What Do You Do In The Dog World?

[Quickasyoucan]

Pet owner and local mad dog lady (special qualifications required for the latter position)

Problem with animal related employment is that generally-speaking it does not cover the cost of mortgage etc. Most of us have to sacrifice what we would love to do for something we can bear doing in order to make ends meet.. unless that lottery win is around the corner

[jerojath]

Started with my first Vizsla 23 years ago which led to showing, obedience, hunting and more recently, breeding.

My passion for dogs led me to become a qualified dog groomer, operating my own salons, and also trained and worked as a Veterinary Nurse.

Have headed a breed club sub-committee and been a committee member of that club.

Have also handled show dogs for lots of other people.

These days I have completely scaled down any involvement. I know longer show and rarely get out on the quail or rabbits etc.

Edited to say... I no longer work within the pet industry as it doesn't pay enough to raise 4 kids, dogs and a stack of other pets!

Edited May 6, 2011 by jerojath

[SkySoaringMagpie]

Personal staff to 4 Salukis

Co-parent of 2 Afghans and an Irish Wolfhound

Show my own dogs

Club Secretary for a Group Club and an All Breeds Club

Member of my two breed clubs

Steward at dog shows and occasionally at trials

Do some private lure coursing over winter months

Occasionally do breed rescue and foster when the need arises

Planning my first litter.

Also a member of the CSM and definitely a Crazy Dog Lady

Before I ran out of hours in the day, I was a volunteer obedience instructor and have taught classes and given intake lectures at two of the Canberra obedience clubs.

Spend what spare time I do have reading all I can find on my breed, structure, performance, heath etc and talking about those things with other dog tragics likeminded people.

I have an office job, I couldn't afford to pay for what I want to do with my dogs with a dog job, and probably could not put up with the people associated with dog jobs either.

Edited May 6, 2011 by SkySoaringMagpie

[~Anne~]

Former Vet Nurse.

Former Rescuer.

Current pet owner.

[Keshwar]

Work at a Uni in a non-dog role.

Show an Afghan Hound and an Irish wolfhound.

Handle a Saluki for SSM.

Handle other dogs for anyone who asks.

Exec committee member of group club,

Member of 3 breed clubs - 3 Afghan, 1 IW

Member of Obedience Club,

Obedience instructor at above club.

Qualified obedience steward

Qualified Show steward

Run private lure coursing.

Have got a CCD title on an Afghan Hound,

Have titled an Afghan Hound

Have almost titled a second Afghan hound,

Have titled a Smooth saluki

Think thats it.

Oops forgot I'm also a card carrying CSM member!

Edited May 6, 2011 by Keshwar

[spyda62]

I am just a pet owner. All my previous work / animal related experience are more pertaining to the equine industry rather than the dog one.

But currently I am studying part-time canine anatomy, behaviour and & a canine body worker certification course. It's hard to fit in study when I also work full-time in an office but I just need to keep myself motivated if I keep dreaming of an animal career in the future!

I also hope to get an agility dog in the near future so I could dabble in agility and obedience.

Wow! Very cool! Good for you for putting so much time and effort in! Last year I worked permanent part time, i was a full-time uni stduent, and I did two days of work experience a week. I know what it feels like, but again, so worth it!

a long time ago?

leeLa- a looong time ago

hahaha! oh good. I didn't want to offend you if you were talking about another life - some people believe that sort of stuff which I think it pretty cool but I didn't know how to phrase the question! hahahahah

Another crazy dog lady here!

Have 3 dogs of my own.

Currently fostering a deaf 6 month old pup

NDTF Qualified

Work full time as an animal Attendent for AWLQLD

Oh beautiful! What kind of pup is it??

A beautiful Staffy X Boxer girl.

[Marion 01]

That's amazing. See, I would love to have that many dogs but OH would murder me. lol Plus I really don't think I could handle them all - not until I was older! maybe we should swap ages and see how we go! hahaha

Hey you're on, swap you my 64 years, for yours. That is where I am lucky OH and I think, the more the merrier, well after all it's me who has done all the grooming,medicating, bathing, and managing them, so why wouldn't he go along with it.

[poodlefan]

I have an office job, I couldn't afford to pay for what I want to do with my dogs with a dog job, and probably could not put up with the people associated with dog jobs either.

Amen to that.

