I will be 16 in 1 week, I turn 16 on the 9th, and I LOVE animals. I want a job at a no kill animal shelter or something. But I have to buy everything for my dog and lizard, so I need to get paid. And so far, all the shelters etc only have volunteer positions. Nothing says apply for job or anything. I am in Dallas, TX. Please tell me if you know of a place that works with animals (if a shelter, only a no kill, I do now agree with shelters that euthanise animals, it would make me sick) I am not going to be picky with the amount of pay, I just need some money. THANK YOU
Answers:
When I was really young, around 8, I started grooming and bathing dogs for a show dog kennel in my town. I got paid per dog, which later turned into per hour as I got good at doing it. I learned a lot, got paid, and got to show their dogs too which taught me a lot of job and professional skills at an early age.
I would suggest looking at kennels (both boarding and show), dog groomers, and related places to get a paying job. You may have to prove to them that you are serious and that you will be a great worker. It is really easy for them to fire someone your age and not even to hire you in the beginning, so you will have to work your butt off. If you prove to them that you are a valuable part of their business, then you should be rewarded for the level of work that you are putting in.
Another option is to start your own business, which I did at 13, and still 16 years later is going strong and is my entire job. Think of things with animals that you like doing- dog walking, pet sitting, cleaning aquariums, cleaning kennels, grooming, bathing, etc. Then come up with how you will do it, research how much people charge for the services and then set your rates a little lower so that you will get interest in your business over someone else's, and then ADVERTISE- put up signs everywhere- grocery stores, feed stores, free ads on the classified ad sites online, free ads in newspapers, etc.
Once people know that you will do a great job they will recommend you to other people. The best advertising that you can have is word of mouth.
Good luck on getting some money! I am proud of you for wanting to do something positive with animals. It is not the shelter's fault for having volunteer positions, they simply do not have the budget to be able to support paying positions other than maybe their director or head staff members. If you need experience before you start your own business, then volunteer for a while so that not only you get the experience you get the good comments for references from those that you work with and for.
PS- I did train dogs for Petco for about two years, they are a good company to work for and you get about 10% off of the goods that you buy from there. But, the people who you will work with and who will be your managers may not get along with you. Just try to keep positive and give it all that you have.
You could work at petco or petsmart if you dare. Then you could get discounts on pet supplies. They need people there that actually know what they are talking about. Techniqully you will be helping the animals they keep if you help feed them and such since employee's usually tend to not care about the well being of each animal. But if you want to help, there ya go!
work at the local horse barn if you know lots about horses, usually pet shelters dont offer paying jobs
Animal Shelters normally run on a volunteer basis then hire from there, finding a no kill one will be difficult, unfortunatly you will come to realize it can be very neccessary at times. I would suggest getting a job at a horse stable or a pet store as most animal jobs are on a volunteer basis.
i would start working at a horse barn. they are fun and horses are great animals to be around. the work may be a little harder but you get to work with beautiful animals. Look around for barns and stables and see if they are hiring.it is a very rewarding job!
Amanda has some terrific advice! I just want to add: you can also check local vet clinics to see if they need vet assistants or veterinary technician assistants. A lot of them will train you themselves if you have no experience but are comfortable around animals. If you have a vet for your dog, I would start there, since they already know you. They usually give discounts on vet services for pets if they hire you, and you can eventually move up to being a trained vet technician-this can be a full-time job if you end up liking it. If not, it will still look terrific on your resume, no matter what animal job you decide to go for.
As an assistant at a clinic, you will probably start out helping out with the animals, cleaning cages and equipment, feeding any pets being boarded, and move on from there as you get more experienced.
Hope this helps! Good luck!! :)
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