Today’s Animal Control Officer will be exposed to a variety of critical incidents in their career. Seeing people and pets in perilous situations can cause significant stress on responding officers. Compassion fatigue is a real threat to your personal and professional health. Finding ways to manage critical incident stress can make a huge difference in your life, as well as those around you. This session will explore critical incident stress management for today’s Animal Control Officer.
Presenter
Based out of Daytona Beach, Florida, Adam Leath is the Director of Volusia County Animal Services. He investigates and responds to situations involving animal victims of natural disasters and animal cruelty cases in Volusia County. Leath was formerly a Regional Director of the Field Investigations and Response Team at the ASPCA where he led one of the largest operations in ASPCA history with the seizure of over 1,000 animals in August of 2016. Leath has responded to multiple dogfighting operations throughout his time at the ASPCA, including the second-largest dogfighting bust in U.S. history in 2013, resulting in the seizure of more than 400 dogs.
Leath holds a bachelor’s degree in animal science from the University of Tennessee and a Graduate Certificate in Veterinary Forensic Science from the University of Florida. He is a courtesy Assistant Professor for the Department of Comparative, Diagnostic, and Population Medicine at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. He is a Director on the Board of Directors for the National Animal Care and Control Association. Leath is a Past President of the International Veterinary Forensic Sciences Association and is a Certified National Animal Cruelty Investigator through the University of Missouri. He has also been certified in Equine Cruelty Investigation through the University of Colorado. Leath has been certified as an expert witness in animal fighting and animal cruelty in the states of Florida and New York.
Responses