Protective Service
Animal Control Workers
Handle animals for the purpose of investigations of mistreatment, or control of abandoned, dangerous, or unattended animals.
Also called: ACO (Animal Control Officer), Animal Attendant, Animal Cruelty Investigator, Animal Enforcement Officer, Animal Instructor Officer, Animal Ordinance Enforcement Officer
- Median pay in Greater Boston
- $63,140
- $30.36/hr
- Jobs in Greater Boston
- 170
- Massachusetts 2024–2034
- +4.8%
- 40 openings a year
- Typical U.S. entry requirement
- High school diploma or equivalent
- plus Moderate-term on-the-job training
Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.
Pay range in Greater Boston
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $44,240 | $53,980 | $63,140 | $74,100 | $78,180 |
10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.
What you’d do
- Write reports of activities, and maintain files of impoundments and dispositions of animals.
- Investigate reports of animal attacks or animal cruelty, interviewing witnesses, collecting evidence, and writing reports.
- Examine animals for injuries or malnutrition, and arrange for any necessary medical treatment.
- Contact animal owners to inform them that their pets are at animal holding facilities.
- Educate the public about animal welfare, and animal control laws and regulations.
- Remove captured animals from animal-control service vehicles and place animals in shelter cages or other enclosures.
AI and this job
AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.
Lower exposure31 of 100
The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:
- AIOE 30
- Language-model AIOE 35
- GPTs-are-GPTs 28
Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)
Animal control work has lower AI exposure, and there is little or no observed AI use in it today. AI tools could help with paperwork, such as writing reports and keeping impoundment files. They do not handle animals, examine injuries, interview witnesses, or work face to face with the public.
Likely to change
- Writing reports and case summaries
- Keeping impoundment and animal records
Still relies on people
- Handling and examining animals in person
- Interviewing witnesses and educating the public
Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.
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Training near Boston
College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).
No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.
Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.
Related occupations
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