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Whatever career path you follow, it is important to realize that many jobs that involve work with animals inflict unnecessary suffering on them. These concerns arise in areas such as research; testing; breeding; zoos; aquariums; circuses; and businesses that use animals in the production of food, clothing, cosmetics, and drugs. Careers involving the exploitation and consumptive use of animals will pose many difficult situations for people who care deeply about animals. It is important to keep this in mind as you research and interview for jobs in these fields.
The HSUS supports several basic fields of specialization that involving work with animals, including:
ANIMAL WELFARE/PROTECTION
Institutions specializing in this field are concerned with the prevention and alleviation of animal suffering. Animal protection includes programs of cruelty investigation, humane education, animal sheltering and animal control. For example, a humane society executive director is responsible for overseeing all of the agency's departments and is concerned with all facets of the humane society's operation including fund raising, membership recruitment, personnel management, and program planning. A director of animal control is the municipal equivalent of the humane society director. Both are concerned with the prevention and elimination of conflicts between animals and community residents. For example, it is the responsibility of these agencies to patrol for, and impound, animals running at large in violation of the local ordinance. An animal control officer is a professional animal care specialist who has been trained to handle all manner of situations involving pets and pet owners. They may conduct inspections of pet shops, kennels, and other commercial enterprises to ensure that animals are receiving adequate care. Some operate animal ambulances or specialize in the rescue of trapped and injured animals. A shelter manager is responsible for the operation and maintenance of a kennel facility and staff providing for the impoundment of dogs, cats, and other animals. The duties of an animal care attendant include cleaning, grooming, feeding, and exercising the animals.
CONSERVATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
This field is concerned with the planned protection of ecological communities including air, water, flora, fauna, and land to prevent their exploitation, destruction, or neglect. Conservation involves programs of habitat preservation, species propagation, and field research. Environmental protection may involve urban planning and pollution control. The principal institutions working in this field include state and national non-profit organizations chartered for the protection or study of wild animals. A wildlife conservation officer, also known as a game warden, enforces the laws and regulations regarding hunting, trapping, and fishing. The officer may patrol a district in search of game law violators and investigate reports of game law violations, as well as assist in the preparation and prosecution of criminal charges against violators.
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
This field is concerned with the management of wildlife as a natural resource. Wildlife management is concerned with the planned use and exploitation of wild animals in a manner which minimizes waste and ensures that wildlife populations are not depleted. A wildlife management biologist who manages wildlife populations for non-consumptive uses is known as a non-game biologist. These biologists study the abundance and distribution of animal species. These biologists study the abundance and distribution of animal species. They may also engage in habitat alteration or the selective planting of preferred wildlife foods. A wildlife management biologist whose primary duties relate to the consumptive exploitation of animals is known as a game biologist. They are responsible for recommending seasonal game regulations relative to the length of hunting and trapping seasons, bag limits, and game quotas.
VETERINARY MEDICINE
This field is concerned with the prevention and treatment of animal health problems. Veterinary medicine involves animal care and research. The major areas of concentration are private practice, food inspection, pet products marketing, and zoological park management. Veterinarians may specialize in small animal practice that is confined to the treatment of dogs, cats, and other small household pets, or concentrate on farm animals and horses. To become a veterinarian, a person must earn a Doctor of Veterinarian Medicine (D.V.M.) degree, which usually includes two to four years of undergraduate education, plus three to four years of professional veterinary education. Veterinary specialists obtain an additional four years of education and training. A veterinary technician is primarily employed as an assistant to a veterinarian. Duties may include specimen collection, surgical preparation, laboratory analysis, animal hospital management, emergency first aid treatment, client consultation, surgical nursing, the administration of medication, and the routine care of hospitalized animals.
SERVICES FOR PETS
This field includes a variety of jobs. Pet groomers maintain the health, condition and physical appearance of animals' coats. Pet groomers bathe, clip, and style the hair of dogs and cats. Groomers must either serve an apprenticeship or attend a vocational school. Pet sitters provide care, companionship, and supervision for pets in the absence of their owners. The pet sitter may care for an aged or infirmed animal which cannot be left unattended while the owner shops for groceries or he or she may tend an animal for several days or weeks while the owner is out of town.
ANIMAL TRAINER
Dog obedience instructors account for the greatest number of animal trainers who are professionally employed. The objective of obedience training is to produce a manageable companion who is responsive to direction. Trainers are also employed to teach dogs to assist the blind and the deaf. An animal handler works in partnership with an individual animal. Some handlers are employed with the United States Custom Service, while others are employed by military branches and municipal and state law enforcement agencies. Animal training is a technical skill which uses knowledge of animal's habits and learning ability. The trainer teaches an animal to do certain things upon command. Some trainers work with animals in the entertainment industry, which includes circuses, carnivals, zoological parks, and the motion picture and television industries. Some of these industries have no codes specifically defining and prohibiting cruelty to animals and therefore it is important to be sure you choose a career in this or any other area, that the organization has established and enforces a strong set of standards and procedures to ensure the humane treatment of animals.
In addition to the jobs profiled here, there are many unconventional routes to jobs in animal welfare, conservation, and allied professions. Those institutions responsible for the protection and conservation of animals also employ accountants, computer technicians, architects, printers, carpenters, and other specialists.
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Careers Helping Animals
