Best Career Options for Those Interested in Animal Rescue Work

Rescue animals are lost and abandoned; they are in need of a second chance. Unfortunately, not many animals are lucky enough to find a loving home where they can play and grow. Pet stores are profit-making businesses that churn out animals as fast as they can. These animals tend to be of ill health and have issues like poor training and socialization skills, which is due to the genetic defects of inbreeding.

Considering adoption or working for animal rescues mean that you are against such malpractices. Sadly, due to a lack of funds and employees, rescue shelters can be at risk of a steady decline. This, in turn, can impact the lives of rescue dogs or cats. Without proper shelters, animals may lose their chance to live a fulfilled life.

If you are into animals, you can bring a positive change to their lives by working with them. Here, we’ve come up with the best animal rescue careers that animal lovers can consider for themselves.

1.     Animal Welfare Veterinarian

These are well-qualified veterinary specialists that have advanced knowledge and training in animal welfare and ethics. These board-certified specialists have to routinely deal with animals and their suffering. They look for signs and symptoms of traumatic injuries in animals, perform surgical procedures, conduct diagnostic tests, and oversee other veterinary technicians and support staff.

In order to be an animal welfare veterinarian, interested veterinarians first need to be accepted into veterinary schools and get a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. Once they have passed the exams and become licensed practitioners, a vet will have to sit for the board certification exam that will allow them to work in the field of emergency and critical care.

2.     Animal Rescue Manager

Animal shelter managers look after the management, staff, and overall working of a rescue center. They have to ensure that animals are being treated well. For example, they are getting food and are bathed on time.

They are also required to supervise employees, develop operational procedures, seek funding resources, organize and market adoption events, create and maintain budgets, prepare important paperwork, etc., etc. In other words, the job of an animal rescue manager is a taxing one and should only be considered by those who have leadership qualities.

3.     Animal Groomers

Animal shelters are always in need of animal groomers that can look after the physical health of rescue animals. Although this job is performed by volunteers and employees, you can be one of them and take up the sole responsibility of being an animal groomer.

Groomers can help pets look their best by cleaning their fur and ears and trimming their nails. This is the kind of job for which one needs to have proper training first. You also need to have some prior experience of working with animals to be selected as a pet groomer.

4.     Animal Trainers

Animal trainers are responsible for training stray animals to perform a wide variety of tasks such as obeying their owner’s commands, riding, socializing, etc. These trainers also help pet owners become more comfortable with their pets.

There is no education requirement for becoming an animal trainer. However, certifications for animal training are a prerequisite for aspiring animal trainers.

5.     Humane Educator

The role of humane educators is to provide information about animal welfare, ethics, and behavior. They also educate pet adopters on how to care for and look after their newly adopted pets. Introducing a pet into your life for the first time can be challenging. Pet owners need to know how to interact and be compassionate with their pets on a day-to-day basis. Human educators can help pet owners in developing the skills and qualities needed to nurture their new pet.

Generally, humane educators have a degree in education or a field related to it. Apart from getting a degree, interested people can enroll in certification programs that are available through the Humane Society of the United States.

6.     Animal Lawyer

As the name suggests, animal lawyers deal with legal cases and disputes regarding animal rights, animal cruelty, pet custody, vet malpractice, and tainted pet products. Animal lawyers are required to do the following kinds of work:

  • Advise clients on subjects related to animals
  • Prepare and file legal documents
  • Conduct research
  • Interpret animal laws
  • Stay updated about animal rights
  • Analyze legal questions

In order to be an animal lawyer, you will need to have research skills, analytical skills, people skills, and empathy for animals.

7.     Animal Control Officer

Animal control officers enforce local and regional laws regarding the care and treatment of animals. Their primary task includes rescuing stray animals, investigating animal mistreatment cases, and providing the best care to animals.

To be an animal control officer, a degree in an animal-related field is preferred. One needs to have strong knowledge of animal behavior and their rights to seek a position in this field. Some of the duties and responsibilities of animal control officers include:

  • Rescue homeless animals
  • Investigating cases of animal injustice
  • Writing incident reports
  • Providing care to stray animals under supervision

8.     Wildlife Rehabilitator

Wildlife rehabilitators rescue endangered animals or injured wild animals with the purpose of returning them to their native lifestyle – wildlife. Wildlife rehabilitators can consider primary jobs such as veterinarian, zoologist, biologist, etc.

Some wildlife rehabilitators specialize in dealing with specific types of animals such as small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, etc. To figure out what type of animal you can work with, you need to gain experience with a variety of animal species before you choose a specific field.

For animal lovers, there is no better sense of achievement than working for the welfare of animals. And these are some of the career paths that will help make a difference in the lives of poor, homeless creatures.


by Bobby J Davidson || You can’t buy love, but you can rescue it™

Facts About Animal Homelessness:

  1. Only 1 out of every 10 dogs born will find a permanent home.
  2. The main reasons animals are in shelters: owners give them up, or animal control finds them on the street.
  3. Each year, approximately 2.7 million dogs and cats are killed every year because shelters are too full and there aren’t enough adoptive homes. Act as a publicist for your local shelter so pets can find homes. Sign up for Shelter Pet PR.
  4. Approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are cats.
  5. According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (NCPPSP), less than 2% of cats and only 15 to 20% of dogs are returned to their owners.
  6. 25% of dogs that enter local shelters are purebred.
  7. About twice as many animals enter shelters as strays compared to the number that are relinquished by their owners.
  8. It’s impossible to determine how many stray dogs and cats live in the United States. Estimates for cats alone range up to 70 million.
  9. Only 10% of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered. Overpopulation, due to owners letting their pets accidentally or intentionally reproduce, sees millions of these “excess” animals killed annually.
  10. Many strays are lost pets that were not kept properly indoors or provided with identification.
  11. According to The Humane Society, there are about 3,500 brick-and-mortar animal shelters in the US and 10,000 rescue groups and animal sanctuaries in North America.

Here are a some adoptions for consideration:  puccicafe.com/adoptions