Everybody loves dogs, but not everyone gets to work with them every day. At Shadow Ridge High School, senior Jonathan Sanchez is one of the lucky students who spends his time caring for dogs as part of his job outside of school. Balancing school responsibilities with work, Sanchez has found a role that matches both his interests and personality.
Sanchez works at a dog care facility where his daily responsibilities focus on keeping the animals healthy, comfortable, and entertained. His job requires attentiveness, patience, and a genuine love for animals.
“At my job I basically just take care of dogs. Some of the things I do is feeding and giving medication if they need any, also bringing them out to play at different times of the day,” Sanchez said. These tasks may sound simple, but they are essential to ensuring each dog’s well-being.
Working closely with animals often leads to unexpected moments, and Sanchez has already experienced a memorable one. While completing his usual routine near the end of the day, he found himself in a surprising situation.
“One interesting story is when it was closing time and I was going around the rooms giving the dogs clean water, my coworker had no clue I was in one of the rooms and she locked me in the room with the dogs; I had to call her to unlock the door or else I would have been there all night,” Sanchez explained. Although stressful at the moment, the incident has since become a story he can laugh about.
Like many jobs, working with dogs comes with challenges. Cleaning up after animals, managing energetic dogs, and handling responsibilities during long shifts can sometimes be tiring. However, Sanchez believes the positives far outweigh the negatives.
Sanchez’s experience shows that a job does not have to feel like work when it aligns with personal interests. His role caring for dogs has taught him responsibility, time management, and patience while allowing him to do something he truly enjoys. For students at Shadow Ridge High School considering part-time jobs, Sanchez’s story is a reminder that finding work a person can enjoy can make all the difference.
