However animals arrive at the point of needing help, they can find medical care, rehabilitation, and a temporary home. If it is a domesticated animal, private and public shelters are available. Wildlife refuges and rehabilitation centers either provide a natural habitat for undomesticated animals or care for them until they are released back into the wild.
Working at a Private Animal Shelter
Private shelters for domesticated animals usually house dogs and cats, but often other animals, such as pigs, chickens, and birds, are brought in. These shelters are generally not-for-profit agencies and are organized like a business. Therefore, they provide careers for administrative and clerical workers, investigators, lawyers, and accountants. Secretaries and receptionists are often employed at shelters, as well as records clerks and computer operators. These positions are all in addition to veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and animal care attendants.
Shelters in large cities can take in thousands of animals a year. Most shelters never turn an animal away for any reason. This is because most private shelters are founded on a specific philosophy regarding the care and treatment of animals. Some, for instance, keep animals in cages; others do not. Some will euthanize an animal (kill it painlessly and humanely) after a certain period of time; others will only euthanize when the veterinarian decrees that the animal cannot be saved or is destined to suffer if kept alive. Some take in only cats or dogs; others take in any animal. If you decide to work in a shelter, you should check their guiding philosophy regarding the treatment of animals before you apply.
Since so many animals are brought to shelters every year (some may average around 20,000), the shelter has to be well organized on many different levels, which allows for a variety of career opportunities and responsibilities.
Administrator
In a typical shelter, administrators might include an executive director and an administrative director. Many shelters have a volunteer board of directors to whom the administrative heads' report.
The executive director is the overall administrator for the organization and operation of all departments and programs in the shelter. These departments may include humane education, shelter management, fundraising, public relations, the clinic, and field service. As spokesperson for the shelter, the executive director may be called on to be interviewed for local radio and television shows or newspapers, to give testimony at public hearings, or to speak at community gatherings.
The administrative director may work more directly with fundraising programs and membership recruitment and may also be in charge of personnel and selected programs. For either job, an education, such as a bachelor's degree, or experience in business administration is extremely helpful. As in any business, the administrator must be adept in communication skills, written and oral; capable of working well with people; and well organized in order to see to the smooth operation of the shelter.
As the administrator of a shelter, you should also have training or experience in animal shelter management. You may become executive director as a result of a promotion from within the shelter, or you may be brought in from the outside if you are an exceptionally qualified candidate, such as a veterinarian with experience in operating an animal clinic or hospital. A commercial kennel manager may also qualify for the executive director position.
Shelter Manager
Many private shelters also have a shelter manager who oversees the daily operation of the kennels, hires and supervises kennel staff, and establishes and maintains procedures for the kennels. A liberal arts education would help a person to become a shelter manager, but an animal care attendant could also be promoted into the position. If you are currently an animal care attendant, it would be a good idea to take night courses or attend workshops in animal science, business administration, management, or related topics in order to be considered for promotion to shelter manager since supervisory skills are required for this job.
Shelter managers usually report directly to the executive director and may have at least one assistant manager reporting to them. Together, the shelter manager and assistant manager supervise receiving agents and kennel attendants. Receiving agents are those employees who take the animals in and, if necessary, perform euthanasia. In some shelters, the animal care attendants also serve as adoption counselors. In this role they screen and interview applicants for part of the day and take care of the animals for the rest of the day.
An assistant shelter manager could be promoted to shelter manager, especially if he or she had some background in veterinary technology, animal science, kennel management, or animal husbandry. Salary will vary according to location and facility. (As we've already learned, no one should go into animal work who is aspiring to be a millionaire!)
Humane Investigator
Most shelters employ humane investigators (sometimes called agents or cruelty investigators) who pick up stray animals; rescue injured or trapped animals; or investigate reports of animal abuse, negligence, or abandonment. These agents can issue citations or warnings to offenders and even assist in the prosecution of offenders. Humane investigators generally need a high school education, but specialized programs are not offered at most colleges at the undergraduate level. However, if you are interested in becoming a humane investigator, you might study animal science or veterinary technology, in addition to courses in criminology or law enforcement. Some states require certification, although you may also be able to serve as an apprentice under a more experienced investigator and receive sufficient training for this position.
