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6 Careers for Dog Lovers
By cuzzy | March 18, 2008
If you are like me you have thought many times how great it would be to have a job that allowed you to be around your dog and other dogs all the time. It certainly would not feel like a job and you would get to spend even more time with your best friend. How can that be a bad thing, not to mention getting paid to do it.
Today I wanted to list some interesting a great careers that would allow you to do just that.
6 Careers for Dog Lovers
If you want to work with dogs for a living, here are careers that should appeal to most dog lovers. There is always the potential for you to be bitten by a dog in all of these job choices so it is important to be aware of that.
Care needs to be taken at all times when you dealing with dogs that you are responsible for, especially when they are not your own.
A lot of people don’t want to take the time to get the required education or take on the liability when looking at a career with dogs. You have to choose wisely and educate yourself appropriately just like you would with any other career choice.
1. Dog Groomer
This job is one of the most popular because the only drawbacks are small in comparison to the other dog jobs. You get a lot of hands-on time with dogs of all sizes and shapes, you get to make them look and smell nice and it can be done in your own home very easily. This can be the ultimate dog lover’s career with probably the most fun.
Problems
Hopefully the dog owners have the common sense to warn you if their dog may bite or be hard to deal with. Setting and following your own rules for how much you will tolerate is key in this job. You may also encounter some unpleasant fur inhabitants like fleas and need to know how to deal with that to protect other dogs.
2. Doggy Daycare Operator
In this job you’re going to get a lot of hands-on experience with dogs as well. I have thought about this idea a lot and maybe one day when the finances allow for it I will revisit this thought. It can be operated out of your own home, and you can set your own rules of conduct. Playing with dogs for a living seems like a dream job for me.
Problems
Dog bites, and dog fights. When running a full daycare, you will likely have more than one strange dog in your day. Even dogs that are not bad can just get mixed with the wrong dog and it can be a problem. It will be hard to spend time equally with each dog but since a daycare is an ideal socialization setting this would be counter-productive anyways. Another thing to keep in mind is that you would be not spending a lot of time with people and need to remember to check in with reality every now and then. Involves your kids or friends to make it an even more fun job.
3. Dog Trainer - Behaviourist
Dog training and behaviour modification is definitely rewarding work for those with the patience and time. Whether you are training just the dog, or training the owner to handle his or her dog, you’ll be working closely with your favourite animal all of the time.
Problems
You most likely will run into unpleasant owners who are either unwilling to work with you, think they know everthing and won’t follow directions. It is like teaching a child, all parents are a little bothered when they see they are doing something wrong. Dealing with owners is just as important as dealing with the dogs. After all if you don’t get the dogs without the owners.
4. Boarding Kennel Owner or Employee
You will get to know different dogs for days or weeks at a time, take care of them, play with them, and be their short-term family. This can be perfect for the person who may not want to have their own dog all of the time or can’t have one because their current living situation won’t allow it.
Problems
My biggest problem personally would be getting too attached to the dogs. This can make it tough to see them go home after, but at least it is a happy good-bye. I can’t imagine getting used to a dog and then seeing them leave. Owners might also be a pain in the neck just like most dog related jobs. This can really be evident if a dog gets sick in your care and you aren’t allowed to seek veterinary care for him.
5. Veterinarian and Veterinary Technician
The ultimate animal lover job I think. Having the power and knowledge to bring health to sick animals, or deliver puppies, or save the lives of poorly treated dogs is a dream of a lot of kids growing up. It is immensely rewarding work if you can deal with it. Thousands of animal lovers go to school for veterinary medicine every year. Just remember it is not all fun and games.
Problems
It is like becoming a doctor. You need the grades and even worse you need to pay for th expensive schooling. Once you reach the job there will be dog bites, dealing with owners who debate cost over care and of course all of the heartbreak when things go bad. This can include euthanizing healthy dogs because the owner no longer wants them, trying to fix a broken dog and failing, or arguing with owners who won’t spend money to help their dog. It is a job where you have to keep your personal opinions to yourself and you don’t always get to do what is best for the animal.
6. Dog-Sitting and Dog-Walking
In this job you will be providing more professional care than the average dog-walker. Professional pet-sitters have a range of qualifications that enable them to give owners peace of mind. They are turning over their kid basically to you so you have to know what you are doing for all instances. Professional sitters care for dogs in their own homes, whether the owner is at work, or out-of-town, even if specialized care is needed such as medication on a strict schedule, or vet visits. Pet-sitters keep your pet on it’s normal daily routine, which minimizes the stress an animal feels when it’s left behind. With the heavy demand from most people’s jobs the pet-sitter can become one of the most valuable resources when trying to own a dog.
Problems
Just like with most dog jobs it will be dealing with owners that will be the biggest issue. Fitting everything into many schedules and managing your time. Don’t go overboard and only take on what you can handle. A dog’s routine is the most important thing to them so you don’t want to mess it up if someone is paying for you to keep them on schedule.
Conclusion
So if you are looking for a career that is dog related odds are good you will follow one of these paths. That does not mean those are the only ones. There are so many jobs that directly or indirectly influence the lives of dogs. Selling dog food, owning a pet store or even doing what I do with this blog which is trying to provide the best dog information as well as adding a lot of laughs for you to read.
The bottom line is well all love our dogs and just getting to spend every day with them is rewarding enough regardless of what your career is.
Now go and take your best friend out for a walk.
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Topics: Lab Related, facts, info, opinions, tips and advice |
March 19th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
You forgot one - comedy dog trainer! If you’re adept at teaching basic obedience, adding simple tricks is a snap.
I loved the book ‘Dog Tricks’ by Capt. Haggerty; read it 30 years ago and taught my therapy dog lots of cute tricks we brought to nursing homes and hospitals.
Enjoy,
Barbara
Barbara Ling (aka Owlbert)’s last blog post..Viva the Easter Broccoli Bunny! Gaining the Edge and Managing your blog audience’s expectations - Day 3 of 5
March 21st, 2008 at 6:51 am
And another one, dog breeder. It’s not an easy thing to be a good, responsible and honest breeder. And it really takes time and patience to do so.