Animal attendant vs animal shelter worker

The differences between animal attendants and animal shelter workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both an animal attendant and an animal shelter worker. Additionally, an animal shelter worker has an average salary of $33,011, which is higher than the $26,394 average annual salary of an animal attendant.

The top three skills for an animal attendant include PET, patients and animal handling. The most important skills for an animal shelter worker are crisis intervention, mental health, and direct care.

Animal attendant vs animal shelter worker overview

	Animal Attendant	Animal Shelter Worker
Yearly salary	$26,394	$33,011
Hourly rate	$12.69	$15.87
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	53,000	72,185
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	32	32
Years of experience	3	3

Animal attendant vs animal shelter worker salary

Animal attendants and animal shelter workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Animal Attendant	Animal Shelter Worker
Average salary	$26,394	$33,011
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $34,000	Between $22,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	Ithaca, NY	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	Baylor College of Medicine	-
Best paying industry	Education	-

Differences between animal attendant and animal shelter worker education

There are a few differences between an animal attendant and an animal shelter worker in terms of educational background:

	Animal Attendant	Animal Shelter Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Biology	Psychology
Most common college	Ohio State University	Texas A&M University - Commerce

Animal attendant vs animal shelter worker demographics

Here are the differences between animal attendants' and animal shelter workers' demographics:

	Animal Attendant	Animal Shelter Worker
Average age	32	32
Gender ratio	Male, 29.2% Female, 70.8%	Male, 30.7% Female, 69.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 2.6% White, 68.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 2.6% White, 68.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between animal attendant and animal shelter worker duties and responsibilities

Animal attendant example responsibilities.

Assist in managing shelter for animals and arranging for adoption or euthanasia of confiscate animals.
Skil at handling, restraining, husbandry and veterinary procedures with reptiles, mammals, raptors, amphibians, and songbirds.
Clean goat and pig yards, train goats and pigs, keep records.
Serve as midwife for birthing dogs, cats and goats.
Care for goats by providing them with feed every week.
Maintain cleanliness of the shelter and medicate animals direct by supervisor as needed.

Animal shelter worker example responsibilities.

Assist in managing shelter for animals and arranging for adoption or euthanasia of confiscate animals.
Maintain an aquatic system of zebrafish and rotifers.
Assist veterinarians, veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants in providing the best care possible for patients.
Milk animals such as cows and goats, by hand or using milking machines.

Animal attendant vs animal shelter worker skills

Common animal attendant skills

PET, 59%
Patients, 6%
Animal Handling, 6%
Cleanliness, 3%
Euthanasia, 3%
Autoclaves, 2%

Common animal shelter worker skills

Crisis Intervention, 15%
Mental Health, 14%
Direct Care, 11%
Emergency Shelter, 10%
Client Intake, 10%
Community Resources, 9%

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Animal Attendant
Animal Attendant vs Animal Shelter Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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