Pet Care Realities – Know the Good and the Bad

I stumbed across a great article today about the downsides of pet care careers. The author Aimee Amodio makes some great obervations about the not so enjoyable aspects of various pet care careers. Of course every job has it’s drawbacks - usually that you have to be present from 9-5 every day if you work a standard office job! Seriously though, you should educate yourself about all aspects of any new career or business and decide if you can live with the downsides. Here are a few that Aimee mentions:

1) For a pet sitter or dog walker the weather isn’t always great but the dogs still need to be walked. Pet sitters have to feel comfortable going into other peoples homes to meet with them for interviews and to visit their pets. Some dogs may act agressively on first visits until they get comfortable with the sitter.

2) A doggy day care operator has a lot of logistics to consider such as deciding whether to care for the dogs in their home or if they are going to rent or buy a location. They must also be able to screen dogs for suitability and break up fights if they happen between dogs in their care.

3) Grooming can be a dirty job - you may find dogs that have skin problems or insect infestations. Some dogs may be reluctant to take that bath so groomers often risk scratches and bites.

4) Animal shelter staff must deal with owners who surrender their pets, difficult to place pets and euthanasia of pets if they work at a kill shelter.

Talk to other pet care professionals that work in the career you are interested in pursuing before taking the plunge into something new. You can also test drive the job by offering to help for a day in a shelter or vets office, or accompanying a pet sitter or groomer on their daily visits.

Owning a pet business does not guarantee you success, but it is generally not difficult to set up your own pet business adn many who own pet businesses love the hard working lifestyle and the closeness to pets. You will have to compete with those who may be better trained, may have lower cost structures and those who “pretend” to have your skills and experience when they do not. (eg not all those who advertise themselves as groomers are actually Groomers).

There are also key skills that all dog industry professionals should possess. Here are some of the most critical skills and abilities for those hoping to work with dogs professionally: Basic Dog Handling and Training Skills, ability to recognize behavioral signals.

Animals can be somewhat unpredictable when they are under stress or in an unfamiliar environment, like when they visit the veterinary office or the grooming salon, so it is important to be attentive and stay aware of the animal you are handling at all times.