Protective Service · Holland code RCI

Animal Control Workers

Handle animals for the purpose of investigations of mistreatment, or control of abandoned, dangerous, or unattended animals.

Also called: ACO (Animal Control Officer), Animal Enforcement Officer, Animal Park Code Enforcement Officer, Animal Services Officer, Animal Attendant, Animal Cruelty Investigator, Animal Instructor Officer, Animal Ordinance Enforcement Officer.

O*NET 33-9011.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $45,660; Middle half earn $37,750 to $57,060. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 65% 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.

Write reports of activities, and maintain files of impoundments and dispositions of animals.
Investigate reports of animal attacks or animal cruelty, interviewing witnesses, collecting evidence, and writing reports.
Examine animals for injuries or malnutrition, and arrange for any necessary medical treatment.
Contact animal owners to inform them that their pets are at animal holding facilities.
Educate the public about animal welfare, and animal control laws and regulations.
Remove captured animals from animal-control service vehicles and place animals in shelter cages or other enclosures.
Answer inquiries from the public concerning animal control operations.
Capture and remove stray, uncontrolled, or abused animals from undesirable conditions, using nets, nooses, or tranquilizer darts as necessary.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening3.8 / 5
Speaking3.6 / 5
Critical Thinking3.5 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.0 / 5
Writing3.0 / 5
Monitoring3.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

Public Safety and Security4.5 / 5
Law and Government4.5 / 5
English Language4.3 / 5
Customer and Personal Service4.2 / 5
Administrative3.6 / 5
Education and Training3.3 / 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.

Realistic82
Investigative43
Artistic0
Social27
Enterprising19
Conventional48

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
animal handler · DE Tierbetreuer/Tierbetreuerin · FR soigneur d’animaux/soigneuse d’animaux
animal shelter worker · DE Tierpfleger Tierheim/Tierpflegerin Tierheim · FR soigneur en refuge/soigneuse en refuge

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Heavy and large goods vehicle drivers (8211)273,400 employed
Animal care services occupations n.e.c. (6129)102,200 employed
Managers and proprietors in forestry, fishing and related services (1212)18,600 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 middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.59. 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 (33-9011).

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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