Animal Shelter Professionals from 11 States to Travel to Buffalo for HSUS Training Program

The Humane Society of the United States
Friday, 25 July 2003

The HSUS is bringing an innovative training program designed to help animals in shelters to Buffalo next week. The SPCA Serving Erie County will host The HSUS' second Pets for Life™ Regional Training Center program July 28 through August 1.

This training is designed to give animal shelters the tools to keep people and their pets together for life by addressing the reasons why people give up their pets. The program covers animal behavior problems, human health issues (e.g. allergies to pets), restrictions in rental housing, unrealistic expectations and changes in the family lifestyle.

The course at The SPCA Serving Erie County will consist of training for 45 new students as well as 15 students who have already received some training through this program. The graduate students, who will be in attendance for the entire five days, will learn to teach a three-day basic animal behavior course to other animal care and control professionals throughout their regions. New students take a three-day class from July 30 through August 1. Kerry Muhovich from the Dumb Friends League in Denver, Colorado will be the course instructor. Students for this training course represent animal shelters from Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, Virginia, Maryland and New York.

The first regional training program was held in April at the Humane Society of Missouri in St. Louis. This program and other training efforts are a key component of The HSUS' Pets for Life program, which is giving pet owners the answers to many common pet problems.

"Since we first launched our Pets for Life National Training Center in March 2000 at the Dumb Friends League, we've had increased demand for our training services from animal care and control professionals nationwide," said Nancy Peterson, coordinator for The HSUS Pets for Life Training Centers. "Not every shelter can take advantage of the 10-day course, so we are arranging shorter, regional training courses around the country. This way we can reach more people with life-saving behavior programs that are needed to achieve everyone's goals of more successful adoptions and keeping pets with their families for life."

To date, The HSUS Pets for Life Training Centers have graduated 350 students from animal shelters in all 50 states, Canada and Hong Kong. The training, taught by Dumb Friends League staff, teaches animal shelter professionals how to institute behavior programs such as stress-reduction for shelter animals, dog-training and pet-parenting classes to the public, and telephone "helplines" to resolve behavior problems owners have with their pets. The HSUS recently introduced 50 animal behavior help sheets to help animal shelters and pet owners to resolve behavior issues that threaten the bond between pets and people. The information sheets can be downloaded for free at www.petsforlife.org.

Funding for The HSUS Pets for Life Training Centers is provided by the generous support of Hill's Science Diet® and The Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust, a KeyBank Trust. Dr. Richard Obermanns, executive director of the Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust located in Cleveland, Ohio, will join the class for a day during the week.

The HSUS is the nation's largest animal protection organization with more than seven million members and constituents. The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals and equine protection, wildlife and habitat protection, animals in research and farm animals and sustainable agriculture. For nearly 50 years, The HSUS has protected all animals through legislation, litigation, investigation, education, advocacy and fieldwork. The non-profit organization is based in Washington, DC and has 10 regional offices across the country.

For more information, or to contact The Humane Society of the United States, see their website at: www.hsus.org