I recall Dr Reiner Klimke (closest thing to God in dressage circles for very long time) was asked once what advice he'd give to any young aspirant to an Olympic Dressage Gold Medal. (He won 6 Gold 2 individual on two different horses, 4 Team and 2 individual Bronze in a 20 year career btw)

"Go out and get a very well paying job" he said.

I prefer to work to finance my passion than sacrifice a decent salary to indulge it. Money opens up opportunties like no other factor. There's a lot of minimum wage jobs in most areas involving animals. And then you have to deal with owners too.

Edited May 6, 2011 by poodlefan

[raineth]

off topic - Reiner Klimke. Although Corlandus is probably my fave dressage horse from that time

I'm just a dog owner I currently have two dogs from rescue which have inspired me to learn a lot about dogs and training them.

But I have fostered about 8 dogs/puppies

I can't see that I'll ever do a dog-related job. I am currently doing a degree that won't lead to any dog-related job, but does give me insight into animals in aperipheral kind of way.

[poodlefan]

off topic - Reiner Klimke. Although Corlandus is probably my fave dressage horse from that time

We'll not see his like again I think.

Corlandus I recall was capable of quite an explosive bucking performance in warm ups. But what a mover - best extended trot EVER

[raineth]

off topic - Reiner Klimke. Although Corlandus is probably my fave dressage horse from that time

We'll not see his like again I think.

Corlandus I recall was capable of quite an explosive bucking performance in warm ups. But what a mover - best extended trot EVER

yep! Its Corlandus' personality mainly that makes him my fave: i think he was quite the character and that personality really came out in his work and a trot to die for ;)

sorry Leelaa!!!

[tlc]

I am doggy mum to 4 gorgeous dogs! Two boys 4 and 3 and two girls 4 and 3.

My two girls are both accredited with the Delta pet therapy program and visit our local hospital on a weekly basis, this is fabulous for our town and community as me and two other ladies are the first accredited therapy dog owners with accredited dogs in this area.

I am qualified at our local obedience club to teach obedience to owners with pet dogs. I don't do this as much as I used to it is all volunteer work which is fine but hard to fit in everything else I want to do as well.

All my dogs are obedience trained, two have done tracking, one has done basic agility. We don't live in a huge town so there isn't a lot of scope for other dog sports, sadly, I would love to do more things like agility and fly ball.

I am the go to person at my work for everything dog, not professing to know it all but I think they know I am a trainer and have 4 dogs so its a given that I must know everything. sadly I don't!!

This is a great thread, it is fantastic to read what everyone else does with their dogs and how they are involved in the dog world.

Edited May 6, 2011 by tlc

[Leema]

Gosh, how much time do you have?

Personally, I am a dog owner, lover, and breeder with an interest in Border Terriers (and a mild interest in some other breeds). I show my dogs, I partake in dog sports (though I dabble in agility and dancing, I have only entered my dogs in earthdog, tracking, and obedience).

In a volunteer capacity, I worked at the RSPCA and with the Delta Dog Safe Program.

Professionally, both of these volunteering roles led to employment. I started as a kennel hand (a glorified cleaner) at the RSPCA, which slowly got me through to doing less cleaning and more nice-doggy-stuff. I quit this job (sadly) after gaining the role of coordinator with the Delta Dog Safe Program SA.

Qualifications wise, I have a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Health Science... Not of much use in the dog world!

[corvus]

I'm doing a PhD in dog behaviour. I have a zoology degree. Technically all the time I spend with my dogs is work.

And what do you study when studying zoology? I have always wanted to ask someone that... does it mean you have knowledge in ALL animals? Or do you pick one to study? Or.... something? lol

Corvus got it quite spot on, we also got to study spider behaviour (yay.....feeding spiders with tweezers) and learning how to catch and wrangle kangaroos. My all time fav (insert sarcastic smilie) assignment was to do ethology maps for the dingos at the zoo for a day...in the rain. 9am sleep, 9:10am sleep.....3:40pm sleep. Oooohhh yay 3:50 pee

I did one on Sooty Oystercatchers one time that looked much the same. For a bird that can only actually forage half the time due to tides, they spend an awful lot of that time loafing. But I at least had the foresight to pick the project that would be on the beach rather than the leech and tick infested forest.