In small or rural communities, humane investigators may be employed only on a part-time basis. Salaries will vary accordingly. However, promotions are possible for humane investigators, generally to some kind of supervisory investigative position, or to the positions of assistant shelter manager or shelter manager.
Humane Educator
Many shelters believe so strongly in educating the public, especially children, in the humane treatment of animals that "humane educator" has become a specialized title in humane animal work. The humane education department of a private shelter upholds and implements the philosophy of the individual agency, which, as has been mentioned, may differ between agencies. Mainly, though, humane educators stress kindness and compassion to all living beings.
Most shelters send their educators out into the grade schools of their communities to teach children about values, attitudes, pet care, and animal awareness. Working with students in all grades of one school over a period of three to five days, the educator covers many topics, such as animal needs and rights, dangers to animals, overpopulation problems and solutions, and the general responsibilities of pet owners. In the upper grades, the students are told about the work of a humane society and careers in humane work. Usually tours of the shelter can also be arranged. More than twenty states consider humane education so important that they have enacted laws for compulsory classroom humane education.
In addition to making these presentations, humane educators also provide teachers and students with informational handouts and packets. Some shelters, depending on their size and budget, produce periodic newsletters, videos, and tapes for school use.
Larger shelters located in larger cities generally have humane education departments, to which the humane educator belongs. The department is headed by a director who coordinates all humane education programs, including those involving schools, libraries, museums, and other shelters. The director also deals with personnel problems and usually reports directly to the executive director or administrative director.
If you are considering a career as a humane educator, you should have a college degree in education or a related field. A minor in animal science is helpful, as well as courses in journalism, outdoor recreation, public relations, or environmental education. To become director of a humane education department, you may need a master's degree in education. At this level, courses in management, writing, and public speaking would be desirable. The Humane Society of the United States offers regional workshops in this field through the National Association for the Advancement of Humane Education.
As a humane educator, your salary will vary with the size of the facility and community. Generally, the larger shelters within the larger cities will be able to offer the highest salaries, as well as more opportunities for jobs and promotions.
A Humane Education Manager
An overwhelming love of animals as a child is not necessarily a criterion for later work with animals. You don't even have to spend all your time taking nature walks or hiking through the woods. Because of the structure of the shelter, all kinds of talents and qualities are needed.
John Caruso, manager of the Humane Education Department of The Anti-Cruelty Society in Chicago, majored in English and philosophy in college, not animal husbandry or biology. He says he was not one of those children who brought home stray cats and dogs. But he feels strongly that a thorough liberal arts background is valuable for anyone in humane education because it can help people analyze situations and solve problems-abilities that are needed in a management position.
John also had some background in public speaking and theater. So when he applied for a job in customer service at the shelter, they thought he was better suited to education. He was an educator under three separate managers, each of whom had a distinctive approach to the job. When the manager position became available, he applied, and, because of his on-the-job training, became manager.
John is a non-typical animal lover. Because he is a manager, he does not have direct contact with animals, and thus has no need for scientific training. And even though a bachelor's or master's degree in education is preferable for this position, his strong liberal arts education, public speaking experience, and on-the-job training qualified him for this position.
Humane educators often begin at the shelter as volunteers or kennel attendants, because many shelters have a policy of promoting from within. This promotion policy is a strong drawing point for employees and often compensates for generally low pay. John believes that, in addition, most shelters offer good benefits packages and sometimes tuition reimbursement programs for those who wish to continue their education.
Humane educators at The Anti-Cruelty Society give presentations to more than 40,000 students annually. In addition, they generate all kinds of written material and often handle more than 200 calls on pet behavior per month. They are currently writing a book and have assisted in the production of a film for fifth- and sixth-graders called protecting the Web.
