Animal Control Workers
Handle animals for the purpose of investigations of mistreatment, or control of abandoned, dangerous, or unattended animals.
12,070 people do this job in the US. $45,660 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 38%
- 0%
- 62%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
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, 2%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 37%. Today's estimate: 38%.
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.
The tasks
Sorted by . 16 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investigate reports of animal attacks or animal cruelty, interviewing witnesses, collecting evidence, and writing reports.Done daily by most who do it. | 20% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Educate the public about animal welfare, and animal control laws and regulations.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 16% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | 99%Half by now | |
| Write reports of activities, and maintain files of impoundments and dispositions of animals.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 11% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | 100%Half by now | |
| Clean facilities and equipment such as dog pens and animal control trucks.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 8% | 42 min21 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Examine animal licenses, and inspect establishments housing animals for compliance with laws.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 8% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Prepare for prosecutions related to animal treatment, and give evidence in court.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 7% | 2.5 h1.3 h to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Capture and remove stray, uncontrolled, or abused animals from undesirable conditions, using nets, nooses, or tranquilizer darts as necessary.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Supply animals with food, water, and personal care.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Organize the adoption of unclaimed animals.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.5 h | 91%Half by now | |
| Issue warnings or citations in connection with animal-related offenses, or contact police to report violations and request arrests.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 4% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Answer inquiries from the public concerning animal control operations.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 3% | 8 min4 min to 21 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Examine animals for injuries or malnutrition, and arrange for any necessary medical treatment.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 29 min13 min to 1.1 h | Stays with people |
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.
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.
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).