Personal Care and Service · Holland code RSC

Animal Caretakers

Feed, water, groom, bathe, exercise, or otherwise provide care to promote and maintain the well-being of pets and other animals that are not raised for consumption, such as dogs, cats, race horses, ornamental fish or birds, zoo animals, and mice. Work in settings such as kennels, animal shelters, zoos, circuses, and aquariums. May keep records of feedings, treatments, and animals received or discharged. May clean, disinfect, and repair cages, pens, or fish tanks.

Also called: Aquarist, Dog Groomer, Groomer, Kennel Technician (Kennel Tech), Animal Care Giver (ACG), Dog Bather, Kennel Attendant, Pet Groomer.

O*NET 39-2021.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $35,360; Middle half earn $29,820 to $40,050. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 64% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Feed and water animals according to schedules and feeding instructions.
Provide treatment to sick or injured animals, or contact veterinarians to secure treatment.
Examine and observe animals to detect signs of illness, disease, or injury.
Mix food, liquid formulas, medications, or food supplements according to instructions, prescriptions, and knowledge of animal species.
Do facility laundry and clean, organize, maintain, and disinfect animal quarters, such as pens and stables, and equipment, such as saddles and bridles.
Exercise animals to maintain their physical and mental health.
Collect and record animal information, such as weight, size, physical condition, treatments received, medications given, and food intake.
Observe and caution children petting and feeding animals in designated areas to ensure the safety of humans and animals.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Monitoring3.1 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.0 / 5
Active Listening3.0 / 5
Speaking2.9 / 5
Writing2.8 / 5
Critical Thinking2.8 / 5

Knowledge areas

Customer and Personal Service4.2 / 5
Administrative3.1 / 5
English Language3.1 / 5
Education and Training2.6 / 5
Administration and Management2.5 / 5
Psychology2.5 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic86
Investigative29
Artistic10
Social46
Enterprising9
Conventional38

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

animal care attendant · DE Tierpfleger /Tierpflegerin · FR auxiliaire de soins aux animaux
animal groomer · DE Tierfriseur/Tierfriseurin · FR toiletteur/toiletteuse
kennel worker · DE Tierpfleger Tierpension/Tierpflegerin Tierpension · FR employé de chenil/employée de chenil
zookeeper · DE Tierpfleger Zoo/Tierpflegerin Zoo · FR gardien de zoo/gardienne de zoo
zoo section leader · DE Cheftierpfleger Zoo/Cheftierpflegerin Zoo · FR chef de section en parc zoologique
animal handler · DE Tierbetreuer/Tierbetreuerin · FR soigneur d’animaux/soigneuse d’animaux

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Animal care services occupations n.e.c. (6129)102,200 employed
Metal plate workers, smiths, moulders and related occupations (5212)10,700 employed
Farm workers (9111)40,700 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Service and sales workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Service and sales workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€32,957
Sweden	€32,596
Netherlands	€29,198
Austria	€29,068
Germany	€27,471
Ireland	€26,978
Italy	€24,995
France	€24,971
Spain	€18,303
Portugal	€10,656
Poland	€7,579

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.89. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (39-2021).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

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