Animal Care Certificate Program

Lions and tigers and bears, Oh My! Have you ever wanted to work with exotic animals you see in zoos? Or are you more interested in the tamer species such as Collies and Persians? Well you can start today and turn that interest and love of animals into a career as an animal care specialist! Find animal care courses below to begin your research. Animal care specialists are trained professionals that deal with the general care, grooming and training of animals. This is one of the most rewarding fields of study and also one of the most challenging. There are a vast number of career opportunities and each one has different levels of required education and training.

Before you get started, you have to determine what type or types of animals you want to work with and in what capacity. Some of the different capacities range from groomers to veterinary assistants. From this point you will want to start looking into the various schools and programs that are available to you.

Looking For The Right Animal Care College?

When looking into schools for animal care specialist, you should keep in mind the types of animals and capacity of care you want to give them. Like with many courses of study, animal care specialists programs can give you a certification or degree depending on the level you want to take your career.

As with many offline and online schools for animal care specialist, they can be accredited or not, and you will need to ask if the program or school you are looking at is accredited. Degrees and certifications earned from accredited schools carry more weight than those from other sources. Remember even if your local college or trade school does not offer animal care specialist programs they can still be a great source for a list of programs and colleges that do.

Offered Animal Care Certification Courses

Education as an animal care specialist can take from 6 months (for certification) to 4 years (for a bachelor's degree). There are quite a few courses that are offered for Animal care specialists depending upon the level of education you're looking for, some of the coursework might include:

• Medical Records
• Administering Vaccines
• Grooming and Bathing
• Diet and Nutrition
• Animal Anatomy
• Animal Behavior and Training
• Biology

Life After Graduation as an Animal Care Specialist

As with anything, it's important to have a good foundation from which to build. With that foundation in place, after completing your education you can begin exploring the opportunities available to you that match your level of education and training. Some of the places your skills will be in high demand are veterinary offices, dog groomers, pet stores, zoos, the A.S.P.C.A, aquariums and wildlife refuge centers. With the doors now open, you can settle into a job working with the creatures you love.

This is an ever changing field that holds new experiences around every corner because as we all know from our own pets, animals each have their own personalities and are full of surprises. Start today! Learn how to with skilled hands help cats, dogs, horses and more live better, healthier lives. Find all animal care courses below by requesting information from any of the schools in your area or choose to take your course online.

Duties of Animal Care Workers

As an animal care worker your role will change depending on where you work and what type of animal care you focus on. Below are some of the top areas.

Daily Care: All animals need daily care and this includes making sure they are fed correctly as well as properly watered. Each animal is special and may require special meals due to allergies or stomach problems. It will be your responsibility to properly maintain their diet.

Cleaning Pets/Facilities: If you work for a larger dog facility for example you might have lots of dog kennels to clean. Keeping the facility clean from top to bottom prevents diseases from spreading. Also many adoption agencies bring their prospective animal clients in to view the pets and must keep a presentable appearance. The pets themselves all require cleaning which could include a bath but also nail trimming and even teeth brushing, some on a daily basis.

Proper Exercise: No animal care career would be complete without knowing how to exercise the pets. Again, each pet will be different and some might be recuperating from an injury and need special assistance in their exercise routine.

Other Career Options

When most think of animal care they think of just dog kennels or animal shelters but did you know caretakers are also needed on the farm? Sure the industry is full of animal trainers, groomers and even kennel managers but what about those who need help on a farm. Farm animals of course are a lot different to take care of than your household pets but they still need attention. Farmers hire individuals that can come in and take care of a particular pet which could be their goats, chickens and other smaller animals. To become a veterinarian does require a degree and experience but working on a farm taking care of animals is a good idea to see if that career path is right for you.

Animal Care Resources:

ASPCA - https://www.aspca.org/
Humane Heartland - http://www.humaneheartland.org/
Animal care and Service from BLS
Animal Welfare - http://animalwelfareapproved.org/