Dog Walker Resume Examples and Templates for 2023

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Frank Hackett

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)

Frank Hackett is a professional resume writer and career consultant with over eight years of experience. As the lead editor at a boutique career consulting firm, Frank developed an innovative approach to resume writing that empowers job seekers to tell their professional stories. His approach involves creating accomplishment-driven documents that balance keyword optimization with personal branding. Frank is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PAWRCC).

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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual income for animal care and service workers was $28,700 in 2020. To secure job opportunities on the open market, you’ll need to create a compelling resume that provides insights into your dog walker experience. Whether you’re freelancing or applying for a position with an animal care service, you’ll want to create a document that showcases your compassion for animals and ability to communicate effectively with clients.

Using our dog walker resume building guide will help you to:

  • •   Showcase your compassion and empathy for animals by providing deeper insights into your dog walking and animal care experience
  • •   Feature your client relations and communication skills to grab the attention of the hiring manager using specific examples from your career
  • •   Identify the right platforms and applications to find dog walking job opportunities
  • •   Highlight your ability to supervise and care for pets with special needs

Dog Walker Resumes Created Using Our ResumeBuilder

Example #1
Dog-Walker_Example-1.pdf

Example #1

Example #2
Dog-Walker_Example-2.pdf

Example #2

Example #3
Dog-Walker_Example-3.pdf

Example #3

Dog Walker Text-Only Resume Examples

Years of Experience
  • Example #1 #1
  • Example #2 #2
  • Example #3 #3

Allison Rosenberg
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
123 Pine Brook Dr, Miami, FL 12345

Profile

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.

Professional Experience

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

Dog Walker, Rover, Miami, FL
June 2019 – May 2020

  • Provided compassionate care to dogs with varying temperaments, conditions, and behaviors, which included interfacing with clients and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of pets during neighborhood walks and exercise
  • Ensured appropriate food and water levels for pets during visits and delivered play and companionship to reduce anxiety and emotional distress

Education

High School Diploma
Miami Northwestern Senior High, Miami, FL September 2015 – June 2019

Key Skills

  • Pet Care
  • Dog Walking
  • Communication
  • Time Management
  • Client Relations

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

Jessica Lang
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
123 Bridge Street, Boston, MA 123455

Profile

A Pet Care Professional with five years of experience specializing in dog walking, animal safety, relationship building, and fostering. A strong history of providing compassionate care to cats and dogs in shelters and at-home settings.

Professional Experience

Animal Caretaker & Dog Walker, Providence Animal Shelter, Boston, MA
May 2018 – Present

  • Provide support services to a shelter with 50+ cats and dogs, deliver emotional support and compassionate care to animals suffering from physical abuse, medical conditions, and anxiety, and communicate with potential fosters and owners to drive adoptions
  • Ensure safety and wellbeing of various dog breeds during daily walks, medical evaluations, grooming, and feeding
  • Educate potential fosters and pet owners on animal medical history, and behavioral issues, and provide recommendations to ensure a healthy home environment

Dog Walker, New England Pet Care Pros, Boston, MA
June 2017 – May 2018

  • Communicated with clients and pet owners to provide high-quality animal care and dog walking services for a variety of canine breeds with differing behavioral needs, which included conducting consultations with pet owners to evaluate the animal’s background
  • Ensured safety during supervised walk and exercise activities, administered medication to pets, and ensured compliance with client feeding specifications

Education

High School Diploma
Belmont High, Boston, MA September 2013 – June 2017

Key Skills

  • Empathetic Care
  • Dog Walking
  • Client Relations
  • Pet Care
  • Relationship Building

Tips for Writing a Better Dog Walker Resume

Now that you’ve seen some examples of dog walker resumes, we’ll help you use these best practices to build your own document. Although the job requirements may seem generic as you evaluate postings, there are still opportunities to highlight the nuances of your pet care experience and showcase how your unique skill sets make you a good fit for prospective employers. Consider adding specific examples, such as breeds you’ve worked with or the type of pet care you provided. Painting a clearer picture of your experience sometimes makes all the difference in securing the interview during the job search.

1. Showcase Your Compassion for Animals

Showcasing your genuine empathy and compassion for animals is important to highlight on your dog walker resume, as both organizations and pet owners want to ensure that 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 that the candidate has experience providing care to animals with behavioral issues and special needs, which may help to differentiate them from the competition during the hiring process.

  • Provide support services to a shelter with 50+ cats and dogs, deliver emotional support and compassionate care to animals suffering from physical abuse, medical conditions, and anxiety, and communicate with potential fosters and owners to drive adoptions
  • Ensure safety and wellbeing of various dog breeds during daily walks, medical evaluations, grooming, and feeding
  • Educate potential fosters and pet owners on animal medical history, and behavioral issues, and provide recommendations to ensure a healthy home environment

2. Highlight Your Pet Care Expertise

Pet owners and companies want to ensure that 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 that they have experience working with many types of breeds and handling responsibilities such as medication management. This is valuable information for dog walking job opportunities, as dogs with health conditions and anxious temperaments can be more challenging to handle than the average pet.

  • Deliver pet care services to 20+ clients per week for small and large dog breeds, including daily exercise, feeding, and emotional support during the owners’ absence
  • Communicate with pet owners to evaluate care needs, behavior, and medical conditions and ensure the safety of the pets during walks and home visits
  • Administer medication and provide meals in accordance with animal needs

3. Feature Your Client Relations and Communication Skills

Client relations and communication skills are essential for success as a dog walker or animal care professional. Pet owners will often want frequent updates on their animals, and you’ll also need to be able to communicate calmly even during stressful situations or emergencies. In the example below, the candidate showcases various examples of their experience managing client relationships and ensuring consistent lines of communication with owners. Drawing attention to these specific skill sets will help to differentiate the job seeker from the competition during the initial evaluation process.

  • 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

Key Skills Hiring Managers Look for on Dog Walker Resumes

Although it is unlikely that most organizations will be using Applicant Tracking Systems *(ATS) to identify qualified candidates for dog walker positions, 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 that hiring managers will be looking for as they evaluate your professional experience. Below, you’ll find a list of key terms that you may encounter over the course of 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

Common Action Verbs for Dog Walker Resumes

It’s easy to find yourself running out of action verbs to describe your work experience during the resume-building process. Using a variety of different verbs to showcase your professional experience will improve the readability of your document and help your bullet points stand out to the reader. To help you get over the hump, we’ve provided a list of potential action verbs you can use to highlight your animal care expertise:

Action Verbs
Analyzed Built
Collaborated Coordinated
Communicated Conducted
Delivered Determined
Ensured Evaluated
Identified Led
Maintained Managed
Monitored Oversaw
Provided Supervised
Resolved  

Best Dog Walking 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, 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. There are more users on the popular apps, so you may find yourself having an easier time securing consistent jobs. Ultimately, whether you choose to use a dog walker app or work directly for a pet care services company, you want to ensure that you’re receiving proper compensation for your time and effort, so be sure to value your services accordingly.