Most people transition to assistant because you don’t get much time working alongside a vet when you’re just a kennel attendant (atleast in my experience). As a kennel attendant I would have counted that experience as animal hours because I was mainly walking, feeding and taking care of the animals when they were boarded or after a surgery. As an assistant I worked very close with a few vets and was able to see first hand perspectives on certain illnesses. veterinary experience is important for your application and tells colleges you have a basic understanding of what the veterinary industry is like. In addition you will need atleast 1 LOR from a vet and that is hard to get as just a kennel attendant. With that being said you don’t have to switch to an assistant if you dont want too, people usually just make the switch to help with their varied experience on their app and for their LORs