
We help you prepare for a career where you can take care of animals.
Who takes care of Animals?
People who take care of animals look after the actual welfare of the animals by providing all forms of care. They feed, water, groom, bathe, and exercise animals, including pets, farm animals and even wild animals that are kept under human care.
An animal care worker provides care for animals at veterinary clinics, zoos, sanctuaries, kennels, pet stores, stables, animal shelters or animal themed parks.
This also includes all the careers where animals are trained to perform specific tasks, as the trainers are also mostly responsible for the care of these animals.
What can I Learn from each Career?
In-depth knowledge of a specific career is extremely important. Understanding everything about a care for animals career, like what will you be doing every day, what are the difficulties you might face, and what do I need to do to prepare for such a career, will all help you to decide on the BEST career for you.
Each career includes information to help you with the following questions:
- What is the career about
- What are the daily tasks?
- Where will I be able to work?
- Which skills are important?
- What subjects do I need at School?
- Where can I study for this career?
- Which animals will I work with?
- How can I prepare for the career while still in school?
- Where can I volunteer for experience?
List of Care Careers to choose from
Click on the name of the career for a short description. When you want to learn more, click on the CAREER PAGE link.
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Cats, Dogs, Critters, Farm Animals, Wildlife
An animal attendant is the general and overall description used for someone who cares for the needs of animals. They feed, water, groom, bathe, and exercise pets. They work in a variety of places, such as animal shelters, kennels, stables, pet stores and veterinary clinics.
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Cats, Dogs, Critters, Farm Animals, Wildlife
An animal attendant is the general and overall description used for someone who cares for the needs of animals. They feed, water, groom, bathe, and exercise pets. They work in a variety of places, such as animal shelters, kennels, stables, pet stores and veterinary clinics.
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Cats, Dogs, Critters, Farm Animals, Wildlife
An animal attendant is the general and overall description used for someone who cares for the needs of animals. They feed, water, groom, bathe, and exercise pets. They work in a variety of places, such as animal shelters, kennels, stables, pet stores and veterinary clinics.
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Cats, Dogs, Critters, Farm Animals
Animal Groomers provide grooming and styling services for a number of different animals, mostly pets. They generally bathe pets, cut and style their hair, trim nails, and brush their teeth, among other grooming services.
Minimum Entry Level: College Diploma
Animal Species: Critters, Wildlife
Animal keepers care for animals in zoos, aquariums and amusement and theme parks. They may specialize after a few years by working with specific animals (Primate Keeper, Lion Keeper etc).
Minimum Entry Level: College Diploma
Animal Species: All Species
An Animal Research Technician looks after the wellbeing of all the animals used in the different kinds of research.
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Cats, Dogs, Critters, Farm Animals
Minimum Entry Level: College Diploma
Animal Species: Cats, Dogs, Critters, Farm Animals, Wildlife
Train animals to become accustomed to humans and carry out tasks when commanded to do so.
(NB! Dog Obedience Trainer is a different career, as well as Marine Mammal Trainer).
Minimum Entry Level: Bachelor’s Degree
Animal Species: Fish, Mollusks, Marine Mammals
Minimum Entry Level: Bachelor’s Degree
Animal Species: Fish, Mollusks, Marine Mammals
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Dogs
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Cats
Care for the needs of different breeds of cats, such as grooming, bathing, feeding, while in medical care or at a place where they might feel scared.
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Cats
Assist with the care at cat breeding or boarding facilities
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Dogs
A dog agility course trainer is an expert in training dogs to perform during agility sports events.
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Dogs
Dog obedience trainers use various techniques to train dogs to do things on command, or to act in specific ways within the home or around other people and animals.
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Dogs
Taking dogs of other owners to exercise and socialize, while taking care of their well-being.
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Dogs
Doggy spa staff provide grooming and styling services for a number of different animals, mostly pets. They generally bathe pets, cut and style their hair, trim nails, and brush their teeth, among other grooming services.
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Mammals, Marine Mammals, Critters, Snakes, Birds
Exotic animal trainers work with wildlife to teach them specific actions on command. They mostly work within the entertainment side of the animal careers.
