Has anyone ever had a day job working with pets?

Should I Apply for the job?

Go for it!	90.9%	[ 20 ]
No	9.1%	[ 2 ]
Total Votes:			[ 22 ]

[xXDarkNimeLoverXx]

I am so tired of my job, and I just want to do something I love while trying to be a student. (Taking a break from school right now) I'm a waitress in a super stupid competitive business, and it's not my cup of tea. There's an opening at the local pet smart for a pet stylist, and also other pet jobs.
That seems awesome, I love both cats and dogs. It feel like I would love it.

Has anyone had a job working with pets?
How about at a clinic or vets office?
What did you do?
Where did you work?
What are some experiences?

[Eizoryu]

I worked at a Petsmart for two years. 3nodding
Started as a cashier for six months, later changed departments to Pet Care. My responsibilities were to, other than sell the animals and species-appropriate (HA!) kits and product, clean the cages/tanks, feed the critters, medicate/monitor new arrivals and ill animals, get the dead/dying fish out of the tanks, bag crickets and sell packaged bugs, receive shipments of both new critters and product, catch and box critters for customers buying them, and keep my department clean and orderly. Oh! And also to take care of the Adoption Center animals (cats only, in that location's case).
And occasionally help out the front during high-traffic sales days. (I hated that part; cashiering is not something I enjoyed doing because it was so darn repetitive. It's why I moved departments in the first place.)

Can't really tell you what the groomers' jobs are like, except from a retail drone's view of customer bitching. Busy, and with potential to get hollered at when Fifi's cut isn't what the customer wanted despite being the one they described, or if Spot decided to get a little nasty concerning his nails, or "Quit manhandling my dog!" when you put a fussy pooch on a shorter grooming table leash for your own safety. These are extreme examples, but they do happen same as their toned-down grumbly counterparts.

It's a little less wacko than food service, but like other retail experiences, has its ups and downs and psycho-nutty customers. But for every nutjob customer, there's a few good ones who'll give you praise either to your face or through surveys. So if you think you'd enjoy it despite me being kinda negative about it (different locations give different experiences), go for it! It really is a good experience in spite of the nasty customers and sometimes-less-than-favorable tasks. I'd do it again before I took up foodservice.

[Rose of Lima]

I was a vet receptionist for a long time, we also filled the non-regulated prescriptions from our pharmacy. I liked that a lot, people were always bringing in super cute puppies for their first visits, and we had a groomer/did boarding so I got to see super awesome dogs a lot. The only part I didn't like is that we were supposed to collect payment for everything, so when people came in to put their dogs down I'd have to bring them in a room where they all start crying over the dog and be like ......soooo I'm gonna need your credit card now.....

[Boesen Moo]

Go for it! I worked at PetSmart in the Grooming Department for 2 1/2 years. Another place before that and now at another salon. It is rewarding work, but very tiring. You will also get bit at some point or another.

[Shanna66]

i used to work at my city animal shelter, it was really hard work, very physical and lots of heavy lifting and getting bit. i loved it but it was also very hard emotionally because it was a kill shelter

now im at a vet clinic as a kennel tech, mostly the same kind of stuff only less contact with people and now i also do lots of dog and cat bathing. best job ive ever had.

you could give vet assistant a try, you dont need a degree for that. i dont go for it because im no good around people

[ohheyamberrenee]

I've been working at petsmart for almost 2 years, and I really enjoy it. I was a cashier for around 8 months then moved to the petcare department. Someone else already listed the main duties for it so I won't go into too much detail. Petcare is basically the department that takes care of all the live animals. You help customers find what they need and educate them on the animals they are looking into buying. If you love animals then go for it!

[SmoothSavage]

I groomed for 10 years. It takes a lot of patience and hard work, and it WILL ruin your back and hands if you do it long enough. It's a great, wonderful job, but definitely not for everyone. Hardly anyone will tell you about the toll it will take on your body when you start grooming, either.

[Bong Raider]

I work at a petsmart now. C:
Give it a shot!
You'll likely start out as a cashier unless they're specifically looking for some people in the salon, but if you mention that's where you wanna be it's a very good company for letting you move around and get comfortable, I've found.
I was in the salon for a little over two months I think, and it just wasn't my thing. Not the relationship I wanted to have with the doggies. :3 It could be your thing tho so try it out. C:
After that I moved into petcare, and that is by far my favorite department. So many responsibilities, but so many animals and so much learning to be done.

[Ara Hamako]

i've been a bather at a petsmart for about 2 years, and an actual trained groomer for about 5 months now. i started off as a bather/cashier, then when they were able to, they sent me to a month-long academy to train me to groom.

i can tell you right now, it's one of the most difficult jobs in the store, not just for usual dumb retail reasons, but also because it's hard on your body, and the dogs you work with don't always wanna let you do your job. but, as hard and tiring as it, i personally enjoy it a lot. my favorite part about the job is that i not only make dogs nice and clean and presentable but also keep them healthy, mat-free, and generally in very good condition if their owners bring them enough. plus, there's been a lot more good dogs than dogs that wanna maim me, so there's that.

i say go for it!~

[q2k]

I work at Petco as a pet stylist. I've been there since 2013.

It's a SUPER physically-demanding job at times and can be very stressful at times (also, it can very much be competitive. this depends on your coworkers. You work for commission, and this can make some people pushy).