Shelter Clinics
Private shelters also have clinics that are headed by a chief veterinarian, to whom other veterinarians and technicians report. The clinic may also use externs from a local college or university to work along with the professionals.
Veterinarians and technicians from a shelter often operate a traveling spay/neuter clinic for the whole community. One of the major tasks for veterinarians at a shelter is to spay and neuter, and they have to be prepared to handle a volume of work that a veterinarian in a private practice may not have.
Volunteer and Volunteer Coordinator
Most shelters, because they are not-for-profit organizations, depend on a dedicated group of volunteers on whom they can call for a variety of challenges, tasks, and responsibilities. These volunteers may eventually decide to make working with animals their career, as many do. In charge of training and assigning these volunteers is the volunteer coordinator. This position requires organizational as well as communication skills, plus an ability to work well with and supervise others.
Two jobs that volunteers might be involved in are working for a pet therapy program and manning the phones on a pet care hotline. The animal behaviorist on staff usually assists in training volunteers for these programs. Pet therapy programs bring volunteers and animals to hospitals and senior citizens' homes so that sick and infirm people get a temporary pet to cuddle. Sometimes emotionally disturbed children will be brought to the shelter for caring sessions with the animals. On a pet care hotline, volunteers counsel pet owners over the phone about the pet's behavior and training. Although these volunteers work closely with other professional staff people, they are assigned and scheduled by the coordinator.
Clerical Worker
No smoothly operating organization can function without efficient clerical workers. Secretaries are needed for the administrative staff, and a switchboard operator, file clerk, and computer operator are also part of most shelters. Since extensive records are kept on both the owners and the animals, the position of records clerk is a necessity in a shelter, unless the computer operator handles this function.
Those at the front desk are sometimes called customer service agents because they are the first contact the public has with the agency. They may also serve as switchboard operators and file clerks. In some shelters, they issue identification tags to the animals, record all pertinent data about an animal onto cards, and provide information about adoption procedures to the public.
The outlook for jobs for clerical workers in shelters is quite good, especially if you have a high school diploma and a basic knowledge of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and mathematics. Applicants for secretarial and typing positions should type at least 60 words per minute; secretaries may also be required to take shorthand at a minimum of 80 words per minute. Reliability, cooperation, punctuality, and organizational skills are looked upon favorably by potential employers.
Although all clerical positions do not require direct contact with animals, front desk personnel should be able to work well with people, who are sometimes upset over the loss of an animal, and with the animals that they may be checking in for adoption. In these cases, empathy and compassion can prove important qualities to have. Some clerical workers may be called on to do light typing or operate business machines, such as photocopiers, postage meters, calculators, and mail sorting machines.
Working at an Animal Control Agency
Animal control agencies, run by the city, county, state, or federal government, are structured roughly the same as private shelters. They employ administrators, clerical workers, veterinarians, technicians, animal care attendants, and animal control officers. The difference between a humane shelter and an animal control agency is in philosophy and intent.
Humane shelters have been established to prevent and/or lessen suffering and abuse of animals. The primary objective of the animal control agency, on the other hand, is to make sure that animals, especially strays, do not impinge on the lives of the residents of the community. The legal responsibilities of animal control agencies include patrolling for stray animals, impounding them according to local laws, and investigating residents' complaints about loud barking, injuries inflicted by animals, and property damage caused by pets or strays.
Director of Animal Control
The animal control agency is headed by the director of animal control who functions as the chief administrator, responsible for all agency programs and personnel. Job qualifications and education for this position would be generally the same as for the executive director of a humane shelter. Since the public agency is funded by the government, however, there is no real need for fundraising talents. Animal control directors, as government employees, must know and uphold the animal control laws of their individual communities.
Animal Control Officers
Animal control officers, also called animal control agents, are authorized to inspect pet shops, kennels, stables, and related businesses to see that the owners are complying with animal welfare regulations. If the community has laws about rabies or other inoculations, the animal control officer must enforce them. The animal control officer may be called on to rescue trapped animals, conduct obedience and pet care classes, enforce licensing laws, and investigate possible animal abuse cases. These officers should also know the rudiments of first aid, especially when dealing with trapped, abused, or injured animals.
