Walk on

Hi

I have been researching courses to attend to train to become a Professional Dog Walker. There are a number of different ones and I am not sure which one is best. I am hoping some Dogs Today readers might be dog walkers and can advise me?

Thank you

Zoe Pinhey, by email

Caring career

Can anyone tell me which is the best website to look on for animal care jobs in the UK please? I'm sure there must be somewhere they are all collated together.

Karen Wallace, via Facebook

Bright future ahead

Dear Dogs Today,

Well done for another fabulous edition! I love the magazine and I buy it when I can!

My name is Emily and I am a budding animal behaviourist/dog trainer. I am currently in year nine so have been choosing my options this year and was wondering how your fantastic dog behaviourists and dog trainers got to where they are now? I would love to know which colleges/sixth forms they went to, what they studied, what universities they went to, what hey studied there, and how they built up their careers to where they are now.

I know I am very young, but our generation is finding it increasingly more difficult to find jobs and I would love to set myself in good stead for the rest of my life so that maybe one day I could be as amazing as they are! They are a big inspiration to me as they are changing the harsh opinions that people have on different dogs and rescues. This is what needs to happen because many dogs are suffering because of it.

I have a rescue dog myself called Jasper. The only training he had had was toilet training when we got him. So, me and my family had to train him right from the start! He was in a really bad state when we got him, but now, besides his arthritis, he is a happy, fit, healthy, well-behaved Toy Poodle.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I look forward to your reply.

Yours faithfully,

Emily Foster, age 14, by post



Dogs Today says...

Dear Emily,

Thank you very much for your letter. It is wonderful to hear you have such a passion for dogs and for learning. Jasper must be in very safe hands.

We would like to send you a couple of dog training books and a subscription to Dogs Today to help with your background reading. I do hope they are useful and enjoyable.

Very best wishes with your future career. You are certainly asking all the right questions, and it sounds like the dogs you care for will have a very bright future.

Rachael Millar
Dogs Today

Caring career

Hello,

I have been in contact before, I am looking for a career in the dog world. I am a qualified dog groomer but I am looking into another careers with dogs. I am very passionate about them and have a lot of interest in issues around them such as BSL and their welfare.

I am looking to become a campaigns assistant or help support charities or groups to help dogs have better lives and education people into responsible dog ownership.

I have applied for jobs with leading animal charity but I don't seem to be getting anywhere. I was wondering weather there was smaller charities or groups I could get in contact with to help me find a career or advice to work towards this.

In a nutshell:
I have over a years admin and customer service/reception experience.
3 years experience as a kennel hand.
2 years experience as a dog groomer.
I spend a lot of my spare time on dog blogs and at dog shows.

I am so keen to find a job I care so passionately about and a job where I can really make a difference to dogs lives and their owners.

Kind regards,

Katie Page, via Facebook

Retrain to train

Hi

I saw your Facebook post on Friday about an upcoming feature on dog careers and will be interested to read it.

I was made redundant from my marketing role last year and thought I might use the opportunity to realise a long term dream of mine and become a dog trainer. I wonder if you could help me with where to start - there's a lot of different qualifications and courses out there, it's a bit confusing!


Can anyone tell me the best path to take, and also if this is something I can do the majority of from home? I live in a lovely but remote area of Devon and some of the training centers I've looked at are a long way from me and I'm loathed to leave my dogs home alone for long trips across the county.


Thank you in advance,


V Preston, by email

Calling all dogtrepreneurs!

Hello everyone,

We're running a feature in an upcoming issue on career opportunities within the dog world that may appeal to our readers, and whether you're a hydrotherapist or run your own dog sitting franchise, we would love to hear from you.

If you'd like to be invloved, please do get in touch. We'd specifically like to hear about things that others may not have thought of, perhaps even things you hadn't taken into account and learnt about on the way.

Please email me your comments and anecdotes during the next two weeks (rachael@dogstodaymagazine.co.uk)

Thank you,

Rachael Millar, assistant editor

Career advice please!

I'm in my final year of my GCSE's at school and at the moment the teachers are all talking about A levels and even university. However, I'm not sure what subjects to pick. I know I want to work with dogs; they're my life and I want them to play an important part in my future. The only problem is, I have no idea what I'm going to do!
My predicted grades at the moment are six A*'s and three A's and so everyone wants me to become a vet. But I don't think it would be the perfect career for me as I'm certainly not good with coping under pressure or with animals in pain and distress.
I would be really grateful if anyone has any experience or advice on 'doggie' related careers which they could share with me.
Many Thanks,
Jessica Ellis

‘Everyone wants me to become a vet’ – this must surely be a very wrong reason to decide on a career as a vet so stick up for yourself. If you feel it is not the perfect career for you then it really is not a career into which you should be pressurised.
You have been predicted a strong set of GCSE results so keep on working and I wish you all success. They are not, however, the sole reason for deciding to apply to vet school. High grades at GCSE and then at A-Level are required by universities for entry onto a veterinary science course, in appropriate subjects, not just as a guide to a candidate’s ability to assimilate all the knowledge necessary but also because of the high demand for places.
Being a veterinary surgeon is a vocation, a life-style decision. It is very varied work – you do not always know how many legs your next patient will have, in any at all! You are also working with people who will be very concerned about their pet if he or she is ill or injured. In fact, liking working with people is, I feel, as important as a desire to work with animals.
The hours can be very long and under high levels of stress. Many practices use out-of-hours providers so there may no longer be the on-call rota but there are many other practices which do still provide their own out-of-hours cover. There is nothing quite like working 8am – 8pm during a week-day with limited breaks, then being busy with emergency call-outs through the night and another day at work starting at 8am. There is the buzz of fire brigade procedures (stitch ups, Caesarians, bloat and so on) and you certainly learn quickly when you have to stand on your own two feet without colleagues’ brains to pick, but time off becomes incredibly precious, if only to re-charge the tired batteries.
With these predicted GCSE grades, I would imagine you are planning to take A-Levels and in the subjects which you enjoy and which interest you. University choices is another year away so take one step at a time. A major decision you have made is that you do not wish to be a vet. Use the year to research all that is on offer out there. After all, it may be that your dogs will be an important part of your social life whilst you pursue an alternative career.
Alison Logan, Vet