I've worked in animal care for years now, starting at a major retailer as an aquatic/exotic specialist and then the animal leader for a large volume store in a ritzy area. I became the mentor for the rest of the district. The oversale of pets during the beginnings of covid disgusted me. Although HR and my district manager found nitpicky reasons to make jabs at my work for sending contaminated animals back to the vendors, refusing sales to owners who were just quarantine bored, and providing larger habitats to pets they wanted more “on display,” I was ultimately fired for “breach of policy or procedure.”
For large scale retailers, this became common for middle management that didn't compromise their ethics. I soon followed an old General Manager of mine to a chain dog daycare facility. I was driving 50 miles round trip a day for $16/hour plus tips, and i live in a major metropolitan area.
Where it gets upsetting was that I put up with: supervising 30+ dogs solely by myself, 3 recorded dog bites totalling in 29 punctures, chronic understaffing, 16 hour shifts often with no breaks but for a few cigarettes, and incompetent leadership to the point of neglect. One general manager up and left from the stress.
But that's how they reel you in, your care for the dogs. My high mileage car and that daily distance made the car break down and I had very limited transportation, public transport was roughly $20/day and 3 hours each way. I was told in June of this year I would be transferred to a closer location in a slightly above lateral promotion, within the first week of July. By August I was still being scheduled at the distant location.
I applied as a kennel technician at a local vet clinic 5 minutes away for much higher pay, and was hired same day after relaying my experience with the chain. It's much cleaner, safer, and locally trusted, with opportunities to move into veterinary work. I've already been promoted once, and the daycare/lodging aspect of it is much more safely conducted.
TL;DR: working for a small animal care practice with an actually healthy work environment is safer and better paying than a corporate chain with very little overhead, and even less care for employees and clients.