Animal Caretakers
In short: today's best AI models could do about 4% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about the same by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 96% of the time, stays with people.
Feed, water, groom, bathe, exercise, or otherwise provide care to promote and maintain the well-being of pets and other animals that are not raised for consumption, such as dogs, cats, race horses, ornamental fish or birds, zoo animals, and mice. Work in settings such as kennels, animal shelters, zoos, circuses, and aquariums. May keep records of feedings, treatments, and animals received or discharged. May clean, disinfect, and repair cages, pens, or fish tanks.
266,910 people do this job in the US. $35,360 a year.
Reviewed on September 30, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on1 h
- A person checks AI's work1 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people38 h
Animal Caretakers, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 1 hours, 1 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 38 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Find homes for animals (under an hour, a person checks); Record animal condition and care (under an hour, a person checks); Take calls and book appointments (under an hour).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 0%
- 4%
- 8%
- 14%
- 73%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
What handing it over would take, now
The 4% within reach splits by what a model would need. The dates, pace and reliability follow the controls above. Estimates.
of the working time. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
of the working time. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
is conversation short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the total.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 3%. Today's estimate: 4%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, 0.011% went to this job's tasks in May 2026, the 351st largest of the 447 jobs that showed up at all; 1 of its 22 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.005% to 0.0036% (released February and March 2025); 0.0028% to none (August 2025 to February 2026); 0.011% to 0.011% (April to May 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.005% | 605 of 708 | 1 of 22 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.0036% | 615 of 703 | 1 of 22 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.0028% | 590 of 655 | 1 of 22 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 22 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 22 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.011% | 337 of 434 | 1 of 22 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.011% | 351 of 447 | 1 of 22 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 86% of this job's working time as physical work. For 58% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 56% in a purpose-built cell, 1% in a structured facility. 0.59 of 3, the 284th highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 14%
- No robot shown 28%
- In a purpose-built cell 56%
- In a structured facility 1%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
What changes for the people in this job
From the task-by-task review, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five. It says which parts of the work stay with people and which change, not whether anyone keeps a job: that depends on decisions no data set can see.
What stays with people
95% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Clean quarters and equipment, the hands-on work, 23%
- Groom animals, the hands-on work, 10%
- Exercise animals, the hands-on work, 9%
- Find homes for animals, the conversation, 8%
- Check animals for illness, the hands-on work, 7%
- Feed and water animals, the hands-on work, 6%
What becomes checking the machine
3% of the working time: desk work a model could do by then, in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs. A person checks it. Another 1% is desk work that is small if wrong, which can be handed over with lighter checks.
- Find homes for animals, costly if wrong, 2%
- Record animal condition and care, costly if wrong, 1%
What to learn
- The hands-on craft. About 73% of the time is hands-on work, which no model here does; robots are rated separately on this page.
- The conversations. About 22% of the time is conversation and in-person work, which this site leaves with people: listening, explaining, persuading, calming.
- Dealing with people outside the organization. Customers, patients, suppliers or the public: trust with them is built by a person.
- Judgment where errors are severe. Some tasks are severe if wrong. Knowing when not to trust an output matters more there than speed.
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself. The tasks under What becomes checking the machine, where a mistake costs something, stay a person's to check or sign: spotting what a draft gets wrong is a skill of its own.
Your own version of this job: read it against your job description. The headline is free; the full personal report, every task with its timeline and what to learn, is $19 (a sample).
The tasks
Sorted by . 22 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Do facility laundry and clean, organize, maintain, and disinfect animal quarters, such as pens and stables, and equipment, such as saddles and bridles.Cleaning and laundry by hand.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, EVO Cleaner (Envirologic AB) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 23% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Perform animal grooming duties, such as washing, brushing, clipping, and trimming coats, cutting nails, and cleaning ears.Washing, clipping and trimming by hand.Done more than weekly by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 10% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.5 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Find homes for stray or unwanted animals.Calls and meetings with adopters, with the listings.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 10% | 1.7 h25 min to 5 h | Conversation 50%, in person 30%, systems 20% | 19%Desk part half by now |
| Exercise animals to maintain their physical and mental health.Walking and running the animals.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, JOG A DOG motorized canine treadmill (models DC5/DC6/DC7) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 9% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Examine and observe animals to detect signs of illness, disease, or injury.Looking the animals over.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 25 min8 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Feed and water animals according to schedules and feeding instructions.By hand on the rounds.Done several times a day by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Quick Feed automatic pet/horse feeders (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Provide treatment to sick or injured animals, or contact veterinarians to secure treatment.Hands-on care, and a call to the vet.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 38 min13 min to 2.5 h | Hands-on 70%, conversation 30% | Stays with people |
| Train animals to perform certain tasks.Working with the animal.Done daily by most who do it.Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Advise pet owners on how to care for their pets' health.A conversation with the owner.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Discuss with clients their pets' grooming needs.A conversation at the counter.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 3% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Respond to questions from patrons, and provide information about animals, such as behavior, habitat, breeding habits, or facility activities.A word with visitors.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 13 min4 min to 38 min | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Answer telephones and schedule appointments.Live calls, with the booking entered.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 3% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Conversation 70%, systems 30% | 30%Desk part half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach. Made of: how the task's time splits among five kinds of doing. Only the documents and systems parts can count as within reach, so a task that is 30% documents can be at most 30% within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers17% now, 17% by 2028
- Animal Trainers1% now, 1% by 2028
- Animal Breeders33% now, 33% by 2028
- Veterinary Technologists and Technicians11% now, 11% by 2028
- Animal Control Workers38% now, 38% by 2028
- Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals2% now, 2% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Animal Caretakers is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 4% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 5% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Animal Caretakers come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Find homes for animals (19% of the task's time now); Record animal condition and care (50% of the task's time now); and Take calls and book appointments (30% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Animal Caretakers stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Clean quarters and equipment; Groom animals; and Exercise animals. Together such tasks are about 84% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Animal Caretakers learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are the hands-on craft; the conversations; and dealing with people outside the organization. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 95% of the working time stays with people, 3% becomes checking a model's work and 1% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Animal Caretakers?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026 and tied to a work task, 0.011% went to this job's tasks, the 351st largest share of the 447 jobs that showed up; 1 of its 22 tasks appeared. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 0%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Animal Caretakers?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 86% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 58% of the working time, 1% in a structured facility. Its index is 0.59 of 3. One example: ecobee smart thermostats with humidifier/dehumidifier accessory control for "set climate controls". A robot shown somewhere is not one in every workplace; this site's own estimates still count no physical work as within reach.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 22 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, reviewed one task at a time on September 30, 2026 for what each is made of (documents, business systems, conversation, in person, hands-on), and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
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