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Boston Career Explorer

Personal Care and Service

Animal Caretakers

Feed, water, groom, bathe, exercise, or otherwise provide care to promote and maintain the well-being of pets and other animals that are not raised for consumption, such as dogs, cats, race horses, ornamental fish or birds, zoo animals, and mice. Work in settings such as kennels, animal shelters, zoos, circuses, and aquariums. May keep records of feedings, treatments, and animals received or discharged. May clean, disinfect, and repair cages, pens, or fish tanks.

Also called: Animal Care Giver (ACG), Aquarist, Dog Bather, Dog Groomer, Groomer, Kennel Attendant

Median pay in Greater Boston
$39,850
$19.16/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
5,590
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+13.9%
1,940 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Short-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

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$31,210$37,070$39,850$50,730$66,560

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Feed and water animals according to schedules and feeding instructions.
  • Provide treatment to sick or injured animals, or contact veterinarians to secure treatment.
  • Examine and observe animals to detect signs of illness, disease, or injury.
  • Mix food, liquid formulas, medications, or food supplements according to instructions, prescriptions, and knowledge of animal species.
  • Do facility laundry and clean, organize, maintain, and disinfect animal quarters, such as pens and stables, and equipment, such as saddles and bridles.
  • Exercise animals to maintain their physical and mental health.

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 exposure29 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 20
  • Language-model AIOE 32
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 35

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for animal caretakers is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. The core work is physical and in person: feeding, cleaning, giving treatment, and watching animals for signs of illness. AI tools might help a little with feeding schedules or record-keeping, but they do not do the hands-on care.

Likely to change

  • Tracking feeding schedules and animal records
  • Looking up care instructions and medication details

Still relies on people

  • Hands-on care for sick or injured animals
  • Cleaning and disinfecting animal living spaces

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers

    Watching animals for illness, giving care, and reporting changes carry over directly, in a clinical setting with slightly higher pay.

    Pay difference
    +$5,940 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +2.9%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Animal Trainers

    Your comfort handling animals and getting them used to people carries over to training, with somewhat higher pay.

    Pay difference
    +$2,330 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +7.6%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Nursing Assistants

    Caring for others, watching for signs of illness, and answering needs carry over to patient care, with higher pay. It needs a postsecondary certificate.

    Pay difference
    +$7,740 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +3.7%
    To get started
    Postsecondary nondegree award

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

2 programs near Boston

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

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