Animal control officers may have to work with other government departments, such as the police or health departments; environmental, wildlife, or conservation agencies; and, on occasion, with private humane shelters.
As with humane investigators, their counterparts in private shelters, animal control officers are usually required to have a high school diploma. Any additional undergraduate courses you take to prepare for this job should include criminology and some animal science or veterinary technology training. You will receive further training when you are hired, usually from an experienced agent. This kind of work demands not only knowledge of local animal ordinances, but also an ability to make good judgments and to cope with the stress imposed by the field work.
When it becomes necessary for the animal control officer to bring in stray animals for impoundment, the strays are turned over to the shelter manager who keeps records of all animals in the kennels. Kennel attendants then see to the daily care, feeding, and cleaning of the animals, just as in a humane shelter. This is usually where euthanasia takes place, if that becomes necessary.
Animal Shelter or Animal Control
Since many of the jobs in private and public shelters are some-what equivalent in terms of responsibilities, education, and qualifications, your career decision will probably be based on your philosophy toward animals. Humane societies are opposed, for example, to euthanasia except when the animal, in the veterinarian's opinion, is terminally suffering or when the shelter is so overpopulated that euthanasia is the only solution. Humane shelters also do not believe in using impounded animals for laboratory experiments, hunting animals illegally or indiscriminately, using leg hold traps, or raising animals in an artificial environment.
Government agencies, on the other hand, may not be bound by the same philosophy as humane shelters. So if you are pursuing a career in shelter work, you may want to investigate the purpose and operating principles of the shelters you are considering for employment. Since most medium- and large-sized cities have both a humane shelter (perhaps more than one) and an animal control agency, your career opportunities are better there than in smaller, rural communities.
Working in Wildlife Management
The smaller, rural communities will, however, afford you the opportunity to work in wildlife refuges and rehabilitation centers. Wildlife is, of course, defined as all animals that are not domesticated. Fish may be included in this definition, although they are sometimes put into a different category.
The entire field of wildlife management in this country is fairly new-about 50 years old. It is generally defined as the human maintenance and manipulation of natural resources to benefit the total environment. In that broad context, the saving of individual animals and the protection and preservation of entire species is vital. Wildlife and its preservation are important to the ecological balance of the planet. Efforts at maintaining this balance are becoming increasingly important in these times of greater and greater environmental pollution and increased habitat destruction.
Wildlife Refuges
Many positions in wildlife management are to be found in wildlife refuges. These refuges may be public or private, with most being run by either state, federal, or provincial (Canadian) governmental agencies. Wildlife refuges provide shelter for endangered species, protect those species that are threatened, and study habitat and diseases of wildlife. Careers in wildlife management at refuges often require arduous study and training, long hours, determination, and a deep commitment to protection and preservation to individual animals and whole species.
Refuges and rehabilitation centers must have an organizational structure if they are to run smoothly. Therefore, they need administrators and clerical workers, wildlife and research biologists, and often fishery biologists. Veterinarians and volunteer coordinators may round out the picture.
Refuge Manager
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior runs hundreds of wildlife refuges across the country. Refuge managers' responsibilities are primarily to protect indigenous and migratory fish and wildlife and to control and regulate hunting and fishing at the refuges. The manager is a highly skilled professional who has probably come up through the ranks and who has a great deal of technical knowledge. However, as an administrator, the refuge manager also must have a good business sense, work well with people, and know how to stretch a budget dollar.
Managers should have a college degree, preferably in a physical or biological science. Specifically, they should have completed nine hours of zoology and six hours in wildlife courses. Managers should also have a mastery of English, including speaking, reading, and writing. Psychology, geography, public relations, and economics courses are also very helpful.
If you are still in high school and are thinking of wildlife management as a career, you should study math, English, chemistry, and biology. Any experience working on committees, conducting meetings, or writing for newspapers or yearbooks will also help you.
