Professional Pet Care Provider Application

Please download and review the job description in full before proceeding.

I certify I have read the job description of the position in full.*

Please initial in the box above.

Dear Applicant,

Please fill out the application in full prior to submitting. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Thank you for your time and interest!

Gratefully,

Nicole B., Cloud 9
Nicole Bowdish
Co-Owner | Cloud 9 Canine, LLC
Contact: manager@kzoopet.com

*No calls or texts regarding applications, please!*

18+ years of age on the date of hire.*

I certify I meet the age requirement.

Possess a valid U.S driver's license AND reliable personal transportation to commute independently to, from, and between client homes.*

I certify I meet the driving requirement.

Own a reliable smartphone with capabilities for completing detailed working tasks on a smartphone app, including a reliable cellular data connection.*

I certify I meet the cell phone requirement.

Summary of Required Availability

OPEN availability on Saturdays.

Some weekday early mornings (6am-8am).

Some weekday late nights (9pm-11pm).

At least one weekday day camp* shift.
(*The full span of either 7:45am-12:15pm or 12:45pm-5:15pm, once weekly minimum, Monday through Friday.)

-

Not required, but of note for scheduling—peak dog walking demand falls on weekdays from 10am-3pm.

Do you have the REQUIRED open availability on Saturdays?*

Do you have the REQUIRED availability of at least one weekly day camp shift, as listed above?*

Are you available and able to provide some weekday early morning (6am-8am) services?*

Are you available and able to provide some weekday late evening (9pm-11pm) services?*

Are you available for midday peak service demand on weekdays (10am-3pm)?*

C9C only hires for PART TIME, VARIABLE HOUR positions. We do not guarantee you will receive a fixed number of hours each week. By checking the box below, you certify that you are aware that this is a part-time job with VARIABLE HOURS available each week.*

I certify that I am aware that I am applying to a PART TIME job with VARIABLE HOURS available to be scheduled each week.

Please type your routine availability schedule in the box below, formatted as follows.

Sunday: 0:00 AM - 00:00 PM

Monday: 0:00 AM - 00:00 PM

Tuesday: 0:00 AM - 00:00 PM

Wednesday: 0:00 AM - 00:00 PM

Thursday: 0:00 AM - 00:00 PM

Friday: 0:00 AM - 00:00 PM

Saturday: OPEN REQUIRED

We are currently MOST looking for Tuesday/Thursday availability, especially 12pm-5pm.

Your Availability:*

This is your standard weekly recurring availability.

TECHNOLOGY DEMANDS: Are you comfortable typing out narrative-length written reports on your cell phone in a timely fashion?*

TECHNOLOGY DEMANDS: Are you comfortable having to take clear, portrait-style photos of pets?*

TECHNOLOGY DEMANDS: Are you comfortable navigating to and successfully locating client homes you have not been to before using your cell phone?*

Example of a report that you would need to be able to write efficently, completed within a service time.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Are you comfortable independently walking dogs multiple consecutive miles at a brisk pace, back-to-back? *

A large dog's comfortable pace is 4x our human speed on average, and if a client states they are looking for a WALK, it is not optional to substitute backyard play because we aren't feeling up to it.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Are you comfortable working outdoors in freezing cold, sweltering heat, blizzards, rain, ice, wind, or similar?*

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Are you comfortable hiking on nature trails in the woods for multiple hours per day solo with a dog?*

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Are you comfortable walking dogs that WILL pull on the leash without becoming frustrated with the dog?*

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Are you comfortable having to calmly manage large and strong dogs who WILL bark-lunge while on the leash?*

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Are you comfortable lifting dogs into your vehicle?*

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Are you comfortable cleaning up diarrhea and vomit?*

PERSONALITY DEMANDS: Do you become frustrated with dog behavior easily? Does barking stress you out? Does a dog zooming, body slamming, or mouthing at you sound like it would cause you to lose your patience?*

PERSONALITY DEMANDS: Are you outdoorsy? Would you enjoy spending time out in the heat, snow, and rain exercising dogs that are not bothered by the weather and need the exercise?*

PERSONALITY DEMANDS: Are you able to be kind and considerate to clients and their personal experiences? Are you open minded to people who live differently with their pets than you do?*

PERSONALITY DEMANDS: Do you understand that your roster of services will be your responsibility and you must remain calm, problem solve, and show up for the pets in all circumstances while alone? *

