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The differences between dog walkers 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 dog walker and an animal attendant. Additionally, a dog walker has an average salary of $30,893, which is higher than the $26,394 average annual salary of an animal attendant.
The top three skills for a dog walker include PET, walkers and clients homes. The most important skills for an animal attendant are PET, patients, and animal handling.
| Dog Walker | Animal Attendant | |
| Yearly salary | $30,893 | $26,394 |
| Hourly rate | $14.85 | $12.69 |
| Growth rate | 28% | 28% |
| Number of jobs | 5,474 | 53,000 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 32 | 32 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 3 |
A dog walker provides dog walking services to pet owners at scheduled times, ensuring their safety. They first meet with pet owners to discuss their preferred schedule and use this opportunity to learn more about the dog and understand its needs. There are instances where a dog walker may walk multiple dogs, consider weather conditions, pick-up and dispose of waste properly, and feed dogs with water or food. Moreover, a dog walker regularly updates pet owners with the duration or location of walks, including the dog's behavior.
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.
Dog walkers and animal attendants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Dog Walker | Animal Attendant | |
| Average salary | $30,893 | $26,394 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $44,000 | Between $20,000 And $34,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Ithaca, NY |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | New York |
| Best paying company | CARE | Baylor College of Medicine |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Education |
There are a few differences between a dog walker and an animal attendant in terms of educational background:
| Dog Walker | Animal Attendant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Biology |
| Most common college | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Ohio State University |
Here are the differences between dog walkers' and animal attendants' demographics:
| Dog Walker | Animal Attendant | |
| Average age | 32 | 32 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.2% Female, 70.8% | Male, 29.2% Female, 70.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 2.6% White, 67.7% 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 Percentage | 11% | 11% |