Animal handler vs kennel attendant

The differences between animal handlers and kennel attendants 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 handler and a kennel attendant. Additionally, an animal handler has an average salary of $27,820, which is higher than the $26,373 average annual salary of a kennel attendant.

The top three skills for an animal handler include animal handling, goats and animal species. The most important skills for a kennel attendant are PET, animal handling, and facility laundry.

Animal handler vs kennel attendant overview

	Animal Handler	Kennel Attendant
Yearly salary	$27,820	$26,373
Hourly rate	$13.38	$12.68
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	28,040	72,239
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	High School Diploma, 37%
Average age	32	32
Years of experience	3	3

Animal handler vs kennel attendant salary

Animal handlers and kennel attendants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Animal Handler	Kennel Attendant
Average salary	$27,820	$26,373
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $40,000	Between $20,000 And $34,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between animal handler and kennel attendant education

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

	Animal Handler	Kennel Attendant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	High School Diploma, 37%
Most common major	Biology	Medical Assisting Services
Most common college	Northwestern University	Vermont Technical College

Animal handler vs kennel attendant demographics

Here are the differences between animal handlers' and kennel attendants' demographics:

	Animal Handler	Kennel Attendant
Average age	32	32
Gender ratio	Male, 38.8% Female, 61.2%	Male, 20.8% Female, 79.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.6% White, 68.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 2.7% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between animal handler and kennel attendant duties and responsibilities

Animal handler example responsibilities.

Handle, dogs pigs, donkey, and horses.
Assist veterinarians, veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants in providing the best care possible for patients.
Provide environmental enrichment for various mammal and raptor species.

Kennel attendant example responsibilities.

Assist in managing shelter for animals and arranging for adoption or euthanasia of confiscate animals.
Train to give dogs baths, brushing out coats, scissoring, and toenails.
Perform animal grooming duties such as washing, brushing, clipping, and trimming coats, etc.
Experience in the use of specialize equipment such as cage washers, autoclaves and animal transport vehicles.
Assist owner in preforming body clips and bathing/drying dogs and cats, preform all grooming tasks including clipper skills except scissoring.
Operate cage/bottle washers, autoclaves and bedding dispensing/disposal equipment.

Animal handler vs kennel attendant skills

Common animal handler skills

Animal Handling, 55%
Goats, 13%
Animal Species, 8%
Exotic Animals, 4%
Zoo Animals, 3%
Animal Welfare, 3%

Common kennel attendant skills

PET, 39%
Animal Handling, 10%
Facility Laundry, 8%
Animal Hospital, 5%
Animal Restraint, 4%
Administer Medications, 4%