Kennel Hand

Are you an experienced Kennel Hand? We’re seeking a Kennel Hand to join our client in Keston (Kent) on an initial 12-month contract!

The Metropolitan Police has approximately 320 dogs based at 6 key locations in North, South, East, and West London including the Dog Training Establishment.

Approximately 60% of MPS dogs are General Purpose Police Dogs and these are mainly German Shepherd Dogs or Belgian Malinois. The remaining 40% are Specialist Search dogs and these are mainly English Springer Spaniels, Labradors and Cocker Spaniels. Operational Dogs typically reside in the Police Officer handlers’ home.

The role of the Dog Support Unit is to provide 24 hour specialist dog support across the 32 London Boroughs. The MPS dogs perform a variety of policing support roles; dogs are trained to locate suspects and property, giving support to borough colleagues at public order incidents; firearms, drugs and cash recovery, being included in pro-active crime initiatives. They can also search for explosives and human remains.

All dogs are trained at the Dog Training Establishment (DTE). It holds its place as one of the world’s foremost police and service dog training facilities. Its breeding programme has evolved to such an extent that it produces dogs of various breeds, used not only by the Metropolitan Police, but by other police services and agencies from around the UK and around the globe.

Kennel Staff play in essential role within the Dog Support Unit. You will be looking after Operational Police Dogs when handlers take annual leave or are absent for other reasons.

The primary role is to look after the health and welfare of all dogs in your care; you will be working as part of a small team where excellent communication skills are essential.

This is a physical and demanding role and you will be working in sometimes extreme weather conditions.

You will be responsible for the feeding, grooming and exercising of Police Dogs; administrating dog medication as prescribed by the vet; cleaning kennels and surrounding areas; clearing dog excrement from exercise areas and kennels; general housekeeping; assisting in the dog school veterinary consulting room; accurate completion of daily kennel logs and veterinary treatment; whelping of brood bitches. You will also be taking care of our Brood Bitches and young puppies from birth onwards and may be involved in training exercises under the supervision of accredited Instructors.

You will be working shifts, generally 06:30hrs - 14:30hrs or 14:00hrs - 22:00hrs to cover kennel duties 365 days a year. You will be expected to work Bank Holidays including Christmas Day and Boxing Day (depending on how your shift pattern falls each year). There may be occasions when leave is restricted on operational grounds (usually during summer months and school holidays).

Essential Criteria:

• Good physical fitness with the ability to handle and manage large breed working dogs;
• Excellent communication skills for both internal and external audiences;
• Full UK Driving licence (including manual and automatic);
• Confident around animals, specifically dogs which have been trained to bite;

Key Information:

• Rate: £18.24 per hour PAYE
• Location: Keston, Kent (Fully Officed-Based)
• Start Date: To be confirmed
• Hours: Full Time, 5 days per week
• Contract Duration: 12 months (view to extend)

If you are interested, APPLY NOW!