PERSONALITY DEMANDS: Do you understand that you will work our day camp services where you will need to manage dogs that are off-leash around each other or barking and need to stay calm and enjoy working closely with them?*

PERSONALITY DEMANDS: Are you comfortable with the attendance demands and 'we must show up' 100% attendance? Would you prefer a job that is flexible and you can call in/call off for? Are you understanding the level of responsibility and lack of flexibility in attendance for your visits and needing to problem solve through personal matters? *

PERSONALITY DEMANDS: This job is going to require you to get creative, troubleshoot, and engage with the pets. It is NOT just walking and feeding pets—we offer intensive activity plans. Is this of interest to you? Do you like a mentally-demanding and fast-paced job?*

PERSONALITY DEMANDS: Documentation, meaning putting notes in writing, is a LARGE part of the job. Do you like to write? Do you like to take photos? Are you interested in data collection and reporting back?*

SCOPE OF PRACTICE STATEMENT: We only hire for PET CARE positions, and we believe strongly in remaining in our scope of practice. Do you understand this is a PET CARE position, and advertising yourself as a dog trainer, behavior consultant, or anything beyond the scope of the role while working with us violates our Code of Ethics? Explain.*

We do not hire dog trainers. Only Jordan and Nicole provide dog training services, and we do not intend to change this at any time.

PET HANDLING PARADIGM CULTURE: Cloud 9 is committed to modern, progressive animal husbandry practices per our values for Community, Wellness, and Excellence. We adhere to LIFE (Least Inhibitive, Functionally Effective) handling techniques. Compulsive, heavy-handed, or otherwise manually-intensive based handling is strictly prohibited. We aren't yanking on leashes, yelling at dogs, or putting electronic collars on dogs. Do you share these values and align yourself with these practices when handling animals? Explain. *

ENRICHMENT PLANNING: After training, you will have to come up with the enrichment plans for dogs and identify the next level of challenge the dog needs. This will require you to enjoy engaging dogs that may be shy OR exuberant and everything in between. Are you interested in learning how to do this and getting highly involved in the variation of activity with dogs of all sorts of temperaments and behaviors?*

DAY CAMP: You will work in day camp with a co-handler overseeing groups of 4 dogs at a. time. Are you confident in learning how to manage multiple dogs at once? Are you interested in working with a partner rather than independently? Are you interested in working the 4 hour shifts of fast-paced and back to back progression through various activities with the dogs in our building?.*

Providing this service is REQUIRED for all staff.

DOG DAYS OUT: You will learn to take dogs on 90 minute outings with 2 stops—one for a long nature walk, and the second for a distraction outing in pet-friendly stores, downtown, or the outside of dog parks. You will then report back regarding the dog's body language signs and what they enjoyed/avoided, in detail, to collaborate with the next staff taking the dog on how to gradually increase challenge level. Are you interested in this intensive of a service?*

Providing this service is REQUIRED for all staff.

STRUCTURED WALKS: After training, you will learn to walk dogs through the neighborhood that are unfocused, pulling, and revved up to engage them mentally. This will require close attention to detail and patient, carefully-structured handling for 40-60 minutes in a neighborhood with distractions all around. Are you patient and interested in this type of walking rather than a 'leisurely stroll' around the block?*

Providing this service is REQUIRED for all staff.

Send Your Resume: Please email us your current professional resume to manager@kzoopet.com with the subject line of "(Your First Initial & Last Initial—"AB Professional Resume."*

I verify I emailed my resume in the exact formatting detailed above.

Professional References: List at least 2 -professional- references here. At least 1 of the references must be from a previous employer. *

Please include each reference's name, job title, their relationship to you, their email address, AND their phone number. We will contact your references if we decide to move forward with your application after your interview.

Why did you end employment at your last job?*

Do you currently work another job? If so, in what field?*

What are your long term career goals?*

Do you have relevant experience or education related to animal sciences, biology, applied behavior analysis, or animal husbandry? If so, please describe.*

Please sign below to authorize Cloud 9 Canine, LLC, to run a criminal background check and contact your references if we choose to proceed with employment onboarding.*

Your Legal Name*

First NameLast Name

Your Name & Pronouns*

Your Phone Number*

Area CodePhone Number

Email*

example@example.com

Home Address*

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code

12 Month Minimum Commitment

Due to our intensive New Hire Training Program and the relationships that form between staff and the pets we serve, we ask for a twelve month minimum commitment to employment with Cloud 9 Pet Care.

