Wearing a badge brings a certain amount of power and great deal of responsibility. Animal control and humane officers make many decisions daily that impact people’s rights, public safety, animal welfare, and—most importantly—themselves and their career. Almost all of us want to do the “right” thing in each case. But, with so many competing interests, how do we know what the “right” thing is? Is it ‘right’ to allow an animal to remain in a place where it will likely suffer? Is it ‘right’ to bend the rules to stop or prevent animal suffering? Who should own an animal, and what can they do to/with that animal? And, what about euthanasia? We will explore some of the real-world dilemmas that officers face regularly and discuss how to make the best decisions possible.

This session will cover:

• Animal, mineral or vegetable: what is a profession and are we one?
• What are the most important qualities in an animal control/humane officer?
• What influences can move the needle on our moral compass?
• Right vs. wrong; is it really black and white?
• Truth or consequences: When is it okay to lie?
• Should you compromise your principles?

This webinar has been certified by the National Animal Care & Control Association and is approved for 1 Continuing Education Unit. Please refer to your NACA membership portal for current CEU submission process. Current NACA Members who attend the live presentation or watch the recording will be able to download a jointly issued attendance certificate that includes the National Animal Care & Control Association logo. Visit the NACA training page for a complete list of future trainings.

About the Presenter
Harold Holmes has been the Executive Assistant for The County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control since 2016. Prior, he was a Deputy Director for the County of San Diego Department of Animal Services and before that retired as a Chief of Police in northern California.

Harold is a former U.S. Marine who was recalled to active duty for the Gulf War.

A hostage negotiator and police canine handler of an award-winning patrol dog at Redlands P.D., when he retired from police work, he began a new career as an animal control officer. While at San Diego County Animal Services, he developed the Responsible Pet Ownership Program for animal-law violators, which won an award from the California State Association of Counties. He has experience drafting and shepherding legislation that became law at both the State and local level.

Managing San Diego County’s Dangerous Dog Task Force for three years inspired him to attend law school. Harold graduated as the Valedictorian from Western Sierra Law School and was admitted to the Bar in June 2013. He is also a hearing officer, a trained mediator and teaches a variety of legal and law-enforcement related topics.

He has completed management and executive level trainings, including the County of Los Angeles/USC Executive Leadership Development Program.

WEBSITE LINK:  https://www.justiceclearinghouse.com/webinar/everyday-ethics-for-animal-control-officers/

Have you ever been scrolling through social media and read through a post calling someone a “horrible pet owner” or worse during a time of need or crisis? The answer is probably yes; we’ve all seen this, and perhaps we’ve even used harmful language ourselves not knowing the full story. The words we use have an impact and can push away the people who need support so we’d like to take the time to evaluate how we can have more compassionate communication.

Shannon Glenn, Executive Director of My Pit Bull is Family and the North Minneapolis Pet Resource Center program, will share how animal welfare professionals can shift their language to be more human-centered and human-supportive to and keep more families together.

WEBSITE LINK:  https://zoom.us/webinar/register/6016782060176/WN_UoCI8zCWQMmcSlHkaiBjng

Do journalists sometimes ask you to comment on topics related to dog and cat training and behaviour—or do you wish they would? Sharing good information about dogs and cats is an essential part of helping pet guardians learn how to care for their pet using up-to-date, reward-based methods. Knowing how to communicate with the media can help you get that information across and show off your professional expertise to a wider audience.

This session will provide an overview of what you can do to make sure you rock your media interviews—and get more of them. We’ll cover the essentials of how to prepare for an interview, how to identify the message you want to get across, and what to do in the event that things don’t go to plan. Whether you have already done some media interviews and want to improve your skills or have never spoken to a journalist but want to learn more about what to expect, this session is for you.

Learning Objectives

• Develop an understanding of why pet professionals should talk to journalists and how to make it happen
• How to determine (and stick to) the main message(s) you would like to focus on
• Understand the requirements of different types of media (print, podcast, radio, TV)
• Identify the best ways to practice in advance and continue to develop your media skills

Presenter: Dr. Zazie Todd
Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy. Her third book, Shiver, is provisionally scheduled for publication in 2024. Todd is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, and also has a column at Psychology Today. Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, one dog, and two cats.

WEBSITE LINK:  https://petprofessionalguild.com/event-5254082

Is your cue dominant or sub-dominant? In this not-to-be-missed presentation, the presenter, Louise Stapleton-Frappell is going to help you understand why you want your cue to be dominant and not irrelevant! By the end of the presentation, you will not only understand how to communicate more clearly with your learner to facilitate speedy learning, but you will also have a greater knowledge of how to promote effortless ‘generalization’ of the skills taught. Lots of video demonstrations are included to help cement your learning.

Although the presentation is aimed at pet professionals, pet dog guardians will also find the information invaluable.

Registered for the live event, get busy and cannot make it! No worries you will automatically receive a recording!

Presenter: Louise Stapleton-Frappell

CEUs: PPAB 1, CCPDT 1, KPA 1, PMCT 1, & IAABC pending

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to become an expert at providing clarity during the teaching process
• Understand the importance of cue consistency – This includes the chosen bridging stimulus, and the delivery of the reinforcer!
• Learn how the pitch of the cue is relevant
• Delve into the world of desirable variables and non-variables
• Become a master at facilitating the speedy acquisition of the discriminative stimulus
• Understand why dogs may be better at generalizing than humans think!
• Learn how to test comprehension – Does your learner really understand what you think you have taught?

WEBSITE LINK:  https://petprofessionalguild.com/event-5181919

When dogs protect access to something they value – like food, toys, bones, a spot on the couch, or maybe even a favourite person – we call it “resource guarding”.

Resource guarding is a common issue. It can lead to aggression and other undesirable behaviours that can put human and other animal family members at risk.

During this webinar, we’ll explore effective management and training techniques to address resource guarding.

You’ll learn how to recognize the signs of guarding behaviours, how to prevent it from developing in puppies, and how to modify the behaviour in adult dogs.

This webinar is a must-attend for dog owners, trainers, and anyone interested in better understanding, managing, and modifying dog behaviour.

Instructor: Nancy Tucker

WEBSITE LINK:  https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/index.php/self-study/webinars

Learn how to convert new donors into more donations with this series of email touchpoints.

Here’s the thing: When a donor makes their first donation, they are telling you “I am digging into what you’re doing and I’d like to be part of it.” So, now what?

In this session, Rachel Bearbower will walk you through the 5 emails to construct an engaging (and effective) welcome series for your new donors.

You’ll learn the key ingredients that go into each email to help your donor feel valued and appreciated and start turning your new donors into recurring, long-term donors.

Bonus: Rachel will give you her best tips for automating this process saving you bucket loads of time.

Speaker: Rachel Bearbower (she/her), Founder + CEO of Small Shop Strategies

WEBSITE LINK:  https://www.networkforgood.com/resource/emails-that-get-results/