Many animals have jobs; some serve a vital role for those in need, and others are just purely for our entertainment. However, most of us have never really considered that animals may have better jobs than we do. Many animals hold higher positions in society then we could ever hope to reach, and get paid quite well for the jobs they do. Here are ten of them.
10. Seeing Eye dogs have great jobs. They get to help people everyday. Not only that, but they have someone who depends on them for survival. They live every day knowing that they are needed, and have a sense of purpose. They also are well provided for and loved, and receive much more attention than their regular pet counterparts.
9. Oscar the Hospice cat and other therapy pets have fulfilling jobs as well. Oscar is a special kind of therapy cat who works for Hospice, a program for the terminally ill. Oscar has a knack for knowing when someone is near the end of their life, and will curl up with them until they pass on. Oscar is well taken care of in the Hospice house, and was given a plaque to commemorate his commitment to patients’ end of life care. Other therapy pets serve a similar role, and are surrounded everyday by patients vying for their love and affection. They are treated kindly, and serve an important roll in many hospitals and nursing homes worldwide.
8. Brody the Bear is a trained Kodiak bear who has been raised by his owner Jeff Watson since he was a cub weighing less than ten pounds. He has performed in many films, television shows, and commercials such as The Today Show, Energizer commercials, and Rice Krispie Treat commercials. He spends his non-working days playing with his owner and traveling the country to help educate the public about bears and outdoor safety. He has even spent the night at Muhammad Ali’s house while on the road!
7. Racehorses have better jobs than us as well. They get to perform doing something they love, and they live very cushy lives most of the time. They train hard, or play hard, depending on how you look at it. Horses naturally love to run, and having a job doing what you love is hard to come by. Winning racehorses are well provided for to ensure their continued health and performance. They receive the best grooming, food, healthcare, and more to keep them on the winning track.
6. The Budweiser Clydesdales have pretty cushy jobs too. There are six teams of Clydesdales working for Budweiser, five that travel the country ten months out of the year, and one that stays at the main headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri. The Clydesdales that travel the country are put up in the best stables, and travel in trailers that have air cushion suspension and rubber flooring for comfort. The team housed at headquarters lives in the historic brick and stained glass stable, and all teams enjoy the crowds of people that gather to greet them.
5. Twiggy the water skiing squirrel has starred in many movies including recent films like Dodgeball, Anchorman, and Down to Earth. He originally started his career as a water skiing squirrel act in 1979. Once discovered, nothing could stop him from becoming a superstar! Twiggy and his owner are paid handsomely for his roles in movies, and you can rest assured that Twiggy is living the squirrel high life.
4. There are 22 Orcas that perform at the three Sea World parks across the United States, and they love their jobs. They perform tricks for thousands of people everyday, and get rewarded for everything they do. They are fed the most nutritious food, and shown plenty of love and attention by their trainers and the people who look after them. They are much better cared for than their wild cousins, and are far more famous!
3. Gidget, a Chihuahua born in 1995, made herself and her owner a large amount of money. She will die a legend, forever remembered as the Taco Bell dog. Gidget played the famous dog in the Taco Bell commercials from 1997 until 2000, when she was replaced by a new ad campaign. She now enjoys early retirement, and lounging around in doggy nirvana as her owners cater to her every need.
2. Levi, the monkey from Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, is one of the most recent animals to land a job as a superstar. Levi, an eight-year-old Capuchin, played the undead monkey in each of the three Pirates movies. He has truly achieved star status with loads of fan mail and his own fan club. He has earned a place in our hearts, and is well-provided for by his owners.
1. The animal with the best job that is most assuredly better than ours, is good old Punxsutawney Phil. How great would it be if you worked only one day out of the year, and had the entire day dedicated you and what you do? Every year, people gather to celebrate this Groundhog Day by watching Phil do his job on Gobbler’s Knob. The remainder of the year, he lives in the town library, and even has a wife named Phyllis. The two groundhogs are taken care of by a group called the Punxsutawney Club. Phil even has an “inner circle” that is in charge of planning the annual Groundhog Day ceremony.
The list doesn’t end there; many more animals are far more famous than us, or hold jobs that offer more fulfillment and respect that ours do. Don’t you wish you had it as good?