Careers with Dogs. Kim Campbell Thornton

      

      Lead Editor: Jarelle S. Stein

      Senior Editor: Amy Deputato

      Assistant Editor: Elizabeth L. McCaughey

      Art Director: Cindy Kassebaum

      Production Supervisor: Jessica Jaensch

      Production Coordinator: Tracy Burns

      Publishing Coordinator: Karen Julian

      Indexer: Melody Englund

      Vice President, Chief Content Officer: June Kikuchi

      Vice President, Kennel Club Books: Andrew DePrisco

      I-5 Press: Jennifer Calvert, Amy Deputato, Lindsay Hanks,

      Karen Julian, Elizabeth L. McCaughey, Roger Sipe, Jarelle S. Stein

      Copyright © 2010 by I-5 Press™

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of I-5 Press™, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Thornton, Kim Campbell.

      Careers with dogs : the comprehensive guide to finding your dream job / by Kim Campbell Thornton.

      p. cm.

      Includes bibliographical references and index.

      ISBN 978-1-933958-19-4

      1. Dog industry--Vocational guidance. I. Title.

      SF426.55.T46 2010

      636.70023--dc22

      2010031138

      I-5 Press™

      A Division of I-5 Publishing, LLC™

      3 Burroughs

      Irvine, California 92618

      Printed and bound in China

      14 13 12 11 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

      To Mordecai Siegal,

      a dear friend who will always be

      the dean of the dog writers.

      You are missed.

       Introduction

      When most of us think of occupations that involve working with dogs, veterinarian, veterinary technician, dog groomer, and dog trainer immediately spring to mind. Those are certainly the best known of the dog-focused careers, but as many people have learned, to their delight, a number of other professions, occupations, and pursuits can focus on dogs. Whether your interest in dogs lies in behavior; canine health, well-being, welfare, and advocacy; human health, welfare, assistance, and protection; sports; or some other area, there’s a good chance that your passion can become your life’s work.

      If you’re interested in a dog-related health career, you may have thought you were limited to being a veterinarian or veterinary technician, but did you know that you could pursue a career as a pet rehabilitation therapist, pet massage practitioner, or pet EMT (emergency medical technician)? If you do pursue veterinary medicine, you can specialize in anesthesiology, behavior, cardiology, dentistry, dermatology, emergency and critical care, epidemiology, immunology, internal medicine, neurology, nutrition, oncology (cancer), ophthalmology, radiology, surgery, theriogenology (reproduction), or toxicology (poisonous substances). You can serve as a veterinarian for the military or work as a veterinary consultant for a pet-food company. You can open a general small-animal practice, study diseases at a university, or extract the secrets of the canine genome at the National Institutes of Health. Those are just a few of the options for veterinarians.

      There are ways other than practicing medicine to ensure a dog’s physical well-being. Dog groomers don’t just make dogs look nice and smell good. They’re keen observers of the canine condition. A groomer can be a dog’s first line of defense, alerting owners to the presence of external parasites, ear infections, and skin problems. Groomers help dogs in poor condition regain their beauty and self-esteem (yes, dogs have it, too!).

      Animal-control officers, shelter employees, and humane educators help dogs in need. Animal-control officers ensure that dogs are licensed, mediate barking-dog disputes, and investigate cruelty cases. Shelter employees evaluate dogs and interview potential adopters to help make the best match for all involved. Humane educators visit schools and teach students about kind and appropriate pet care. Other advocates for dogs include lawyers who focus on pet-related legal issues and employees at dog- or animal-related organizations. The latter includes dog registries such as the American Kennel Club and the United Kennel Club and pet-health institutions such as the Morris Animal Foundation, the Canine Eye Registration Foundation, and the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals.

      The human health field also has a place for dog lovers. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) involves more than just taking dogs to visit nursing homes and children’s hospitals. Health and human services professionals with specialized training provide AAT to clients with the goal of improving their physical, social, and reasoning skills as well as their emotional well-being. Therapists who practice AAT may work with clients individually or in a group setting. Medical doctors work in tandem with veterinarians to find treatments and cures for diseases that affect both people and animals, and psychologists help people overcome their fear of dogs or work out pet-related relationship problems with the goal of creating a happier home for people and their pets.

      Dogs assist people by tracking criminals; detecting bombs, drugs, and other contraband; searching for injured people after disasters; indicating the presence of termites; and much more. They don’t work alone, however. They and their handlers form close-knit teams. Dog handlers may work for the military, the police, a federal or local disaster agency, or private businesses.

      All dogs need training, and with some 74 million of them in the United States, there’s plenty of work for people who understand how dogs think and how to motivate them. Dog trainers and behaviorists are employed in many different fields, from entertainment, where they train dogs for film and television work, to animal shelters, where they help homeless dogs acquire the skills they need to successfully adapt to a new family. Behaviorists and trainers teach obedience classes, train guide and assistance dogs, and help people solve their pets’ behavior problems. They may work for an organization or set up their own businesses.

      If you have an entrepreneurial mindset, you’ll find the pet field rich in possibilities. You can open a pet boutique, become a pet detective, start a dog-walking business, or design pet products. Starting a business that caters to doting dog lovers can be a satisfying and lucrative way to include dogs in your work life.

      The pet industry itself is a multibillion-dollar business. Pet-food, pet-pharmaceutical, pet-supply, and pet-insurance companies need product developers, account managers, salespeople, event planners, marketing professionals, public-relations people, and many other types of employees to run their businesses. These jobs may or may not bring you in contact with dogs on a daily basis, but they do allow you to become immersed in a specialized field in which you have a strong interest.

      Creative types needn’t feel left out. Writers, photographers, and artists can all find a niche involving dogs. Artists create portraits of dogs, immortalizing them on canvas. Dog photographers work not with supermodels such as Heidi Klum but with the beauties of the dog world. They take photos for dog magazines or calendars and every weekend can be found photographing the winners at dog shows. Writers and editors fill staff positions at companies that publish dog magazines and books or work as freelancers for print and digital media.

      If your interests lie in the realm of science, there’s