Career Opportunities in Working with Animals

by Shelly Field

Careers for animal lovers from training dogs to managing a zoo.There are many different types of careers for those interested in working with animals. On the local level, workers can groom and train household pets, walk dogs, run a pet store, or work in an animal shelter. Other opportunities exist in monitoring and managing wildlife, working with farm animals, and advocating for humane treatment of animals. Employment of veterinarians in particular is projected to increase by 33 percent through 2018, a much faster than average rate of growth, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.Career Opportunities Working with Animals describes more than 80 occupations in such animal-related fields as veterinary medicine; shelters, sanctuaries, and refuges; veterinary offices/hospitals/clinics; animal advocacy organizations; care and conservation of wildlife; zoos and aquariums; creative careers; pet care, training, and grooming; pet food, pet supply, and pet merchandise stores

298 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2011

Reviews

[Harry Vener · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. It gave okay background knowledge on the commonly known animal fields (vet science, zoo care, shelter/ rehabilitation/ advocacy), but crams 1/4 of the positions in the field in less 20 pages out of a 300 page book. The information given on animal “attendants” is outdated; it was placed in the shelter section when this role is found in shelters, vet medicine, zoos, and animal research. The book also doesn’t talk about the opportunities within the research field. There are many opportunities working in the biomedical, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical fields that allow people of many experience levels get involved with life saving science. It also crams a myriad of complicated fields under Animal Behaviorist and Zoologist, and never mentions comparative psychology, cognitive ethology, or ethology in general. It is a good book for someone who knows absolutely nothing about potential animal fields, but also leaves a lot out.