Big Pet Career List
Hands-on Careers/Jobs
Jobs/Careers without Touching Animals (think business and more)
Occupations/Jobs Working with Animals
I included several that aren't companion pet-related but that use many of the skills.
Adoption assistant/Counselor
Animal behavior therapist
Animal adoption coordinator
Artist
Cage handler
Compliance officer
Customer service/Receptionist at vet office
Disaster Response Team Member (DRTM; helps animals during natural disasters and other emergencies); the University of Florida Veterinary School has such a team.
Dog daycare assistant
Dog walker (your own company or working for someone else)
Doula for animals; compassionately providing end-of-life care for pets and helping their families during this horrible time. (Here's a link to the University of Vermont's certificate program).
Environmental activist
Farmer
Fear Free Certified Professional (FFCP; decrease the stress of animals in shelters and veterinary offices; also see listing under Trainer)
Feral cat nonprofit helper/Assistant
Fitness Coach (for animals). Example: Certified Canine Strength and Conditional Coach (CSCC), North Carolina State University
Forensic professional for animals
Forester/Park ranger
Geneticist
Grant writer
Groomer
Handler, dog show
Jockey/Professional rider
Judge (animal competitions/shows)
Manage a doggy daycare
Massage Therapist
Nosework (scent) trainer or handler
Nurse
Pet psychic (not advocating this; a friend mentioned her niece is one)
Pet psychologist
Photographer
Physical therapist for animals
Police canine officer
Public education
Rehabilitation (physical therapy and other integrative therapies)
Researcher
Rider, teach riding and therapeutic riding
Shelter manager
Shows animals (see also Handler)
Stylist/Groomer
Trainer, Seeing Eye and other service animals
Trainer, Fear Free (decrease anxiety of animals in veterinary offices and shelters)
Transportation of animals (all forms of transit including accompanying pets on airplanes)
Veterinarian (including all specialties)
Veterinarian assistant/Technician/Technologist
Veterinary behaviorist
Veterinary receptionist
Veterinary nurse (also listed as Nurse)
Volunteer
Warden, fish and game
Wildlife rehabber
Zoo curator
Animal Careers and Jobs Without Touching Animals
There are careers that benefit animals that don't involve handling them (at least some of the time). Examples follow. The emphasis is on pet-related careers (but we include a few other animal-related jobs as well). See if any of these jobs appeal to you.
Jobs Can Be:
Indoor
Outdoor
At a desk or moving around
Working from home
Examples of Settings that Can Have an Animal-related Mission
Colleges and universities (example, research labs)
Foundations (that have an animal-related mission such as the PetSmart Foundation)
Corporations (for example, Chewy, which sells pet products)
Government
Animal shelters
Magazines/Journals
Laboratories (ones that help animals; not ones that cruelly test on animals). For example, a lab that analyzes a pet's microbiome)
Professional associations (example, the American Veterinary Medical Association)
Advertising firms
Law firms (specialized) and courtrooms (example, Animal Legal Defense Fund)
Animal hospitals
Insurance companies
Stores
Online sales (example, Chewy)
Manufacturing
Examples of Jobs*
For example, specialized social workers help people overcome the death of their pets. More examples: sales of animal-related products (for example, dog food or animal medicines); handling finances for veterinary hospitals; writing grants to raise money so shelters can save more animals; and being deans of students at veterinary schools (vet degree not usually required). You can make a difference and help animals without ever touching one.
We avoided duplication wherever possible, but there are a few jobs duplicated on both lists.
Animal activist (example, working for PETA)
Baker/Cook, animal food and treats
Collector and seller of animal-related items (such as Breyer toy horses and Steiff stuffed animals)
Courtroom Animal Advocate (generally a volunteer position for a lawyer or law student)
Customer service (example, for Chewy)
Detective. Help find lost pets and solve animal related crimes
Doula, End of Life (EOL) for those losing companion animals (here's a link to the University of Vermont's certificate program)
Entrepreneur, your own business
Database management/IT/App developer
Fear Free Trainer (FFT, teach people techniques that decrease anxiety of animals in shelters and veterinary offices)
Finance for a shelter, animal hospital or private company that is animal affiliated
Fundraiser/Grant writer for a shelter or other nonprofit
Geneticist
Human resources
Insurance sales/Adjuster (pet insurance)
Journalist, issues about animals
Lawyer, pet
Lobbyist (for animal causes). Persuade elected officials to support legislation that helps animals
Nonprofit administrator--oversee volunteers, animal organizations, and more
Policy or Budget analyst--analyze legislation affecting animals
Pooper scooper, clean up people's yards
Practice manager
Program Manager
PR (Public Relations), including social media
Researcher, university or other environment
Retail sales
Sales, Pet company, for example for a company that makes treats or pet toys
Shelter manager
Social media/Advertising/Newsletter writing
Social worker. Work on bereavement issues and also help people keep their pets. Perhaps clients have housing or health issues.
Special events manager to call attention to animal causes, eg, finding fosters or forever families
Teacher, animal husbandry or other
Volunteer coordinator or manager
Writer (also see Journalist), fiction and nonfiction
*The included links describe careers in general and may not be specific to pet specialization