You have to be prepared for rude customers. Lots of tantrums can happen, since it's still a retail situation and you're still working customer service. In addition to the regular retail situation, you're also being trusted with someone's dog- someone's family member. Lots of people get very nervous leaving their dogs somewhere and some can get VERY reactive over small things (dog wasn't ready when the owner thought it'd be ready, owner doesn't agree with pricing, dog has to be turned away due to aggression and owner takes offense to this, etc etc).
You also have to be prepared for dogs that are very uncooperative. Not every dog that comes in will be well-trained and many will not be used to the environment of a grooming salon. It takes a LOT of patience at times and can be frustrating. You'll need to learn to read dogs' behaviours at all times to keep yourself and the animals you work with safe.
You'll probably get hurt at some point. I've never been bitten, but I've definitely banged myself up trying to work with big uncooperative dogs.

I really love it and am happy to have the job I do have, though. It's very rewarding! I get a really nice sense of accomplishment with what I do and a lot of the customers who come in make me feel very appreciated and helpful. I have a lot of regulars who come in to see me specifically because I've built relationships and trust with them and it's an awesome feeling (I work very well with nervous dogs so I often work closely with dogs that freak out for other groomers. So I've managed to carve out my own niche within my work environment).


Just as a heads up, you do need training to be a stylist! They won't hire an inexperienced person for a stylist position, so unless you have history with grooming you'll have to start as a bather and get training there.
They also might not hire stylists for part time, so keep that in mind if you're planning to juggle the job with school! (if they are hiring for a bather position, though, this usually can be part time. This is all just my knowledge of how petco works, petsmart could be totally different. the two are very similar with this stuff though so, who knows)

[xXDarkNimeLoverXx]

Ara Hamako

i've been a bather at a petsmart for about 2 years, and an actual trained groomer for about 5 months now. i started off as a bather/cashier, then when they were able to, they sent me to a month-long academy to train me to groom.

i can tell you right now, it's one of the most difficult jobs in the store, not just for usual dumb retail reasons, but also because it's hard on your body, and the dogs you work with don't always wanna let you do your job. but, as hard and tiring as it, i personally enjoy it a lot. my favorite part about the job is that i not only make dogs nice and clean and presentable but also keep them healthy, mat-free, and generally in very good condition if their owners bring them enough. plus, there's been a lot more good dogs than dogs that wanna maim me, so there's that.

i say go for it!~

Thanks for your answer. Really helps me out with insight. They do have a position for a bathet. Can you give me a bit of insight on that? Not as hard as styling?

[xXDarkNimeLoverXx]

Shanna66

i used to work at my city animal shelter, it was really hard work, very physical and lots of heavy lifting and getting bit. i loved it but it was also very hard emotionally because it was a kill shelter

now im at a vet clinic as a kennel tech, mostly the same kind of stuff only less contact with people and now i also do lots of dog and cat bathing. best job ive ever had.

you could give vet assistant a try, you dont need a degree for that. i dont go for it because im no good around people

Thanks, your answer really helps. I'm now one step closer to getting a job I want. So can you tell me more about the shelter?

[xXDarkNimeLoverXx]

Rose of Lima

I was a vet receptionist for a long time, we also filled the non-regulated prescriptions from our pharmacy. I liked that a lot, people were always bringing in super cute puppies for their first visits, and we had a groomer/did boarding so I got to see super awesome dogs a lot. The only part I didn't like is that we were supposed to collect payment for everything, so when people came in to put their dogs down I'd have to bring them in a room where they all start crying over the dog and be like ......soooo I'm gonna need your credit card now.....

Wow seems harsh. I think I want a job like yours. I know that euthanasia will he a hard thing to adhust to.

[xXDarkNimeLoverXx]

T o x i c-K i s s s

I work at a petsmart now. C:
Give it a shot!
You'll likely start out as a cashier unless they're specifically looking for some people in the salon, but if you mention that's where you wanna be it's a very good company for letting you move around and get comfortable, I've found.
I was in the salon for a little over two months I think, and it just wasn't my thing. Not the relationship I wanted to have with the doggies. :3 It could be your thing tho so try it out. C:
After that I moved into petcare, and that is by far my favorite department. So many responsibilities, but so many animals and so much learning to be done.

Thanks for the insight! Really helps me.

[q2k]

xXDarkNimeLoverXx

Ara Hamako

i've been a bather at a petsmart for about 2 years, and an actual trained groomer for about 5 months now. i started off as a bather/cashier, then when they were able to, they sent me to a month-long academy to train me to groom.

i can tell you right now, it's one of the most difficult jobs in the store, not just for usual dumb retail reasons, but also because it's hard on your body, and the dogs you work with don't always wanna let you do your job. but, as hard and tiring as it, i personally enjoy it a lot. my favorite part about the job is that i not only make dogs nice and clean and presentable but also keep them healthy, mat-free, and generally in very good condition if their owners bring them enough. plus, there's been a lot more good dogs than dogs that wanna maim me, so there's that.

i say go for it!~

Thanks for your answer. Really helps me out with insight. They do have a position for a bathet. Can you give me a bit of insight on that? Not as hard as styling?

It's basically the same job as styling, but you don't actually do haircuts. Just everything else (baths, brushing, etc). In theory it's easier, but it's still very demanding.