Job requirements for animal caretakers on National Mutt Day

Happy National Mutt Day! This day comes twice a year, on July 31 and December 2, and encourages us to embrace, save, and celebrate mixed breed dogs. If you love animals, you may be interested in the job requirements for animal caretakers. In 2019, a medium strength level was required for 98.7 percent of animal caretakers. The average maximum weight lifted or carried by these workers was 48.1 pounds.

Low postures were required for 91.1 percent of animal caretakers to complete critical job tasks. Fine manipulation with both hands was required for 87.4 percent. Reaching overhead was required for 79.5 percent of these workers, and 67.8 percent of animal caretakers had to speak occasionally on the job.

These data are from the Occupational Requirements Survey. For more information on how strength levels are determined, see the strength factsheet. You also can download the complete dataset of occupational requirements.