04/12/2023
🐕🦺 Fur Rendezvous Dog Walking is an established and well-loved company in Anchorage devoted to client happiness. We are seeking an exceptional employee to join the staff! 🦮
Schedule:
• MWF at the minimum.
• 4-7 walks on any given day. Outings last 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes respectively.
• 9-10am-2ish.
Requirements:
• Reliability including a dependable car that you are comfortable driving in inclement weather. You are expected to work in rain, snow, wind, etc. Schools may have snow days but we rarely if ever do. For example, Fur Rendezvous canceled more walks in December 2022 due to snowfall than in all the years prior put together. Your safety will always be taken into account on any given bad-weather day and we will consult accordingly; some walks may be shorter or canceled at my and/or owner discretion but in general and otherwise it is expected that you will show up in spite of any weather conditions and that you will be dressed in clothing suitable for the occasion.
• A year-long commitment at the minimum.
• A lot of experience utilizing positive reinforcement to manage big, strong dogs which could include reactive Rottweilers, skittish sled dogs, hyper huskies and everything in between. Whether or not you were paid for that experience won’t make or break getting the job; I care more that you have the physical ability to manage a headstrong animal without losing your cool or patience but instead consider it a learning opportunity for everyone involved.
• The willingness to follow an assigned schedule and to learn and follow directions specific to each household and respective of each dog.
• The ability to communicate with owners clearly in person and/or via written reports (good spelling and grammar included) after walks.
• Comfortable with or willing to learn Google Maps.
• Comfortable taking pictures with your phone or wiling to learn.
• Comfortable installing and becoming proficient in (it’s super easy) a new app on your phone specific to the business.
• Comfortable mostly texting but sometimes talking on the phone with myself and/other employees regarding work issues.
• Comfortable saying so if you need clarification on anything.
• Flexible enough to accept an occasional last-minute, sometimes same-day request to change, add or cancel a walk.
• You rarely if ever call out sick!! I cannot overstate enough the need for you to be respectful of the fact that regarding your schedule any and every day - tag, you’re it. There is very little wiggle-room for other employees to do your job if you’re a no-show; one no-show or perpetual tardiness or behavior on the job/with clients/in regards to clients inconsistent with the philosophy of Fur Rendezvous will result in immediate termination. We’re good at our respective jobs because we’re the employees we would want taking care of our own animals. Anything less is not tolerated.
Job Description - what you can expect & what will be expected of you:
• I will introduce you to clients (owners and dogs). We will go over the specific needs of each household and how to work most efficiently (i.e. the routine) with each client. You will be walking one or two dogs at a time. After you are successful with the company, you will be able meet new clients on your own. You are paid for all training and new client meetings at the normal pay rate.
• I am responsible for your daily schedule. Any client requests in terms of the schedule go through myself for approval. I make the schedule the Thursday-Saturday (but as soon as possible) prior to the upcoming week and text it to you with the usual caveat that there may be last-minute changes or requests until the official start of the week. What dogs you have in what order will change week-to-week but the total hours worked will generally remain the same.
I work to honor employee needs as well and that is facilitated by proactive and weeks in advance communication if you anticipate needing time off. Of course emergencies and life happens and I will be as helpful as possible in regards to your schedule as possible, but again, consistent/repeated/frequent last-minute (anything less that a week) requests for time off will not be looked upon fondly.
• When it is raining/cold/snowy/windy/icy, etc., dogs still need to go out. The actual outside time can be adjusted as needed due to inclement weather, which we will consider together on a case-by-case basis. If dogs get dirty or snowy or wet on the walk, you are required to clean/dry them off (owners will provide towels upon returning home) and there’s a good chance owners will want you to take your shoes off also (if they aren’t home you’ll have to go in to check water at the minimum or perhaps kennel or feed, etc.) if that helps to inform your choice of footwear.
• When you are walking a very friendly dog (and most of them are), remember that some of the dogs you will see are not friendly. Assume the dogs you see are not friendly. To ensure the safety of our clients, keep the dog you are walking away from other dogs unless they are already friends or we have already discussed a potential dynamic in which that steadfast rule wouldn’t apply. Do not allow children to pet dogs you are walking. Always err on the side of caution. All dogs must always be leashed during their walks and you must always be holding onto the leash while outside the house. Any violation of this policy can result in immediate termination.
• Client peace of mind & confidentiality is of the utmost importance. Do not take friends or family with you on the job, or leave client keys, addresses, names, etc. accessible to anyone but yourself. Do not share personal or sensitive client details with anyone. Any violation of this policy can result in immediate termination.
Pay schedule:
The amount employees are compensated depends on how many dogs are walked and for how long, but generally averages $15-20/hour. Employees are reimbursed at the 2023 IRS mileage rate of 65.5 cents/mile which begins accruing when leaving the first walk on the way to the second walk on any given day. Any work-related expenses are paid back as a separate line-item via paycheck. It’s easier to do payroll once on the last day of the month (paychecks usually show up in your account 1-4 days after the last day of the month depending whether or not a weekend is involved, assuming that I am provided with mileage and any expenses in a timely manner which preferably is after your last walk of the day on the last day of the month), but if you need it bi-weekly I can make that happen.
If you’ve read thus far and are still interested and in agreement with and amenable to everything as described thus far and would like to be emailed an application, please write to [email protected] and tell me:
1) Your name.
2) What days & hours you are available?
3) What is your history with reactive/strong/skittish dogs? Where and when? What was your most favorite thing about that experience? What was your least favorite thing about that experience?
4) Without taking too much time, why do you think you would be the perfect person for this job?
5) Please provide two references and associated contact info for: 1) a work-related reference not related to dogs and 2) a reference related to your experiences with dogs, whether or not you were paid for it.
If you seem like a viable candidate you will receive a job application via email.
Please note the application I email you is required to be submitted via US mail; you will have to print out the application, fill it out and return it via snail mail, not email. The only applications that count are the ones provided by me - nothing submitted online or via email or via social media will be considered. There are no exceptions to this and asking for one will be noted. I have found this application method to be the handiest method in terms of finding out who really wants this job.
I would like to start training the first week of May or so which means, given the dynamic of the paper application, you should return it as soon as possible if you are interested. Should I wish to pursue our relationship further, I’ll be in touch to schedule a working interview/get you lined out with some clients/time together for which you would be compensated at the aforementioned and regular pay rate. If not, I’ll let you know so that you can get on with your life. Thank you for your interest!
Cynthia White
Fur Rendezvous Dog Walking
Anchorage, AK