The kinds of animals they can train:
- Birds
- Elephants
- Dolphins
- Primates
- Seals
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Farm Animals
A farm worker attends to the daily tasks required to successfully run a farm. Animal Farm Workers take responsibility of looking after the livestock (animals) on a farm, from cattle to bees and fish.
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Horses
Minimum Entry Level: College Diploma
Animal Species: Fish
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Dogs
A Guide-dog Trainer uses special skills to train guide dogs to enable them to assist people who are blind.
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Horses
Horse Groomers provide grooming and styling services for horses.
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Horses
Train working horses to become accustomed to humans and carry out tasks when commanded to do so. Training is also given to help rectify behavioral issues
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Dogs
Minimum Entry Level: College Diploma
Animal Species: Dogs
K9 instructors are highly trained individuals who train police or military dogs through hand signals and sounds to perform certain functions.
Minimum Entry Level: College Diploma
Animal Species: All species
Laboratory Technicians help look after the wellbeing of the different animals used in research, but specifically within a laboratory setup.
Minimum Entry Level: College Diploma
Animal Species: Mammals
Train aquatic marine mammals, such as dolphins and seals, to become accustomed to humans and carry out tasks when commanded to do so.
Minimum Entry Level: College Diploma
Animal Species: Pets, Critters, Farm Animals, Wildlife
Train animals to become accustomed to humans and carry out tasks when commanded to do so while filming.
Minimum Entry Level: College Diploma
Animal Species: Farm Animals
Train horses used in maintaining law and order by police officers, border patrols and the military.
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Pets
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Pets
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Pets, Critters, Wildlife
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Pets
Pet stylists provide grooming and styling services for a number of different animals, mostly pets. They generally bathe pets, cut and style their hair, trim nails, and brush their teeth, among other grooming services.
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Horses
Minimum Entry Level: College Diploma
Animal Species: Horses
People responsible for the care and training of horses to enable them to compete in races.
Minimum Entry Level: College Diploma
Animal Species: Cats, Dogs, Critters, Farm Animals
A rehabilitation Assistant works at animal hospitals or animal rehab centers to assist with the process of rehabbing animals after surgery or other clinical procedures.
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Pets, Critters, Birds
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Horses
Individuals who train horses to perform specific and amazing tasks during rodeos.
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Wildlife
Minimum Entry Level: College Diploma
Animal Species: Dogs
Search & Rescue (SAR) Dog Trainers use their skills to train dogs to use scent to find humans that may be lost or difficult to find.
Minimum Entry Level: College Diploma
Animal Species: Dogs
Service dog trainers use their skills to train dogs to assist humans with tasks that the humans might not be able to complete. Service dogs are trained to lead people with sight impairments, or assist people with specific illnesses in detecting signs of complications (such as warning people with epilepsy for an approaching seizure).
Minimum Entry Level: College Diploma
Animal Species: Horses
Train horses to become accustomed to their riders and carry out special tasks when commanded to do so during a show. Training is also given to help rectify behavioral issues, as well as train the riders.
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Horses
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Horses
A stud hand takes care of horses that have been specially chosen for breeding.
Minimum Entry Level: College Diploma
Animal Species: Dogs
A therapy dog trainer uses skills to train dogs that provide affection, comfort and support to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, libraries, hospices and disaster areas.
Minimum Entry Level: College Diploma
Animal Species: All species
A Veterinary Assistant is a vital member of any veterinary team. They work directly under the supervision of a veterinarian. They are skilled in the practical side of animal care, and are responsible for feeding, bathing, and exercising the animals, and they restrain them during examinations and treatment.
Minimum Entry Level: College Diploma
Animal Species: All species
Veterinary technicians provide assistance to veterinarians in diagnosis and procedures, or laboratories in performing important research..
Minimum Entry Level: College Diploma
Animal Species: Reptiles and Amphibians
Help to maintain the vivarium by cleaning it, as well as caring for the animals housed in it.
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Mammals, Birds, Fish, Reptiles, Amphibians, Mollusks
Minimum Entry Level: High School Certificate
Animal Species: Dogs
Working dog trainers use their skills and knowledge to train dogs to perform specific practical tasks which can be seen as work (labor).
This career looks at people who train the following kinds of working dogs:
- Herding dogs
- Hunting dogs (retrievers)
- Sledding dogs
Minimum Entry Level: Bachelor’s Degree
Animal Species: Wildlife