Dog Re-Homer
Wood Green Animal Shelters
Amy H
00:00:05 My name is Amy H and I’m a Dog Re-homer at Wood Green Animal Shelters. The aim of the job title is to re-home animals that have either come into us as strays or they’ve been handed in different circumstances, you know, either they can’t look after them anymore or their circumstances have changed. Then we rehabilitate any strays that have got welfare issues and they all go to nice loving homes at the end of it which is what we do it for. So yeah, it’s a rewarding job.
00:00:41 I had a moment where my decisions changed in the sixth form at high school when I was, you know, focused on sport, I wanted to have a career in sport, I thought that was for me. Then suddenly, you know, working with horses and being outside and things, something changed in me definitely, like something instantly changed and I thought, ‘hang on, do I really want to work in sports and things?’ So I didn’t really know what I wanted to do in sports, I just knew that I wanted to be doing something active.
00:01:15 My school was very academic and they kind of pushed you into doing academic subjects and when I said to my sixth form leader that I was interested in doing an equine degree. He was like, he didn’t really know what it was. But then again I got a lot of help with my careers adviser outside of school in the local library, which it helped me a lot to really focus my interests.
00:01:49 I absolutely loved university. The minute I got in there, I met my long life friends now and we get on like a house on fire. But as I went through uni, I actually took a year out after my second year because I wasn’t too sure if that’s what I wanted to do, and I went to Colorado in the USA and worked on a dude ranch for three months which was amazing. Best experience of my life. I worked with a fantastic group of people and I got to ride every day up the mountains and things and it was…it was beautiful, I really enjoyed that three months there.
00:02:29 And then I did actually go back and finish my degree and I worked really hard and I ended up with a really good result from that and I don’t regret what I did at all. All I regret is I think I would’ve preferred to have a gap year before university, just because I kind of rushed into it I think, a little bit for me. I think I needed to take some time out to see what I wanted to do.
00:02:59 Obviously my Mum and Dad have supported me whatever I’ve gone into and what my interests are and it’s really helped me to kind of be myself and not be pressured into anything. They’ve always been there for me and they always will. But yeah, it’s a huge support my family. Without them, you know, I don’t know what I’d be doing at the moment.
00:03:28 Where I’d like to be in five years time? I’d still love to be working with animals. I’d like to be more involved in the actual welfare processes, maybe working for a big charity, you know, in worldwide animal welfare, yeah, seeing where I get through that.
Amy H is a dog re-homer at Wood Green Animal Shelter. She has a degree in equine studies, and spent part of her gap year working on a ranch in Colorado. She’d like to carry on working in the area of animal welfare, perhaps in an international role.
More information about Animal care services occupations n.e.c.
The UK average salary is £29,813
There are 37.5 hours in the average working week
The UK workforce is 47% female and 53% male
Future employment
- Feeds, washes, grooms, trims and exercises animals;
- Cleans animals’ quarters and renews bedding as necessary;
- Houses, feeds, exercises, trains, grooms horses, dogs and other animals in preparation for entry to shows, races and other events;
- Checks animals for illness, treats minor ailments or calls for vet if further treatment is required;
- Meets prospective owners and advises on animal selection and animal care;
- Patrols public areas to search for and capture stray or nuisance dogs, and transports captured animals to kennels.
