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(Animal Care Worker, Animal Keeper, Kennel Assistant, Equine Groom)
Agriculture & Environment
Salary
€24,000 - €36,000/yr
Level
Operational
Outlook
Stable
Sector
Agriculture & Environment
As an Animal Care Assistant you provide daily hands-on care for a wide variety of non-production animals, including feeding, watering, cleaning enclosures, and monitoring health and welfare. You may work in veterinary practices, animal rescue shelters such as those run by the ISPCA, boarding kennels, pet shops, zoos, or equine yards. Your daily duties include grooming animals, providing enrichment activities, basic training support, and reporting any signs of illness or distress to a supervising veterinarian or senior keeper. You work closely with veterinary professionals, animal welfare officers, and members of the public who bring their animals in for care.
Listen: a day as an Animal Care Assistant
You arrive at the ISPCA-affiliated rescue shelter at 7:45 a.m., pulling on your overalls and steel-toecap boots before the morning briefing begins at eight. The senior keeper runs through the overnight notes on a whiteboard: one of the lurchers came in late yesterday evening, a stray, and needs to be observed closely for signs of stress or injury. You jot this down on your daily record sheet, which you will update throughout the day and hand to the supervising veterinary nurse before you leave. Feeding comes first. You work your way through the dog kennels, measuring out dry feed according to each animal's diet card, topping up water bowls, and checking that overnight waste has not been left unnoticed. The smell is strong and the noise is considerable — barking echoes off concrete walls — but you move calmly and speak quietly to each dog, because how you carry yourself directly affects how settled the animals remain.
A Leaving Certificate is not always strictly required, but subjects such as Biology, Agricultural Science, and Home Economics are helpful background preparation. The most common entry route is a QQI Level 5 Certificate in Animal Care, offered at Colleges of Further Education and ETB centres around Ireland. Some providers also offer QQI Level 6 awards that allow you to take on greater responsibility or progress to higher education. A Level 7 or Level 8 degree in Animal Science or Equine Science at institutes such as ATU, TUS, or University College Dublin can open doors to more specialised roles. No statutory registration body currently governs this occupation in Ireland, though employers often expect candidates to be familiar with Irish and EU animal welfare legislation.
Most Animal Care Assistants begin in entry-level roles in kennels, shelters, or veterinary practices after completing a QQI Level 5 qualification or gaining practical experience through volunteering. With experience and additional qualifications, you can progress to a senior care worker, head keeper, or kennel manager role. Further study at Level 7 or 8 in Animal Science, Veterinary Nursing (regulated by RCVS/VNCI in Ireland), or a related field can open pathways into veterinary nursing, zoo keeping, or animal behaviour work. Some experienced professionals move into roles with the ISPCA, local authority dog wardens, or Teagasc-linked agricultural advisory services.
AI tools are beginning to assist in animal health monitoring through smart sensors and camera systems that track behaviour, feeding patterns, and early signs of illness in kennels and shelters. Routine administrative tasks such as scheduling, record keeping, and client communication are increasingly supported by digital management platforms. However, the hands-on, physical nature of animal care — grooming, handling, enrichment, and welfare assessment — means that human skill and judgement remain central to this occupation. AI is best seen as a support tool that frees up time for direct animal care rather than a replacement for trained workers.
→ Animal Care Assistant (Current role)
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Organisations in Ireland that employ people in this occupation.
Phoenix Park, Dublin 8
Daily care, feeding and enrichment for diverse zoo animal collections.
Nationwide (HQ: Longford)
Rescue, rehabilitate and care for surrendered and injured animals.
Finglas, Dublin 11
Provide daily kennel care, enrichment and rehoming support for dogs.
Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork
Feed, monitor welfare and enrich habitats for free-range wildlife.
Rathfarnham, Dublin 14
Care for rescued dogs and cats awaiting rehoming at busy shelter.
Kill, Co. Kildare
Provide hands-on shelter care and welfare monitoring for rescue animals.
Castleknock, Dublin 15
Daily grooming, exercise and boarding care for dogs and cats.
Midleton, Co. Cork
Feed, groom and monitor health of horses in busy equine yard.
Tully, Co. Kildare
Provide daily grooming, feeding and welfare monitoring for thoroughbred horses.
Nationwide
Support vets with animal handling, cleaning and patient care duties.
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