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The differences between pet care associates 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 pet care associate and an animal attendant. Additionally, a pet care associate has an average salary of $35,635, which is higher than the $26,394 average annual salary of an animal attendant.
The top three skills for a pet care associate include PET, customer service and sales floor. The most important skills for an animal attendant are PET, patients, and animal handling.
| Pet Care Associate | Animal Attendant | |
| Yearly salary | $35,635 | $26,394 |
| Hourly rate | $17.13 | $12.69 |
| Growth rate | 28% | 28% |
| Number of jobs | 84,256 | 53,000 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 32 | 32 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 3 |
Pet care associates, though holding a small position, will find its scope much larger than one would initially expect. This position requires an individual with gentleness, patience, confidence, carefulness, diligence, and a hard-working attitude. Paying out at around $33K per year, those who choose this career will be required to help customers with questions and issues related to small mammals, reptiles, fish, and birds.
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.
Pet care associates and animal attendants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pet Care Associate | Animal Attendant | |
| Average salary | $35,635 | $26,394 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $48,000 | Between $20,000 And $34,000 |
| Highest paying City | Minneapolis, MN | Ithaca, NY |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | New York |
| Best paying company | Purr'n Pooch | Baylor College of Medicine |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Education |
There are a few differences between a pet care associate and an animal attendant in terms of educational background:
| Pet Care Associate | Animal Attendant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Biology | Biology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Ohio State University |
Here are the differences between pet care associates' and animal attendants' demographics:
| Pet Care Associate | Animal Attendant | |
| Average age | 32 | 32 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2% | Male, 29.2% Female, 70.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 2.6% White, 67.8% 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% |