So You Want to Work with Animals..

If you’re passionate about animals, you may decide that you want a career working with animals one day.  And the good news is there are plenty of jobs out there.  Veterniarian, vet tech, kennel tech, groomer, trainer, pet sitter, dog walker, breeder, handler, wildlife rehabilitator, zoo keeper, animal control officer, farmer, shelter manager, and pet store employee are just a handful of examples.  While all animal jobs have different requirements as far as education goes, they all have one thing in common.  They require experience.

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The best way to gain experience working with animals is by volunteering.  Besides gaining experience, volunteering is also a great way to network with professionals in various animal related careers.  This networking can help you get references and letters of recommendation and can even lead to future job oppertunities.

Where should you go to volunteer?  Well, most people look for job oppertunities at their local animal shelter.  While animal shelters are great places to volunteer, there are also plenty of other places as well.  Animal rescue groups often have a huge need for volunteers.  The difference between a shelter and rescue group is that where a shelter has a physical location, rescue groups are often run by volunteers in their homes.  Rescue groups need all kinds of volunteers for everything from foster homes and pet care needs to things like fundraising, social networking, and accounting. 

You can find shelters and rescue groups near you by using the Petfinder.com Shelter Search http://www.petfinder.com/awo/index.cgi?action=state

You can also find additional volunteer oppertunities with animals on Craigslist.  On your local Craigslist page, just go to Community>Volunteers and browse volunteer oppertunities in your area.  Another site to search for volunteer oppertunities is VolunteerMatch.org. 

If you’re interested in volunteering abroad or would like to combine volunteer work with travel, you may be interested in the World Vets program.  You can learn more on their webiste WorldVets.org. 

So if you’d like to one day work with animals, volunteering is an excellent first step in the right direction.