Honestly, the only jobs I've ever held, except a gas station for a year, a BBQ joint, and a coffee house. All my jobs have been Animal jobs, it's the only one worth doing. Do what you love. Because then it isn't work. I NEVER work when I work with animals.
Stable Experience: I woke up at 4am. To prepare feed, and then feed over 30 horses. At one place, most already were pastured with stalls for bad weather. But at one, I had to walk each horse to a pasture/paddock after meals. Take off halters/put on flay masks. I either put them out early, or took them in. I loved it. I can't WAIT to own my ow barn one day.
Trail Riding Company: I woke up 4am. Fed over 38 work horses/client horses. Worked them in the round pen, had my own lessons on my own horses, Trail rode/exercised the lead horses, then get them saddled/unsaddled for each trail ride, prepare the trailer/clean out the trailer. We'd load up to 11 horses some days, go alll over Texas and ride on game ranches/national parks. I would lead trail rides some days, I also had to pick which horse and person matched up. Because who wants something dead head when you want a good go, or new and wants something like a dog. I did that my whole highschool/young adult life. We unsaddled between rides, let them hang out in pastures/wash them down. Oil them. I'd help the farrier, I'd work the sour pusses, halter break the colts/fillies. And catch the race horses next door if I saw a jockey tumble. I also was the test dummy for new horses and saddle training. Cause I'm a short s**t. I had to learn stick/to drive, I had to learn to drive a tractor, spread manure, till tracks/arenas. Clean stalls. Fix fences.
I loved it EVERY minute.. Every minute of it. Rain makes it WAY harder though, just sayin' Living in a city is killing me, I need horses again!
Vets Office: I was just supposed to be a Receptionist. But, I also was an unlicensed Vet Tech. I held dogs for injections, anesthetized cats, held dogs during euthanasia. Clean kennels/manage the boarding area. Which always had aggressive dogs that daycares/public boarding facilities couldn't handle. Kept the parking area nice, pick up lottsa poops. I measured meds, paid people out. It was stressful only cause I worked for a SHITTY vet. Who cared only for his money, the money he could get, and his AQHA horses that were pedigreed out the a**. :/ He punched a dog, broke a vessel in the eye, and has the audacity to tell the own "oh, he was struggling, got stressed. It's fine" So, pick your vets wisely, some care ONLY for the money they get. I also had to help during surgery, so I got to see some cool tumor removals and spays, I also had to clean the unconscious animal and monitor them while they woke up. It made me cry sometimes. Because the vet would pick patients WAY too old to have MASSIVE surgery. And, they had such hard times at times. It was heartbreaking. You have to be THERE for the people to, be THERE for the dog, so being emotional/hysterical. Won't be good. Stoic, understanding...
Doggy daycare: I LOVED this job. You wake up befor everyone again, 5-6am. Dogs need a set schedule to maintain, so you have to be on time. Be consistent. You can work with up to 110 dogs in one day, if not more. Some for daycare, some for longterm boarding. Longterm boarders need extra attention and engagement, because they get sour and resistant to the play atmosphere. You have puppies who are scared and NEED you to hold them. You have to love EVERYONE, and not show too much love to one dog. Because you play in a yard of 25 temperaments that change. You have to have eyeballs everywhere, and have to listen to tons of barks, and be able to tell if its good, or negative. You have to watch bodies. You also have to be a**l about cleaning. EVERYthing. The walls, the kennels( If your blessed with horse stalls/style kennels it's a LOT easier and the dogs stress less. You have to be ok with vomit, poop, pee, tor up toys, explaining to pet parents why they get kicked out, or what they NEED to do, in order to better there pets mind. You see a LOT of poor diet choices and have to live with yourself when you feed them it. lol. You have to do introductions between dogs. Be able to read body language of dogs, be able to break up a fight without endangering yourself. You also have to be able to control the pack IF a fight breaks out, because herd mentality kicks in. They can get scary if you don't control things, I've watched other yards go chaotic. But, I was able to keep my yard of 25 calm and waiting, but hop in and save other dogs before they would have gotten worse damage. (I always engage my dogs, I always work on MANNERS before I play. I'm a very controlling person I guess. LOL But, I demand ALL my dogs listen.) I also handled the groom room there, dematted pyreneses and Borzois, washed pitbulls. Cut nails, cleaned ears. I did a lot of 'commando' grooming at this job, before I had better knowledge. I just always wanted the animal comfortable, I just cut hair reckless/not caring what it'd grow like. LOL. But some people let there HUGE WHITE HAIRY DOGS NEVER GET BRUSHED. So they had softballs of hair stuck to their skin and groin. It was horrible. And dangerous, it hurt them I don't blame them trying to get me to stop.. I used a LOT of treats though. and apologized alot. Muahahha.
