The 8 Best Careers in The Pet Industry

If you’re passionate about animals, the pet industry might be the perfect place for you to work! There are many different careers to choose from, and each offers its own unique set of challenges and rewards. In this article, we will explore the 8 most popular (and successful) careers in the pet industry.

So, whether you’re just starting out in your career or you’re looking for a change, we guarantee that you’ll find something that interests you!

8 Jobs in The Pet Industry YOU Should Consider This Year!

Career Path #1: Dog Groomer

What Is a Dog Groomer?

A dog groomer is responsible for cleaning, brushing, and styling a dog’s fur. They may also trim the nails and clean the ears.

Is Schooling Required?

In most places, dog grooming is still an unregulated industry. As such, most groomers have at least a high school diploma. That said, getting professional certification training at the start of your career is STRONGLY encouraged!

Approximately How Long Does It Take to Become a Dog Groomer?

This depends on the type of schooling you choose to complete, as well as whether you also wish to complete an apprenticeship. That said, you can easily become a certified dog groomer and begin booking clients in less than 1 year.

What Does a Dog Groomer Do on a Daily Basis?

Dog groomers typically work in pet stores, animal shelters, kennels, or grooming salons. Another popular career path for groomers is to launch and run their own grooming business. In terms of daily job duties, they spend their day bathing, drying, and grooming dogs of all shapes and sizes.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Being a Dog Groomer?

The pros of being a dog groomer include flexible hours, working with animals, and the opportunity to meet new people every day. The cons include potentially dealing with difficult dogs, having to work on weekends, and dealing with dog hair all day!

Average Salary of a Dog Groomer

The following annual income ranges are based on each country. Please also note that what you wind up making can vary – depending on where you live, whether you work full-time vs. part-time, whether you run your own business or work for an employer, etc.

Career Path #2: Veterinary Technician

What Is a Veterinary Technician?

A veterinary technician is a medical professional who works alongside veterinarians to provide animal care. They are responsible for taking X-rays, administering vaccines, and assisting in surgeries.

Is Schooling Required?

Yes – in order to become a certified veterinary technician, you must complete an accredited Veterinary Technician Program.

Approximately How Long Does It Take to Become a Veterinary Technician?

Your professional education will typically take 2 to 4 years to complete. An associate’s degree in veterinary technology is usually around 2 years long, whereas a bachelor’s degree is 4 years long.

What Does a Veterinary Technician Do on a Daily Basis?

The job duties of a veterinary technician vary depending on the type of practice they work in. However, most technicians can expect to spend their day taking X-rays, administering vaccines and medications, drawing blood, and collecting tissue samples.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Being a Veterinary Technician?

The pros of being a veterinary technician include working with animals, having a stable career, and making a difference in the lives of animals. The cons include working long hours, dealing with sick animals, and witnessing animal euthanasia.

Average Salary of a Veterinary Technician

The following annual income ranges are based on each country. Please also note that what you wind up making can vary – depending on where you live, whether you work full-time vs. part-time, your level of experience, etc.

Career Path #3: Veterinarian

What Is a Veterinarian?

A veterinarian is a medical professional who diagnostics and treats animals. They are responsible for providing animal care, performing surgeries, and prescribing medications.

Is Schooling Required?

Yes – in order to become a certified veterinarian, you must complete an accredited Veterinary Medicine Program.

Approximately How Long Does It Take to Become a Veterinarian?

Your professional education will typically take at least 4 years to complete. After completing your undergraduate degree, you will then have to complete a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program, which is another 4 years.

What Does a Veterinarian Do on a Daily Basis?

The job duties of a veterinarian vary depending on the type of practice they work in. However, most veterinarians can expect to spend their day diagnosing and treating animal diseases, performing surgeries, and prescribing medications.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Being a Veterinarian?

Much like being a veterinary technician, the biggest benefits of a career in veterinary medicine include working with animals, having a stable career, and making a difference in the lives of animals. Similarly, the cons include working long hours, potentially dealing with sick animals, and witnessing animal euthanasia.

Average Salary of a Veterinarian

The following annual income ranges are based on each country. Please also note that what you wind up making can vary – depending on where you live, whether you work full-time vs. part-time, if you own your own practice, etc.