I remember spending 3 hours watching a Pheasant Coucal watching me. I went on to work on Willie Wagtails, which was endless entertainment. One of them bit me one day because I touched her eggs. I had to do subsequent nest checks armed with a pen to keep her at bay.

[corvus]

It really does show that if you face your fear, theres a chance you will get over it!

That was my thinking when I volunteered to help someone catch funnel webs. I'm no longer afraid of funnel webs, but any other spider still gives me the heebie jeebies. I had a consulting friend who used to make me laugh because I'd be following him through the bush and he'd suddenly jerk backwards and I was like "You're afraid of spiders, aren't you?" I would recognise that "Hells bells, spider web!" dance anywhere. He was kind of relieved to find another zoologist with the same achilles heel. It was a problem for herp surveys, though, as neither of us liked lifting rocks because half of them had these big, black scary spiders that lived under them that made us shriek. Well, I shrieked. He was too manly. Most of the time.

[Maddy]

Just greyhound rescue and greyhound owner/washerwoman*

*The peed on pajamas don't wash themselves, after all.

[duckle]

Qualified Vet Nurse of 10+ years. Have worked in general, emergency and specialist practices. Also worked in the UK. Currently a specialist medicine nurse.

Diploma of Practice Management. Thinking of doing Diploma of Emergency and Critical Care.

[RallyValley]

I plan to do more then I can actually fit in

At the moment I have one dog that I train for obedience trials, I did have him competing in agility but withdrew him due to lameness. We also go to remedial socialization classes as well as obedience classes.

I have shown dogs and will be getting a showdog again in the future. I am handling a friends Tollers in the show ring. I am being schooled in how to do Open stays for another friend and will be doing some NFC rounds with her lab. I try to watch shows, agility trials and obedience trials where I have a day off when my schedule allows, plus if you are there you are sure to be used as a steward, cameraman, jackpot holder, canopy set up help ect. Plus I am trained in the theory of show stewarding, just have to sit the prac. Have also had the pleasure of doing a mock Rally -O round with a very nice score with a 14 year old, mostly retired Obedience Ch. (Forgot about Rally-O am training my boy for that to so we can get his RN when that comes in next year :D )

I am always reading training theory, canine structure, genetics, breed based materials ect. I usually have a dog book (or 3) on the go constantly.

I am studying for a degree in Molecular Genetics but am a bit unsure where I will go with that... there are some interesting honours projects at Uni in regards to colour genetics (in alpacas ).. but I love genetics. I also work 6 full days a fortnight and every weekend which limits dog stuff ;)

[BMAK]

i own two dogs whom i manage everything for since day one.

Foster mum trainer and re-homer for 8 months have 17 dogs/pups in that time mostly baby bull breeds or working dogs.

obedience instructor for all breed club,

steward at agility and obedience, at club above.

i do obedience and sometimes agility with both dogs yet to trial as haven't had time for the past 6 years.

currently work at dog grooming, daycare business, have done vet nurse didn't like the blood hahah left that pretty quick

have my Diploma in Hospitality,

currently doing my cert 3 in early child care hope to become a teacher.

passions on the side learning photography and want to get into showing one day soon.

all at age 19... not bad.

[Poo-Fong]

*deep breath*

First & foremost, I am a hopeless, unreformable dog nut!

Have had at least one dog around all my life - learnt to walk holding onto my grandparent's dog

Got my first registered pedigree show dog (Border Collie) in 1991

Bred & exhibited Border Collies from 1994 - 2001 with reasonable success - lost my last BC boy (and my heart dog) on NYE 2009 ;)

Currently own 2 x Dogues De Bordeaux, 1 French Bulldog, 1 Toy Poodle, 1 Whippet and our most recent addition, a geriatric Akita girl boarding with us who found herself in need of a new home

Hoping to expand the Whippet population ASAP!

Exhibited many other breeds of dog since then, for myself and for others

Put a CD on my first BC boy, and attempted agility, but quickly figured out my talents lay elsewhere - haven't ruled out going back to it one day...maybe with Buzz Whippet?

Have worked in kennels since 1990 (some good, some NOT so good..)

Currently owner/operator of our own boarding kennels along with my ever-loving hubby, who was a 'dog show brat' from birth ;)

Hubby is on one of the sub-committees of DogsWest

Love my crazy, doggy-oriented life :D