Available Start Date*

Date

Type out the date 12 months from today (MM/DD/YYY). Do you forsee any change in circumstance that may prevent you from 12 months of employment with C9C?*

It typically takes 6 months to complete staff training - this is position is not suitable for seasonal employment.

We REQUIRE 2 holidays per season, per year. This means 2 holidays in the Summer Season (Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day) & 2 in the Winter Season (Thanksgiving-Black Friday, Christmas Eve-Christmas Day, & New Year's Eve-New Year's Day). Please acknowledge this availability requirement in the box below.*

REQUIRED for all staff, including managers.

Do you currently live with any pets? If yes, tell us all about your personal pets!*

Tell us about a time you made a mistake at work: what happened, what did you do, and what did you learn from the situation?*

Tell us about a time you got "the short end of the stick" at work: what happened, what did you do, and what did you learn from the situation?*

What do you think are the biggest risks, or situations that could go poorly, while providing in-home pet care services to pets?*

Aside from the opportunity to work with animals, why do you want to become a part of C9C?*

Briefly paraphrase the C9C mission as described on our website. How do you relate to our mission statement?*

kzoopet.com

Cloud 9 Culture

C9C is a professional pet company. We have worked hard at a point in our development as a small local business to define our company culture. We will have you review and sign our Code of Ethics before starting. Here are examples of expectations of our culture for you to consider. These standards apply equally to C9C leadership as well as the entire field staff team.

Positive reinforcement paradigm—we do not scold, hit, discourage behavior; we look for what the pet is communicating through their behavior, get curious, and encourage MORE behavior (meaning acting in different ways) rather than STOPPING behavior (suppression).

Coachability—we all are forever-learners. If you struggle with receiving and applying feedback, or you don't usually ask or seek questions, this role may feel demoralizing as we are always aspiring to grow, not expecting ourselves to be perfect or getting upset when we are informed that we were wrong about information or situations.

Respect for workplace emotional climate—we do not tolerate gossip, mocking, pressuring/guilting co-workers to take our work, speaking ill of our clients, making fun of pets, working with a negative attitude that makes pets/people uncomfortable, or otherwise behaving in ways that demonstrate poor professionalism in the workplace. We consider the emotional safety of beings as equivalent to physical safety. People and pets alike can have bad days, but we expect mature, direct, remediatory communication from all involved.

Documentation—taking seriously the risks involved with the job and providing proper written and verbal communication with high levels of detail. All—clients, your co-workers, the pets, C9C leadership— should be able to sense your professionalism and responsibility for the work you do.

Honoring the experience of all others–This means taking the perspective of others whenever we interact. We understand that our co-workers may be having significant personal matters in their lives and therefore it is not fair to assume they should be available to take your work because you are having a personal emergency. We understand that there is no one "on demand" for us and we have to show up for the pets in our care. We realize the clients are expecting us at set times, so we don't show up early or late for our own convenience. We read over our written reports and messages to ensure they do not risk causing upset or offense to anyone in written communication.

Describe your comfort with the positive-reinforcement paradigm aspect of C9C culture.*

Describe your comfort with the coachability paradigm aspect of C9C culture.*

Describe your comfort with the respect for workplace emotional climate aspect of C9C culture.*

Describe your comfort with the documentation aspect of C9C culture.*

Describe your comfort with the honoring the experience of all others aspect of C9C culture.*

We Work with Intensive Behavior Cases

C9C is a professional pet company working with committed pet people.

The majority of households we serve bring us in because they need PROFESSIONAL level service–meaning, they need people who can work with the behaviors their dogs show and they do not want someone who is just looking for a neighbor to pop in and let their dog out. Candidates do not need any prior experience in the pet industry to be successful in this position, though we expect candidates to demonstrate passion and commitment to achieving C9C's mission-oriented working standards.

Dogs will bark at you. Dogs will growl at you. Dogs will hide from you. Dogs will be fearful. You will be trained to handle it, and we have a team of support and staff on call, but you have to be prepared for the fact that the households hiring us CANNOT have the neighbor swing by to let their dogs out and are reliant on our services.

