Be prepared to not make much money. It is rewarding, relatively simple, but will never pay much. I am working as a vet assistant as my first job, to learn so I can go on to do something more. Possibly management of a kennel or stable or something else. I stand by my decision to be in this field, though I am looking for an animal care related job that pays better. The pros are having animal contact daily, the cons are the aggressive animals (and there are many) and having various forms of excrement excrete on you daily!
Since I care for dogs at a dog boarding establishment, the most important factor is liking dogs of course. I love my job because I love being around dogs. It is a physically active job and requires a great deal of patience since it is important that one does not get angry at a dog, much like with a child. Caring for dogs is very much like caring for young children who are always needing to learn and require a lot of attention. The dogs that stay with us are treated as part of the family when they are at their home, they are greatly loved by their family. It's important that they are treated with that same care and affection when they stay with us.