Pet counselor vs animal shelter worker

The differences between pet counselors 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 a pet counselor and an animal shelter worker. Additionally, an animal shelter worker has an average salary of $33,011, which is higher than the $31,404 average annual salary of a pet counselor.

The top three skills for a pet counselor include PET, customer service and sales floor. The most important skills for an animal shelter worker are crisis intervention, mental health, and direct care.

Pet counselor vs animal shelter worker overview

	Pet Counselor	Animal Shelter Worker
Yearly salary	$31,404	$33,011
Hourly rate	$15.10	$15.87
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	44,050	72,185
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	32	32
Years of experience	3	3

Pet counselor vs animal shelter worker salary

Pet counselors and animal shelter workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pet Counselor	Animal Shelter Worker
Average salary	$31,404	$33,011
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $44,000	Between $22,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between pet counselor and animal shelter worker education

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

	Pet Counselor	Animal Shelter Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Psychology
Most common college	Northwestern University	Texas A&M University - Commerce

Pet counselor vs animal shelter worker demographics

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

	Pet Counselor	Animal Shelter Worker
Average age	32	32
Gender ratio	Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2%	Male, 30.7% Female, 69.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 2.8% White, 68.8% 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 pet counselor and animal shelter worker duties and responsibilities

Pet counselor example responsibilities.

Achieve detailed grooming including skin, ear, nail care, coat clips and dental care.
Perform grooming duties such as washing brushing, clipping, and trimming coats.
Educate family of personal family pet necessities.
Assist in answering customer questions regarding grooming, scheduling grooming appointments and maintaining salon cleanliness and safety.
Used touch point and SMS and can quickly adapt to other computer software's.

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.

Pet counselor vs animal shelter worker skills

Common pet counselor skills

PET, 57%
Customer Service, 30%
Sales Floor, 4%
Product Knowledge, 2%
Coats, 2%
Customer Complaints, 2%

Common animal shelter worker skills

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