Describe your comfort level with the scope of the job described above.*

Although we have processes in place for screening and onboarding new clients, care providers do not individually meet every household of pets before providing service. How comfortable are you working a job that requires proficiency on adhering to strict procedures and errorlessly following highly detailed written instructions rather than relying on routine/memory/familiarity? *

We expect our entire team to be able to care for any pets we serve. How comfortable are you getting assigned to work with various companion animal species (most commonly dogs and cats, but also potentially geckos, rabbits, or chickens), and various sizes, breeds, and personality types of pets?*

As stated above, most people hire us because their pets are a LOT (fearful, exuberant, and everything in between)—does this standard meet your expectation for the position, or alter your interest in the job in any way?*

This application is long. We have many care protocols that are EXTREMELY long with INTRICATE levels of detail included, and failure to follow procedure carefully could result in behavioral fallout from dogs, injury, medication error, or similar. Are you feeling confident in your ability to independently review intensively-detailed instructions and adhere to them perfectly without error while in a client household providing care for behaviorally or medically complex pets? Explain.*

We Don't Get to "Just Call In" From Work

Our attendace rate is 100% to services. Pets need to eat and get their medications, and some of our older adult households HAVE to have us come every morning, midday, and evening, 7 days per week, as they physically can't let their dogs out.

Although C9C operates in a team-based structure, individual providers hold SOLE responsiblity for performing service to assigned households.

We are intense with our boundaries. It is not appropraite to guilt, pressure, or hold a grudge against someone for not being willing to switch services or cover a visit for you. There is not someone "on demand" to cover your services as we are a small business where everyone is working hard through a high volume of work tasks.

This is a reality of an *essential* service that everyone, including C9C leadership and business owners, are responsible for. We work VERY hard to honestly screen everyone and present the demands of the role without "fluff" or sugarcoating that it is difficult when you have a personal matter going on and have to show up for the pets.

Cloud 9 Canine, LLC has a 100% attendance rate to services. If you are someone who is likely to break that 100% attendance score due to you needing a role with flexibility, this job is NOT for you—and that's okay!—but no one else can determine that except yourself.

Are you comfortable having a job with this level of an attendance demand? Do you understand and accept the crystal-clear attendance demand of the role? Explain.*

Once again, please demonstrate that you are FULLY aware that we cannot abandon the pets in our care and that you understand that this job is not a good fit for someone that may become frantic, frustrated, or bitter based on the attendance demand.*

Describe your self-assessment of how you manage your time and organize your schedule in your daily life: are you able to self-manage your availability and monitor a schedule that will change?*

We Have to Be Resourceful

In the event of a barrier in us making it out to homes to providing essential care services, we have to be resourceful. C9C does not cancel on clients and guarantees we will show up.

An example would be if our car doesn't start one morning, we have to be able to seek out alternate transportation (borrowing a car from a friend or family member, utilizing public transportation, professionally communicating with clients that we are on the way but a bit delayed, or using rideshare apps) to still make it to our visits.

Ability to stay calm in stressful situations and independently work to find solutions, without getting overwhelmed or giving up, is critical in this line of work.

Describe your comfort with the expectation of being able to be resourceful to solve problems at work as described in the above job description.*

If your phone was failing to turn on and you were assigned to leave for visits in 15 minutes: how would you handle this situation?*

If your vehicle slides off the road in the middle of winter while traveling FROM one visit TO another visit, putting you far behind—how would you handle this situation?*

Schedule Breaks: Press to confirm you are able and willing to have gaps in your working hours to meet pet needs. (Example: You could be scheduled for a 6:30am-7:30am service, then a route of services from 11am-3pm with a gap in between.)*

I confirm I am aware and applying for a job where the schedule will fluctuate based on the pet needs and I won't be able to flexibly move my scheduled arrival for services for my convenience over the pet needs.

Holiday Requirements: We require 2 holidays per season (summer and winter) which are assigned as needed. Are you able to commit to a job where you would be scheduled to work 2 of 3 holidays per season?*

This is a job requirement: C9C provides service 6am-11pm, 365 days per year. This job will require staff to work Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Thanksgiving Day, or New Year's Eve night. All staff, including the business owners and managers, work 2 out of the 3 holidays in the summer AND winter seasons.

Anyone Commutes Anywhere In Our Service Area

We provide in-home services, traveling between client residences on our routes of assigned services.

