Small Animal Care

Small Animal Care

Program Description

Mrs. Linda Shuler, Instructor

Animal care and service workers—which include animal caretakers and animal trainers—train, feed, water, groom, bathe, and exercise animals, and clean, disinfect, and repair their cages. They work with the animals, provide companionship, and observe behavioral changes that could indicate illness or injury. Boarding kennels, animal shelters, veterinary hospitals and clinics, stables, laboratories, aquariums, and zoological parks all house animals and employ animal care and service workers.

Hands-On Experience

Small Animal Care students get extended learning in the laboratory by participating in the Customer Service Program. Students perform basic care on the pets of customers during class hours, thus practicing the people skills of customer service along with small animal care skills.

Call Today to Schedule an Appointment for your pet!!

Career Opportunities

Animal Care Workers find employment in a variety of settings with multiple job titles. Some require further schooling, or post-secondary degrees.

Animal caretakers or groomers can find work in shelters, kennels, vet clinics, stables or pet supply stores.

Animal Trainers work for a circus, zoo or marine park, and often are responsible for educational programs.

Keepers work for zoos, and are responsible for animal diets, cleaning cages and monitoring the health of the animals and their young.

Industry Overview

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians with an Associates degree are projected to be one of the fastest growing occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics report of 2002 - 2012.

Pet owners—including a large number of baby boomers, whose disposable income is expected to increase as they age— are expected to increasingly take advantage of grooming services, daily and overnight boarding services, training services, and veterinary services, resulting in more jobs for animal care and service workers. As many pet owners increasingly consider their pet as part of the family, their demand for luxury animal services and willingness to spend greater amounts of money on their pet will continue to grow.

*Bureau of Labor Statistics, October 2002