Feed, water, groom, bathe, exercise, or otherwise provide care to promote and maintain the well-being of pets and other animals that are not raised for consumption, such as dogs, cats, race horses, ornamental fish or birds, zoo animals, and mice. Work in settings such as kennels, animal shelters, zoos, circuses, and aquariums. May keep records of feedings, treatments, and animals received or discharged. May clean, disinfect, and repair cages, pens, or fish tanks.
Work Activities
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Feed and water animals according to schedules and feeding instructions.
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Provide treatment to sick or injured animals, or contact veterinarians to secure treatment.
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Examine and observe animals to detect signs of illness, disease, or injury.
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Mix food, liquid formulas, medications, or food supplements according to instructions, prescriptions, and knowledge of animal species.
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Do facility laundry and clean, organize, maintain, and disinfect animal quarters, such as pens and stables, and equipment, such as saddles and bridles.
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Exercise animals to maintain their physical and mental health.
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Collect and record animal information, such as weight, size, physical condition, treatments received, medications given, and food intake.
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Observe and caution children petting and feeding animals in designated areas to ensure the safety of humans and animals.
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Clean and disinfect surgical equipment.
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Find homes for stray or unwanted animals.
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Respond to questions from patrons, and provide information about animals, such as behavior, habitat, breeding habits, or facility activities.
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Answer telephones and schedule appointments.
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Advise pet owners on how to care for their pets' health.
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Discuss with clients their pets' grooming needs.
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Transfer animals between enclosures to facilitate breeding, birthing, shipping, or rearrangement of exhibits.
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Perform animal grooming duties, such as washing, brushing, clipping, and trimming coats, cutting nails, and cleaning ears.
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Adjust controls to regulate specified temperature and humidity of animal quarters, nurseries, or exhibit areas.
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Anesthetize and inoculate animals, according to instructions.
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Install, maintain, and repair animal care facility equipment, such as infrared lights, feeding devices, and cages.
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Train animals to perform certain tasks.
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Order, unload, and store feed and supplies.
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Sell pet food and supplies.
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Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
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Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
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Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
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Oral Comprehension
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
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Information Ordering
The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
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Near Vision
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
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Customer and Personal Service
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
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Clerical
Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
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English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Education High school diploma or equivalent
- Work Experience No work experience
- Training Less than 1 month on-the-job training
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Looking for technical training programs?
Check out these programs:
Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
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Integrity
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Dependability
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Self Control
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Attention to Detail
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Cooperation
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Stress Tolerance
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Water testing and sampling kits
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Veterinary nail trimmers or cutters
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Pet grooming products
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Electric hair clipper
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Aquariums
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Presentation software
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Office suite software
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Electronic mail software
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Data base user interface and query software
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Calendar and scheduling software
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Bright Outlook occupations will grow rapidly in the next few years, have a large number of openings, or are new and emerging careers.
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Apprenticeships are available for this occupation. These programs can help you get hands-on experience and build your skills.