Since wildlife work is highly competitive, you are encouraged to get a master's degree or a doctorate in wildlife-related fields to increase your chances of employment. Many colleges and universities in North America now offer courses leading to a degree in wildlife management.
Wildlife Biologist
Wildlife biologists are also employed at refuges. Their work includes the study of wildlife distribution, habitat, ecology, mortality, and economic value. In addition, they conduct wild-life programs, apply results of research to wildlife management, work with the restoration or creation of wildlife habitats, and help to control diseases in wildlife.
Wildlife biologists working as research scientists have to be knowledgeable about wildlife population dynamics, land use, and environmental pollution. Their primary training must be in the scientific method of collecting, analyzing, and objectively reporting data to their supervisors and other refuges for future practical applications.
Fishery biologists work with aquatic organisms in fish hatcheries where rearing and stocking operations are performed. Habitat, history, and classification of these organisms are also part of the study of fishery biologists.
Wildlife biologists should have a college degree with at least 30 semester hours in biology. These would include nine hours in wildlife-related subjects, 12 hours in zoology, and nine hours in botany.
Working at a Rehabilitation Center
Animal rehabilitation centers, operated by private or public agencies, are devoted to the treatment of sick or injured wildlife. Many specialize in one species or one type of animal within a species. Rehabilitation centers are necessary because all forms of wildlife are subject to natural disasters as well as manmade hazards. Wildlife animals suffer during tornadoes, blizzards, earthquakes, and droughts. They are sickened by oil spills and water and air pollution. They are injured or wounded by traps, gunshot, collisions, live wires, and natural predators. And they are subject to disease, just as humans are.
Rehabilitation centers usually are headed by a professional manager and employ wildlife or fishery biologists and volunteer coordinators. Educational requirements are similar to those for positions in the refuge, but for those biologists who will work directly with injured animals, special emphasis may be placed on training or course work in clinical pathology, basic shock cycles, anatomy and physiology, drug dosage, physical therapy, and emergency care. Clinical pathology courses will include some laboratory procedures in blood work, parasitology, and urinalysis in wildlife animals. You will be taught how to draw blood, test white cell counts, and test for heartworm.
To work in a rehabilitation center, you will need to know how to treat wounds, heal fractures, and determine antibiotic treatments. If you work with birds, you must be able to clean and care for birds caught and injured in oil spills. Some tasks in a rehabilitation center are more complex, such as setting up a physical therapy program for a particular kind of animal or species. Some wildlife biologists working at rehabilitation centers exclusively perform research into ways of reducing exposure of wildlife to fatal diseases.
Volunteer coordinators can learn the specific skills they need to perform their jobs at workshops and seminars. Such courses might focus on recruiting, training, motivating, and delegating, as well as hiring and firing procedures and burnout management.
The Next Step
The International Wildlife Council is the professional organization to contact for further information in this field. Members include administrators, educators, researchers, veterinarians, and humane workers. Although it is not a licensing agency, it does offer certified course work in various aspects of animal rehabilitation.
If you choose to work for the U.S. Department of the Interior as a federal employee, you will have to get an application form from any Federal Job Information Center in most large cities. The Competition Notice (CN-0400) that comes with the application form will inform you of any restrictions regarding specialized positions and locations. Send your completed form to the Office of Personnel Management, Staffing Service Center Examining Office.
Now you should have a better idea of the opportunities that are available in shelters, animal control agencies, refuges, and rehabilitation centers. If you are still interested in exploring these possibilities, you need to make a few basic decisions. They will revolve around whether you want to work for a public or private agency; how much time you want to devote to education and training; which kind of animal, domesticated or wild, you wish to care for every day; whether you want to be an administrator or a field worker; and what your philosophy is about the care and treatment of animals.
Whatever your choice, keep in mind that direct work with any animal in need of help can be stressful and even traumatic. Your physical and emotional strength, compassion, and technical skills will be necessary to see you through the long hours of difficult work. But you should also be aware that the rewards are equal to the difficulty. Your work is essential to the well being of all creatures-including humans.
