Is a Career in Pet Care Right for You? Here’s What You Should Know

Have you always wanted to work with animals? Perhaps you’re starting out in your career or you need a change of direction and wonder if a career in pet care is right for you….

With over 29 million pets, Australia is among the countries with the most pets in the world.

For animal lovers, this means you are likely to have your hands full should you decide to pick a career in animal service.

However, there is more to career choices that job prospects, isn’t there? Here are 8 things you should know before diving into a pet-related career.

1.   You can be so many things with a career in pet care

Animal careers are broad and varied. This means that you can pick an area that most interests you, and that aligns with your strengths and aptitudes.

Often, veterinary science is what comes to most people’s minds when they think about working with animals. However, this is one among numerous careers under the animal care banner for you to choose from.

Is a Career in Pet Care Right for You?
Is a Career in Pet Care Right for You?

2. It is Necessary to Get the Right Education

Most jobs in this field require at least a high school diploma or its equivalent.

Careers like dog groomers might not need any specialized training. Nonetheless, it’s advisable to work under the guidance of a seasoned groomer to learn the ropes before setting out on your own.

Health care jobs like veterinarian, lab tech, counsellor and so on require specialized education in animal health sciences for one to practice.

Animal training, dog walking, and so on require a high school Diploma. However, to get into a more specialized field like marine animal training will require a bachelor’s degree in biology, marine biology, animal sciences, and so on.

It’s also noteworthy that certification in animal care speaks to your credibility, even when it’s not a prerequisite for certain jobs.

Therefore, it helps to take an animal care course if you want to be seen as an authoritative professional in this field.

3. People skills are a must (even in a career in pet care)

It is interesting that you need people skills to work with animals. Nonetheless, most jobs here have a lot of human interaction. For example, as a dog trainer, you will need to work closely and provide timely feedback to the dog’s owner.

Similarly, if you join the animal healthcare system, you will need to liaise with vets, nurses, lab technicians, and so on.

As you train to work with dogs and even take up some technical courses, also remember to hone your communication skills. These will serve you well throughout your career.

A career in pet care may be right for you if you enjoy animals and people.

4. Physical fitness is essential

Working with animals is on the opposite spectrum of a sedentary job. As such, practitioners in this field need to have some degree of physical agility to effectively wrangle their clients.

With all the benefits of being physically active, this is an additional benefit.

5. You get a great work-life balance

Today, a good work-life balance is just as important as salary when picking a career.

In this regard, more and more people are looking for careers that allow them to scale their hours as required. While some jobs are inflexible, animal services are not.

If you were to delve into grooming, training, and even animal health, you would benefit from flexibility.

In these niches, one can choose to work independently, leaving your work schedule entirely up to you. This means you can schedule as many or as few clients in a day as you see fit.

6. Compassion is key

Working with animals is truly a job that comes from the heart. A genuine love and concern for animals goes a long way in ensuring you have a long, successful, and enjoyable career in animal care.

Animals are said to have a strong intuition and tend to gravitate towards people with a genuine love for them. Animal owners can also tell animal minders that seem to love what they do.

If you are truly compassionate about working with animals, this quality will naturally radiate, and you will definitely get a steady flow of clients and referrals.

7. There is room for growth

If you work as a vet, you can get specialized training to get into animal dentistry, teaching, and even exotic animal care.

Non-health animal careers also tend to have the same requirements, making it easier to transition. For example, pet sitters can easily transition into kennel workers, trainers, and groomers.

Similarly, you can go into entrepreneurship and set up your own clinic, grooming salon, sitting business, and so on.

8. Licensure and accreditations

Although these are not required across the board, they are required in most animal healthcare professions.

Aside from complying with these, also find out if there are any accreditations you can get in your state.

Just like academic certifications, being an accredited member of recognized bodies does a lot for your reputation and credibility.

If you are still set on exploring a career in animal care, rest assured you are in for an exciting challenge.

Look at the different careers available to identify which ones suit you best, then take it from there. Similarly, allow yourself ample time to identify the best place to get trained if your chosen niche requires it.

About the author
Andrej Kovacevic is a freelance copywriter & blogger who enjoys contributing to the pet blogging community. You can connect with him on Twitter.
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