Animal Services Jobs

An animal services job is the ideal choice for anyone who loves animals and has the dedication needed to spend their working hours looking after them. It is a huge field, and one that is expected to grow, as the pet population is increasing and pet owners are spending increasing amounts of money on pet care and grooming.

Not all animals are pets, and animal service jobs can be found in a wide variety of locations ranging from zoos to shelters to welfare organizations. If you enjoy day-to-day contact with animals – feeding and watering them, bathing, grooming and exercising them – you might be interested in looking at animal services jobs based at boarding kennels, as a kennel attendant, or a veterinary clinic, as an assistant or technician.

If grooming appeals, there are many openings for people who are comfortable with animals and confident enough to carry out the clipping, cleaning and drying routines necessary to keep pets in tip-top condition. If you’re happier with larger animals, such as horses, you should investigate the possibility of becoming a groom in stables, where the duties will include saddling and unsaddling, giving the horses rub-downs, feeding, grooming and exercising and cleaning out stalls.

There are some very worthwhile opportunities in animal shelters, working with abused and neglected animals. Many of these are community-funded ventures, which recognise a social need to tackle the ill-treatment of animals, and will always need caring and patient people to look after the animals in their care. Animal training is another growth area, with more and more pet owners turning to professionals to help them improve animal behaviour.

Many animal services jobs require little or no training or qualifications at entry level, other than a genuine respect for animals, making them ideal for people looking for a first job or temporary or part-time work. Rates of pay vary according to the type of job and size of organization – the average for an animal services job is around $20 per hour.