Читать книгу Careers with Dogs - Kim Campbell Thornton - Страница 10

Dog lovers with an entrepreneurial bent face a bright future, especially those with an interest in starting pet-related businesses such as dog walking, sitting, grooming, and training. Service industries are expected to account for approximately 18.7 million of the 18.9 million new wage and salary jobs generated through 2014. The American Pet Products Association (APPA) estimates that owners spent $3.4 billion on pet services in 2009, up from $2.4 billion in 2005. Two-income families, in particular, have the money but not the time to spend on their dogs. The state of the economy is also important, as pet owners tend to spend even more on animal services when the economy is strong.

Doctor of physical therapy and certified canine rehab practitioner Amy Kramer works with a patient at California Animal Rehabilitation, the care business she founded in Santa Monica with veterinarian Jessica H. Waldman. They have been nonstop busy since opening in 2007.

If you want to help animals, consider shelter work. The job outlook for animal-care workers, such as kennel attendants and shelter workers, is promising. While it’s not good news for animals, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that jobs in animal shelters will be plentiful. Although this type of work is rewarding in some ways, it can also be demanding and stressful. Shelter workers may deal with people who are sad about giving up their pets as well as those who callously abandon their animals when they are tired of them. Shelter workers also see pets who have been mistreated, are sick, or are difficult to work with because they are untrained. Because of the various stresses of the job, many shelter employees switch careers eventually, thereby creating opportunities for other people who wish to enter the field.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment of animal-care and service workers such as kennel attendants, groomers, pet sitters, animal-control and shelter employees, and trainers will grow by 18 to 26 percent through 2018. Advantages of these jobs include not only direct involvement with dogs but also generally flexible work schedules. In addition, such jobs usually don’t require a college degree. The work can be backbreaking, however, especially for groomers and kennel attendants, and anyone working in this field risks being bitten by the animals they work with.

Trainers with good communication and self-promotion skills can find work teaching assistance or service dogs, training dogs for the entertainment industry, or as a broadcast personality, such as Victoria Stilwell of the Animal Planet television show It’s Me or the Dog.