll still need to align your resume with the job description to secure the most lucrative opportunities in the open market.
For example, if a client is looking for a dog walker with experience working with special needs animals, you might highlight your background in administering medication or handling complex behavioral issues. By tailoring your resume to each individual job posting, you’ll greatly increase your odds of landing the interview.
What is the best dog walker resume format?-
Reverse chronological is the ideal format for dog walker resumes. Clients and hiring managers will want to see examples of you caring for animals and ensuring pet safety. This approach ensures your most recent and relevant experience is featured towards the top of your resume while still conveying your career progression.
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