International Dog Control Training Seminars Announced

A ground breaking opportunity for Animal Control Officers from three continents to attend training seminars in Western Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom has been created thanks to the forward thinking of Steve Elvidge, a Life Member of the Western Australia Rangers Association.

WARA has close links and ties with the National Animal Control Association (NACA) from the United States of America and the National Dog Warden Association (NDWA) in the UK. Steve recently gave a presentation on the role of a Western Australian Ranger at the NDWA annual conference in Altringham Cheshire in October 2008.

Members from all three organisations now have the opportunity to attend training workshops at any forthcoming training seminars of each other’s respective associations.

All three associations promote responsible dog ownership and encourage the correct training of officers who have to handle animals and deal with enforcement issues in their communities. Although some workshops will be orientated towards local issues and may not be relevant to officers from outside one of the partner countries, there are still lots of workshops on offer which will be of interest to delegates and can help them in their work in their home country.

The first test of the tri-nation approach to professional training opportunities is a NACA offer to both NDWA and WARA members to attend the ‘Gateway to the Best’ Seminar to be held in Saint Louis Missouri on Friday 29th and Saturday 30th May 2009. NACA has its own training academy that offers a continuous stream of training workshops throughout the year in a number of States across America.

Training is graded into Level’s 1, 2 and 3 with various specialisations that are not currently taught in other countries and in total NACA’s training academy offers around 40 courses and workshops per year.

An example of the specialist training on offer through the academy is:

Pennsylvania Humane Police Officer Training Program

The Pennsylvania Humane Police Officer Training Program is a state mandated training program for those individuals who are seeking appointment to become a Certified Humane Police Officer within the State of Pennsylvania.

The National Animal Control Association provides one (1) part of this training annually. The curriculum consists of the following training:

* Role of the Cruelty Investigator
* Stages of the Investigation
* The Job of the PA Humane Police Officer
* Pennsylvania Humane Laws
* Laws and the Legal System
* Rules of Evidence
* Search and Seizure
* Report Writing
* Evidence Collection
* Courtroom Testimony
* Interview and Interrogation
* Photography, Sketching and Video Taping

Upon successful completion of a written test and completion of part 2, which is conducted by Penn State University, individuals may then be appointed by their County Judge to be a Humane Police Officer in that jurisdiction. The current tuition cost is US$475.

Even though the program was designed for those seeking certification in Pennsylvania, the program is open to anyone who might wish to attend. Registration for this program is handled by the Federated Humane Societies of Pennsylvania. You may contact Anne Irwin, Executive Director, Bucks County S.P.C.A. at 215-794-7425 for more information or the National Animal Control Association, 913-768-1319 or e-mail: naca@nacanet.org.

The next course is taking place 4-7 May 2009 in Harrisburg Pennsylvania.

This course offers a generic approach to animal investigation skills and would benefit Dog Wardens and Animal Welfare Officers in evidence gathering techniques when dealing with situations that they may discover where animals are not being cared for correctly. This type of training would assist those officers whose authorities have adopted the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Other workshops available include Bite stick certification, chemical immobilisation and Level 1, 2 and 3 academies where a variety of subjects will be covered. Some UK police forces allow dog control officers to carry bite sticks with written authorisation so a bite stick certification course would back up the competence of the user in using one against a dog.

The opportunity to attend fellow associations training seminars is not as farfetched as it seems. An example being that in the USA, American officers may travel from one side of the continental USA to the other to attend seminars. This distance can be as far as it is from the UK to the eastern seaboard of the United States if not further.

It is not far to go to receive quality training on subjects that may not get covered at home, especially if a holiday or a short break is added to the itinerary.

Speakers from all three organisations regularly carry out presentations at each other’s training conferences and this method of sharing knowledge also fosters and maintains the strong bonds between Australia, the United States and the UK, something that has been the case for a very long time.

With the sharing of knowledge and information in the field of animal care and control, it makes those bonds even closer.

www.nacanet.org
www.ndwa.co.uk
www.warangers.asn.au

Author Details
Neil Burton is a dog warden and chairman of the National Dog Warden Association. - See this author's webpage

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