Dog bather/Groomer: I'm doing this now actually. And it's fun. I work with dogs who can be scared, who don't know who I am and why I grab their nails/bathe them. I have to be calm at all times and never get frustrated. I like to be understanding and will take as long as it needs, always end on a good note. But, I respect animals a lot. I also know when a dog can be good, even while anxious. Manners all the time. I have to be consistent. I never use force or act rough, not only for the animal, but for the pet parent. I cut nails, grind nails, do anals(I refuse most dogs/don't need it), I clean ears, brush teeth. They try to make me pluck ears, but they don't use a numbing powder so I refuse this, make the higher up groomers/managers do it. I think that's cruelty. You also witness poor pet care, a lot. OVERGROWN nails a lot, they can't walk. Obese pets, with overgrown nails and ear infections. Dogs with retained teeth, and owners saying they'll just pull it out...NOOOOO. (I told him that could kill his dog, stress wise, just to put him off. But the man spent 80 dollars that day....He BETTER have it removed...) I make appointments, call past clients to give reminders. I'm a groomers b***h, is what I call myself. I don't get to cut hair till I go through training. But, the practice doesn't seem ethical. Just because sometimes, they get so stressed they ca hurt you or themselves, because they DON'T want the brushing or cutting, if they get hurt once, it's hard to retrain the resistance. So many pet parents hit the quick and make the dogs CRAZY when it comes time for us to do it. I try to NEVER hit it. x.x; Then, dogs are money for groomers. To me, my bath dogs are fun. I get to make them comfortable, wag their tail, work on some obedience while they dry. And then, NOT hurt them, assure them it isn't bad. I also get to help owners train the nails back, I get to explain health and skin and all that. But. I dislike the company I work for, they push HORRIBLE foods, that kill our pets. And, sometimes I get asked about this. And I can't say, "Ohhh, Science diet is the WORST CORN POPS EVER." Because, I could get fired. I have to give them what they want.. Which ethically, kills me.
It depends on the job, but you really have to keep your ethics in mind. And your heart, but also keep in mind this is what makes you money. I try to go by the book of my employers, but I will never stress or do treatments that I feel harm him in the future. Or would hinder his training and demeanor. I always tell my pet parents "Everything depends on the dog, and I will never stress him out. We have to end on a good note, every time." Think with your heart, but think with your brain. Some vets are horrible, some boarding facilities are DISGUSTING and hide it well, but when you get there... I'm lucky everywhere BUT the vets, I've ever seen cruelty. They were nice facilities. Safe. But money does rule people, I say this because daycares cause OCD. And, I didn't like that part of some dogs lives. Spent chasing lights in a yard FULL of their own kind, lost because they don't like the place, their breed needed outdoors or more engagement then a yard of 25 dogs. Like I said, you REALLY have to be logical and real with working with animals, because they are paying the bills. So to speak. x.x;
Edit; ALSO. When you have to apply at normal people jobs, you're the girl who has only animal jobs as work history. LOL. It's funny but also annoying. Cause people want you to train their dogs. XDD I went to a pancake house to try and be a waitress during hard times/coffee place to, and their like "We just thought the work history stuck out. What was *animal job* like, what'd you do?! You become a curiosity. lol
Edit2: OH. And forget Holidays. You can work most/if not all depending on your place. LOL.