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A growing number of people are seeking occupations that will help domestic animals or wildlife. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is pleased to provide the following information for those who seek a career that provides for the protection and wellbeing of animals.

Whatever career path you follow, it is important to realize that many jobs that involve work with animals include activities that cause unnecessary animal suffering. This concern arm in areas such as research; testing; breeding; zoos; aquaria; 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 individuals who believe that animals deserve to be treated with respect and compassion. It is important to keep this in mind as you interview for jobs in these fields.

The basic fields of specialization involving work with animals that The HSUS recommends for those who care deeply about animals include:

ANIMAL WELFARE/ PROTECTION Institutions specializing in this field are concerned with the prevention and alleviation of animal suffering. Animal protection includes programs for legislative reform, 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. 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 or destruction. Conservation involves programs of habitat preservation, species propagation, and field research. Environmental protection may involve urban planning and pollution control. ‘Me principal institutions working in this field include state and national non-profit organizations chartered for the protection and/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 intended to minimize waste and ensure 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. They may also engage in habitat alteration or the selective planting of flora preferred by wildlife. A wildlife management biologist whose primary duties relate to the consumptive exploitation of animals is known as a game biologist. Such biologists 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, which is 9 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 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 infirm animal who 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. For more information contact the National Association of Pet Sitters, 1200 G St., NW, Suite 760, Washington, DC 20005; (202) 393-3317, or the American Grooming Shop Association, 4575 Galley Road, Suite 400-A, Colorado Springs, CO 80915, (719) 570-7788.

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 individuals who are sight- or hearing-impaired. 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 that uses knowledge of animal’s habits and learning ability. ‘Me 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. Therefore, it is important to be sure that when you choose a career, in this or any other area, that the organization has and enforces a strong set of standards and procedures to ensure the humane treatment of animals. For more information, contact the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, P.O. Box 3734, Salinas, CA 93912; 1-800-PET-DOGS.
In addition to the careers profiled here, there are numerous other routes to finding positions in animal welfare, conservation, and allied professions. Accountants, computer technicians, architects, printers, carpenters, and other specialists are also employed by those institutions responsible for the protection of animals.

We hope that these brief descriptions have given you a sense of the wide variety of options available in careers working with animals. Enclosed are references that you may find useful in further researching your career options. For more information, contact The Humane Society of the United States, 2100 L St., NW, Washington DC, 20037 (http://www.hsus.org) or-contact the U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC 20212, or key in specific occupations on their web site (http://stats.bls.gov/ch/home.htm).