We commute throughout Kalamazoo, Comstock, South Portage, Parchment, and Texas Corners which consists of a lot of time spent on the road, and routes are multi-variable, so there is NO GUARANTEE you will work in neighborhoods close to home: all of us work all over the service area.
This requires comfort driving in extreme and hazardous weather conditions to ensure pets receive food, water, let-outs, and medications even in the middle of severe weather events.
*We prioritize safety over timeliness (i.e, being able to drive slow and not rush in poor weather), but we provide services in all weather so team members need to be comfortable driving in and working outdoors in all kinds of weather, even severe (we provide life-sustaining essential services).
Service hours are 6am-11pm which will require commuting to and locating homes in the dark.

Based on the above description, how comfortable are you having a job that requires confidence driving and navigating Kalamazoo in serious weather conditions (white-out blizzards, ice storms, heavy rain) and pitch-black times of day?*

Our service area spans through south Portage, Gull Road, Texas Township area, WMU campus, and Kalamazoo city. We are scheduled based on where demand is, so you could end up driving quite a bit, and there's no guarantee of being scheduled close to your residence. How comfortable are you with a job that requires a lot of time spent on the road and getting sent to work where you're needed?*

New Hire Training Process Expectations

We value coachability over perfectionism; meaning, taking the need to be constantly learn from your trainers, your co-workers, the clients, and the pets you spend time with seriously is the most important factor for the job.

ALL new hires, no matter their background within the pet industry, always come in with a LOT to learn about evidence-based, +R paradigm-centered, skilled pet handling.
Given the unregulated nature of the pet industry, everyone also comes in with a lot of beliefs and practices to "unlearn" (throughout new hire training).
We don't expect new hires to be fluently skilled and knowledgeable from day one, but we do expect to see new hires meeting new hire objectives AND applying everything they learn each day. Our tag line is they are "so much more than just a pet" and this job is SO much more than "just dog walking."

While we provide new hire training, new hires are continuously evaluated for their safety and suitability for working unsupervised (always on camera, but without in-person support) in client homes with ANY type of pet we serve. Therefore, we start with a probationary period where we may, at any time, dismiss new hires that do not meet criteria for demonstrating coachability, safety awareness, and a full respect for risk-aversion, pet welfare, and initiative for continuously and independently working to better themselves as handlers to, in turn, better serve the pets whose well-being we are entrusted with.

Based on the above description, how comfortable are you committing to the intensive new hire training program as part of this job?*

What questions about animal behavior do you currently have?*

Where do you currently gather most of your information about pet care and handling?*

What questions or observations do you currently have about the behavior or enrichment of your personal pets or pets you've interested with?*

What are your thoughts about working with a cat that may hiss at you or scratch you and not allow you to attempt to touch her?*

If a dog was bouncing off the walls excited to the point of not being able to be calmed down, how would you respond to him?*

If a dog were to run behind a couch and hide from you when you arrived to walk her, how would you respond?*

The lock to open a client's home is jammed shut and not opening. The client is not responding to your messages and you have poor phone signal. What do you do?*

You are at what was booked as a 40 minute visit. You have been at the visit for 57 minutes and are instructed to get the dog in the crate at the end of the visit, but the dog is running away, rolling onto their back, and refusing to go in the crate. What do you do?*

A puppy has a diarrhea blow out in his crate that spills over onto the carpet and splatters up the wall. The fecal matter is thick and slimy, making it difficult to clean up, and the house is low stock on paper towels so you are about to run out. Some of the fecal matter gets onto your pant legs. How do you handle this?*

Tell us your favorite memory you have with an animal, whether it was a past pet, current pet, or a pet you worked with.*

If you can't figure out how to put on a dog's harness, what would you do?*

Pretend you are caring for the pets in the scenario below.

You have just finished an early morning pet sitting visit for a pair of dogs, Bella and Tycho.

You discover one of the dogs has peed on the rug when you walk into the home.
Tycho jumps on you and scratches you when you walk in, barks loudly while you leash him and Bella up, and lunges at squirrels you pass on the walk.

You take them on a 20 minute walk around the neighborhood.

They both are served breakfast, which they eat.
After breakfast, you spend the rest of the visit hanging out with them on the couch.

Write a detailed narrative of how you would report this visit back to the client as if you were sending it to the client as a post-service report.*

Submit a picture you've taken of a pet that you would consider "report card worthy" to include in a post-service client report.*

Browse Files

C9C Professional Pet Care Provider Job Application

Next Cohort Start Date–March 30th 2026

Candidates Requirements

Availability Requirements

Scheduling

Job Demand Requirements

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

CANDIDATE INFORMATION

Time Commitment

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Job Demands

A-DAY-IN-THE-LIFE SCENARIOS

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