30 Jobs to Work with Animals: Career Tips

• Veterinary physicians: to be a licensed veterinarian you will have to go to university and get the corresponding degree. This is definitely a kind of training in which you must invest time, effort and money, but eventually you will see the benefits of a good salary and extensive knowledge of the animal world.

• Paraveterinary workers: if your options are more limited and you cannot go to university you can train as a veterinary assistant, nurse or technician. As is the case with a degree, you can also specialize and find the sector that you like best (mammals, small rodents, exotic, etc). The work and licenses for paraveterinary workers depend on the country.

• Alternative therapists for animals: there are also natural alternatives to treat animals such as homoeopathy, acupuncture or Reiki.

• Ethologists: ethologists study animal behavior and psychology, and they are usually qualified veterinarians. They mainly deal with serious behavioral problems in animals, welfare and enrichment.

• Coaches and educators: they guide and advise pet owners about animal behavior. They can also help troubleshoot mild behavioral issues.

• Trainers: professional trainers help teach basic and advanced orders to pets, most commonly dogs. They guide and provide basic education techniques to owners, but they can also provide extensive training for animal actors.

Here you can learn what you need to be a professional dog trainer, what is a dog training course like and how to make a dog ethogram.

• Horseback riders: if you love riding and have a good technique you can base your career in attending sprinting, dressage and show jumping competitions, in which you can earn a considerable sum of money. Eventing, dressage and jumping are Olympic sports, and jumping is one of the events of the modern pentathlon.

• Grooms or stable hands: if you do not want to have big responsibilities but adore caring for animals, you can choose to be a groom or a stable or farm hand. Feeding, cleaning and checking on the animals are some of the common tasks.

• Riding teachers: if you have extensive knowledge about the world of horses and enjoy teaching the art of horseback riding to children, amateurs and advanced riders, teaching to ride horses may be a suitable career for you.

• Guides: along with the riding teachers we find the guides, professionals who plan routes through different locations.

• Dog groomers: currently there is a wide range of canine beauty parlors of a more or less professional standing. It is a booming sector, especially in large cities where not everyone has the time, knowledge or space for this task.

• Feline groomers: less common are feline beauty parlors, which makes them more exclusive. On the whole, long-haired cats commonly suffer from tangling and problems in their coats. Grooming courses are usually quite dynamic and fun.

• Dog walkers: if you want to earn extra money you can always become a dog walker, although there is a lot of competition on the market today. Still, it is a very good option that does not require any training.

• Pet-sitters: if you do not have pets, or your pets are very sociable, you can pet-sit other people's animals. Usually pet care centers have high rates, so more people choose to pay private pet-sitters.

• Pet product developer: are you creative? Take advantage of your potential and create clothes, kennels, baked goods for pets or furniture for animals. Internet will help you succeed!

• Volunteer dog walkers: most shelters need help to improve the welfare of the animals living there and appreciate volunteer walkers. This is unpaid work, but it can help you build up your CV and better understand the animals' situation.

• Temporary guardians: many animal shelters allow the temporary adoption of dogs and other pets that need to stay in a home while waiting for a forever adopter.

• Puppy nurses: another way to lend a hand in shelters is to help feed puppies. It's a very sweet experience!

• Cage cleaners: shelters need staff to help clean the animals' cages and oversee logistic work. If the shelter receives money from the government or from charities, cleaners usually get paid.

• Activists: join the fight for animal rights with the very best global organisations!

If you live in India, here you can learn how to volunteer at an animal shelter, how to sponsor an animal and what is a goshala and how does it work.

• Marine biologists: a university degree is perfect for those who want to discover all about marine life. Will will learn about the different organisms of the sea, but also about conservation, the environment and its resources and how to care for them.

• Zoologists: this is also a very complete university-level discipline about our knowledge of animals. The subjects are mainly related to taxonomic classification, physiology, ecosystems, behavior and distribution.

• Animal physiotherapist: physiotherapy is really useful for animals suffering major physical health problems such as injured racing horses or dogs with hip dysplasia.

• Therapy dogs: communication with animals is much less complex than with humans. Therapy dogs are very useful for people with autism, anxiety or depression, and also to comfort people in hospitals or disaster sites. Training and managing therapy dogs is a very good choice if you like social services and animals at the same time.

• Service dogs: they are slightly different from therapy dogs in that they are given specific training to help disabled people. The best-known type of service dog is the seeing-eye dog, but dogs can provide all sorts of services. Horses, cats and even birds can be trained as service animals.
  
  
• Working dog handler: police dogs and search and rescue dogs are the best-known modern types of working dogs, but you can also find firefighter and narcotic finder dogs. They require very specific and advanced training and a devoted handler.

• Retail: working in sales in any pet shop is a good option that does not require specific studies. You must simply be open and have an interest in the world of animals and their care.

• Pet product sales: if you are good with sales and adore animals you can get informed and become a sales representative for any of the pet product companies in the world.

• Park or forest rangers: wildlife is threatened by poachers and habitat degradation all over the world. If you are an animal rights or environmental activist but cannot afford to be a volunteer, becoming a ranger can be a wonderful idea. Get further information in your local city hall or national park service.

• Wildlife recovery center: environment conservation policies have given rise to wildlife recovery centres and sanctuaries. Their mission is primarily to reintroduce animals to the wild, to monitor their well-being and to rescue injured wildlife.

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