Career Path #4: Pet Boarding Facility Owner/Operator

What Is a Pet Boarding Facility Owner/Operator?

A pet boarding facility owner/operator is responsible for the care of animals while their owners are away. This can include feeding, walking, and providing general supervision.

Is Schooling Required?

No, there is no formal education required to become a pet boarding facility owner. However, experience working with animals is recommended – and definitely preferred by prospective customers.

How Long Does It Take to Become a Pet Boarding Facility Owner/Operator?

The amount of time it takes to become a pet boarding facility owner varies depending on your prior experience, as well as whether you start your own business or purchase an existing one.

What Does a Pet Boarding Facility Owner/Operator Do on a Daily Basis?

A pet boarding facility owner is responsible for the day-to-day operations of their business. This includes caring for the animals, cleaning the facilities, and managing staff.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Being a Pet Boarding Facility Owner/Operator?

The pros of being a pet boarding facility owner include being your own boss, having a flexible schedule, and working with animals. The cons include long hours, potentially dealing with difficult customers, and having to work on weekends and holidays.

Average Salary of a Pet Boarding Facility Owner/Operator

The following annual income ranges are based on each country. Please note that what you wind up making can vary – depending on where you live, whether you own your own business, etc.

Career Path #5: Dog Trainer

What Is a Dog Trainer?

A dog trainer is responsible for teaching dogs obedience, tricks, and good manners. They may also work with owners to help them better understand their pets.

Is Schooling Required?

There is no formal education required to become a dog trainer. However, the most successful trainers out there have completed courses and/or certification programs offered by credible, professional organizations.

If you’re interested in becoming a dog trainer, we recommend first obtaining your International Dog Training Professional™ (IDTP™) certification through QC Pet Studies. After that, we highly suggest taking the Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) exam from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT).

How Long Does It Take to Become a Dog Trainer?

The amount of time it takes to become a dog trainer varies depending on your prior experience and whether you complete a certification program. With that in mind, it’s absolutely possible to begin working as a certified dog trainer in less than a year!

What Does a Dog Trainer Do on a Daily Basis?

A dog trainer typically works with a few clients per day, teaching their dogs obedience, tricks, and good manners. In between sessions, they may also be responsible for administrative tasks such as scheduling appointments and updating client records.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Being a Dog Trainer?

The pros of being a dog trainer include working with animals, having a flexible schedule, and being your own boss. The cons include long hours, potentially dealing with difficult customers, sometimes working with stubborn and/or aggressive dogs, and having to work on weekends and holidays.

Average Salary of a Dog Trainer

The following annual income ranges are based on each country. Please note that what you wind up making can vary – depending on where you live, whether you own your own dog training business or work for someone else, how you’ve priced your services, etc.

Career Path #6: Pet Food Tester

What Is a Pet Food Tester?

A pet food tester is responsible for, you guessed it, testing pet food! But there’s a little bit more to it than that. Pet food testers work with animal nutritionists and veterinarians to ensure that pet foods meet safety and quality standards.

Is Schooling Required?

While there’s no formal education required to become a pet food tester, having some sort of background in nutrition (especially animal nutrition) would be a MAJOR bonus. This sort of knowledge will allow you to truly thrive in the pet industry, as well as make you a better income.

If you’re interested in becoming a pet food tester, it could be worth it to do a little online research and see what sort of animal nutrition courses are available to you.

How Long Does It Take to Become a Dog Trainer?

The amount of time it takes to become a pet food tester varies depending on your prior experience. It’ll also depend upon whether or not you choose to obtain some sort of nutrition training first. As a point of reference, a bachelor of science degree in either Animal Health and Behavior or Animal Science will take 4 years to complete.

But again, schooling isn’t required in order to work in this field.

What Does a Pet Food Tester Do on a Daily Basis?

A pet food tester typically works with a few clients per day, testing their pets’ food for safety and quality. In between sessions, they may also be responsible for administrative tasks such as scheduling appointments and updating client records.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Being a Pet Food Tester?

The biggest pro of being a pet food tester is that you can play a direct role in ensuring that animals are consuming safe, healthy foods. As you can imagine, the bigger con, on the other hand, is that not all of the foods you test-taste will be pleasant. In fact, some might be downright gag-worthy to your human tastebuds.

