FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROGRAM

photo credit: Nancy Peterson

Part of The HSUS Pets for Life program involves providing assistance to animal shelter staff to help improve the level of care provided for the animals.

This series of courses -- designed for both supervisors and their staff -- provides training in establishing a behavior evaluation program, improving animal handling, reducing the level of stress for the animal, and making more informed decisions regarding adoption matches. Agencies that implement the techniques in these courses increase the likelihood that their adoptions will be successful.

The four courses in the Certificate program are:

Course One: Evaluating Your Shelter: Are You Ready to Implement a Behavior Program? (2-5 hour, self-paced, FREE course)
Ongoing enrollment

Course Two: Animal Handling and Stress Reduction: Working with Animals in the Shelter (5 weeks, $99 tuition)

Course Three: Behavior Assessment (6 weeks, $99 tuition)

Course Four: Making Good Matches and Community Outreach: Working with the Public Before and After Adoption (4 weeks, $99 tuition)

Courses may be taken individually. However, Evaluating Your Shelter: Are You Ready to Implement a Behavior Program? is a prerequisite for the remaining courses.

Successfully complete all four courses, and you can earn a Pets for Life Behavior Certificate from HSU.

ADDITIONAL PFL COURSE

Animal Behavior Helplines (8 weeks, $99) This course may be taken by anyone who wants to learn how to establish a helpline at a shelter or other animal welfare organization. It is not a part of the Pets for Life certificate series.

COURSE DATES:

Please check the HSU course search for specific dates.

Since the inception of the Pets for Life Training Centers in March 2000, the involvement of the Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust, a KeyBank Trust, Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc., and the Dumb Friends League has been critical to the success of the classes. The HSUS is very pleased that the involvement of these organizations continues in this online course series and certificate program.