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Bather vs animal attendant

The differences between bathers and animal attendants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both a bather and an animal attendant. Additionally, a bather has an average salary of $31,051, which is higher than the $26,394 average annual salary of an animal attendant.

The top three skills for a bather include PET, check-in and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for an animal attendant are PET, patients, and animal handling.

Bather vs animal attendant overview

BatherAnimal Attendant
Yearly salary$31,051$26,394
Hourly rate$14.93$12.69
Growth rate28%28%
Number of jobs56,25553,000
Job satisfaction4-
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age3232
Years of experience33

What does a bather do?

A bather typically works at veterinary clinics and pet grooming establishments where they are primarily in charge of bathing animals, particularly cats and dogs. They are responsible for ensuring that the animals are comfortable with the water temperature, using particular soap and shampoo, drying fur, and adhering to the pet owner's other requests. They may also cut toenails, comb and brush coat, and administer particular products when necessary. Moreover, as a bather, it is essential to be proactive in dealing with issues and temperamental pets.

What does an animal attendant do?

An animal attendant is responsible for administering high-quality care for the animals in a shelter, clinic, or wildlife preserve. Animal attendants monitor the health conditions of the animals, manage their food intake and medications, maintain the adequacy of animal stock inventories, and report any critical findings and unusual observations to the veterinarians. They also ensure the cleanliness and orderliness of all the facilities and cages, as well as the efficiency of tools and equipment to support daily animal operations.

Bather vs animal attendant salary

Bathers and animal attendants have different pay scales, as shown below.

BatherAnimal Attendant
Average salary$31,051$26,394
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $42,000Between $20,000 And $34,000
Highest paying City-Ithaca, NY
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-Baylor College of Medicine
Best paying industry-Education

Differences between bather and animal attendant education

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

BatherAnimal Attendant
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common majorMedical Assisting ServicesBiology
Most common collegeVermont Technical CollegeOhio State University

Bather vs animal attendant demographics

Here are the differences between bathers' and animal attendants' demographics:

BatherAnimal Attendant
Average age3232
Gender ratioMale, 14.2% Female, 85.8%Male, 29.2% Female, 70.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 2.6% White, 68.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%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%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between bather and animal attendant duties and responsibilities

Bather example responsibilities.

  • Manage all breeding, whelping, raising of puppies, grooming and showing of dogs for owners in the AKC.
  • Advise customers on proper pet nutrition, and pick a proper shampoo program to ensure healthy coats for individual pets.
  • Sustain pet care excellence in a dynamic and fast-pace environment
  • Read written or receive oral instructions to determine clipping pattern desire.
  • Detail orient work and recognizing signs of rashes, allergies and potential behavioral problems in dogs.
  • Bathe dogs, clip/ground nails, clean ears, brush teeth and shave paw pads/sanitary area, express anal glands.
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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.
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Bather vs animal attendant skills

Common bather skills
  • PET, 79%
  • Check-In, 7%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 5%
  • Compassion, 4%
  • Book Appointments, 2%
  • Develop Long Term, 1%
Common animal attendant skills
  • PET, 59%
  • Patients, 6%
  • Animal Handling, 6%
  • Cleanliness, 3%
  • Euthanasia, 3%
  • Autoclaves, 2%

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