Average Salary of a Pet Food Tester

The following annual income ranges are based on each country. Please note that what you wind up making can vary – depending on where you live, whether you own your own business or work for an employer, etc.

Career Path #7: Pet Food Manufacturer

What Is a Pet Food Manufacturer?

A pet food manufacturer is responsible for, you guessed it, manufacturing pet food! They work in factories and oversee the production of pet foods from start to finish.

Is Schooling Required?

While there’s no formal education required to become a pet food manufacturer, having some sort of background in nutrition (especially animal nutrition) would be beneficial. This sort of knowledge will allow you to truly excel in the role, as well as increase your employment opportunities and income.

If you’re interested in becoming a pet food manufacturer, it could be worth your while to take an animal nutrition course!

How Long Does It Take to Become a Pet Food Manufacturer?

If you dream of running your own pet food manufacturing business, then it’ll take a little longer than if you’re looking to become an employee of an existing pet food company.

For the latter, the amount of time it takes to become a pet food manufacturer varies depending on your prior experience. It’ll also depend upon whether or not you choose to obtain some sort of nutrition training first.

If you want to start your own business, though, you should expect the process of planning, obtaining funding, and setting up your factory to take a few years.

What Does a Pet Food Manufacturer Do on a Daily Basis?

A pet food manufacturer typically works with other members of the production team to oversee the manufacturing process from start to finish. In between batches, they may also be responsible for quality control tasks such as testing products for safety and nutritional value.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Being a Pet Food Manufacturer?

The pros of being a pet food manufacturer include flexibility (especially if you get to be your own boss), unlimited potential income, constant high demand, and the ability to make a positive impact on the lives of animals. Cons of being a pet food manufacturer include high volume of competition, costly overhead expenses, and having to overcome a definite learning curve.

Average Salary of a Pet Food Manufacturer

Please note that what you wind up making can vary – depending on where you live, whether you operate your own factory or work within someone else’s, your competitors, etc.

The list below provides breakdowns (according to Payscale) of what various roles within a pet food manufacturing company will make per year in the following countries:

Career Path #8: Dog Walker

What Is a Dog Walker?

A professional dog walker is someone who walks people’s dogs for them while they’re away at work or otherwise unable to do so themselves.

Is Schooling Required?

Nope! No formal education is required to become a dog walker. However, you will need to be comfortable around all sorts of breeds and temperaments of dogs, as well as have the ability to handle more than one at a time.

Plus, you’ll also need some basic knowledge of canine care and safety. For this reason, while not required, we highly recommend taking QC Pet Studies’ self-paced, online First Aid Course!

How Long Does It Take to Become a Dog Walker?

You can pretty much become a dog walker overnight! Just remember that, as with any job, the more experience you have, the more employable you’ll be – and the higher your rates can be.

What Does a Dog Walker Do on a Daily Basis?

A dog walker’s primary responsibility is to, well, walk dogs! This involves visiting clients’ homes to pick up their pups and taking them out for a set amount of time – usually between 30 minutes to an hour.

During this time, the dogwalker will make sure the dog(s) gets plenty of exercise and goes to the bathroom. They may also play games with the dogs or perform other basic obedience commands, depending on the owner’s instructions.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Being a Dog Walker?

The pros of being a professional dog walker include getting paid to hang out with furry friends all day, flexible hours, and the ability to work outdoors. The cons of being a dog walker include having to deal with bad weather, walking in all kinds of neighborhoods, and potentially encountering aggressive dogs.

Average Salary of a Dog Walker

The following annual income ranges are based on each country. Please note that what you wind up making can vary – depending on where you live, whether or not you own your own dog walking business, the number of dogs you can walk per day, whether your business offers any addition services (e.g., dog grooming), etc.

So, Do Any of These Careers in The Pet Industry Interest You?

Just remember that no matter what your skillset or interests are, there is likely a career in the pet industry that’s perfect for you! If this is your dream job, then don’t let anything stop you from pursuing it!

Do you have any questions or comments about this article? Let us know in the comment section below! And, if you found this article helpful, please share it with your friends!

After all, sharing is caring.

Thanks for reading!

Start YOUR career in the pet industry by enrolling with QC Pet Studies today!