Animal Control Workers
What Animal Control Workers Do
Handle animals for the purpose of investigations of mistreatment, or control of abandoned, dangerous, or unattended animals.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- Not available
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 4.5/5
- Law and Governmentimportance 4.5/5
- English Languageimportance 4.3/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.2/5
- Administrativeimportance 3.6/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 3.3/5
- Biologyimportance 3.1/5
- Telecommunicationsimportance 3.1/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Telephone Conversations5.0/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams5.0/5
- In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment5.0/5
- E-Mail4.9/5
- Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions4.9/5
- Deal With External Customers or the Public in General4.8/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Compliance Officers98% skill match
- Tellers98% skill match
- Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys97% skill match
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers97% skill match
- Cooks, Fast Food97% skill match
- Psychiatric Aides97% skill match
- Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists97% skill match
- Emergency Medicine Physicians97% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.0/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
- Persuasionimportance 2.9/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.9/5
- Negotiationimportance 2.8/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- ARK Software Ark Shelter Software
- Animal Shelter Manager
- CISCO Software ACS Animal Control System
- Esri ArcGIS
- Geographic information system GIS software
- Geographic information system GIS systems
- Multiple Options Animal Shelter Management System
- RescueConnection Software ShelterConntection
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Stress Tolerance
- Self-Control
- Integrity
- Attention to Detail
- Perseverance
- Cooperation
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- InvestigativeMedium
- SocialLow
- EnterprisingLow
- ArtisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where animal control workers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY2.58× national avg
- 2Oklahoma City, OK2.35× national avg
- 3Albuquerque, NM2.30× national avg
- 4Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY2.22× national avg
- 5Rochester, NY1.97× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol OfficersAdvancement
- Transit and Railroad PoliceAdvancement
- Detectives and Criminal InvestigatorsAdvancement
- Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel ClerksCareer Change