Caring for people caring for animals since 1980

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1 1 of 5 04/12/ :08 In This Issue A new look College bookshop New Horse and Pony course Interesting and informative websites Accredited Petcare Professional Register New resource centre Caring for people caring for animals since 1980 Education, education, education New look Welcome to the first edition of our new look newsletter. In the coming months we will be bringing you a wide range of news views and useful links about all aspects of animal care as well as many new services and courses from the Animal Care College. We have taken the opportunity to update our mailing list which should ensure that in the future you only receive one only copy of the Newsletter. Please let us know of anything that you would like us to include in future editions. Letters, articles and comments will be very welcome as well as any thoughts you might have on the articles or the links. You can us at info@animalcarecollege.co.uk - although it might be easier to complete our short questionnaire by clicking here (and perhaps win one of our new Animal Care College polo shirts) College Bookstore In partnership with Amazon, the College provides you with carefully selected books on every aspect of animal care at the lowest prices. Just click here to go straight to our bookstore and make your selection - a book makes a great Christmas gift. New Horse and Pony course

2 2 of 5 04/12/ :08 We have been delighted with the response to this new course which provides a very practical introduction to horse care and, with our well established Equine Psychology course gives owners all of the tools they need to be successful and to ensure that their horse/s are kept to the highest standards. Horse management has changed over the last few years and the Animal Welfare Act 2006 has put a much greater responsibility onto owners, riders and livery yards. For those thinking about: buying, loaning or sharing a first horse or pony, wanting to get back into horses after a break of some years a non-horsy parent of a pony-mad child (the College can cope with the child too!) or just wanting to update their knowledge this new course, written by Lesley Rigby B.Ed, BHSAI and which you can study at home, covers every aspect of the complex requirements of caring for horses and will ensure that horses are kept happy, safe and healthy. Lesley has been involved in the world of horses for 55 years, has run her own riding school, She was a keen Pony Club member and competed regularly in local show jumping and cross country events, and then endurance riding until 2002, when arthritis made this difficult. Since then has concentrated on dressage, showing and hacking for pleasure. She has worked within a livery environment and has bred her own horses too. The course has been submitted for accreditation by LASER (formally Open College Network) so will have national recognition. The course is divided into three stages - Part 1-5 units covering: evolutionary process; equine terminology; stabling; grazing; feeding; watering; general care; preventative treatments; parasites; considering financial implications Part 2-5 units covering: foot care, common ailments; feeding and forage; identifying, using and caring for tack; showing and selling; bathing, clipping; breed standards and transporting Part 3-3 units covering: management; conformation; shoeing, teeth; anatomical and physiological structures; stable vices (suitable for more experienced owners) Further details are on the Animal Care College website at Interesting and informative websites Each month our Newsletter will bring you a selection of the important and sometimes fascinating websites whose focus is on animal care. Most people do not realise how much work goes on in the background by interest and lobby groups who are working to improve the quality of care of animals in the UK. Their members are composed of academics and professionals in the animal care sector and some of these groups publish the minutes of their discussions on their websites. These can provide a fascinating insight into their thinking and their objectives. Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare Advisory Council on the Welfare Issues of Dog Breeding Companion Animal Welfare Council Pet Advisory Committee Kennel Club British Horse Society

3 3 of 5 04/12/ :08 Governing Council of the Cat Fancy British Rabbit Council Association of British Cats and Dogs Homes Pet Care Trust Accredited Petcare Professinal Register Month we will focus on the major UK charities. Accredited Petcare Professional Register The Accredited Petcare Professional Register was launched in Autumn 2009 by the Animal Care College to provide recognition for qualified professionals working in the animal care industry. The Register was acquired by The Pet Care Trust ( the representative body for the pet care industry in Britain, in January Anyone looking for a groomer, dog walker, kennel, retailer, pet bereavement counsellor, dog trainer/behaviourist or pet sitter will be able to use the database with complete confidence that the person or company they are choosing is qualified to provide the service they need. No qualifications are required to set up as a groomer, behaviourist, pet sitter, dog walker or dog trainer and there are no regulations in place to monitor the services being provided. As a result, customers may not always get the level of service they expect. There are many membership organisations which imply that their members are qualified when they might not be and many certificates and diplomas quoted in advertising which only leads to more confusion in the minds of the general public. There are many too, who are well qualified but have no industry experience because they began their career before qualifications were available: they may have vast experience, offer an excellent service but have no qualification to validate their expertise. The award takes this experience into account and gives them a chance to become accredited professionals. A good analogy is that of teacher or nurse. This generalised description immediately establishes the professionalism and status of the individual in society although it gives no indication of the specialism of the person so described. For instance a teacher may be working with five year olds or A level students while a nurse might be working with children or the elderly, in a hospital, a doctor s surgery or in the community. The terms are established shorthand for a broad based but essential professional qualification which is understood by all. The Accredited Pet Care Register will provide such a shorthand description for those in the animal care sector as healthcare professional is already doing in the field of human support services for nurses and doctors.

4 4 of 5 04/12/ :08 The Animal Care College provide the administrative support for the register and initial application or a search for pet care professionals can be made through the website at Resource Centre We are about to add a new feature to the Animal Care College website. There will shortly be a link to special studies where we will publish the best Special Studes submitted. Any Graduate who has a Special Study which was graded A (and is formatted in Word, WordPad or Open Office) may submit it for consideration. Just send it as an attached file to info@animalcarecollege.co.uk. The first study to be published is by Sarah Wardley and is about the perception owners have of their dogs. It compares the way in which pet dog owners 'see' their dogs and, consequently, the way in which they care for them, with those who train them and others who actively participate in dog related activities such as flyball and agility. The differences are significant and the study has been forwarded to Manchester University for consideration in their research into the relationships between dogs and their owners funded by the Wellcome Trust. Also published is an interesting review by Alison Lever Ph.D. of what, for many, is the standard work on canine psychology, 'The Dog's Mind'. The book remains useful and valuable despite having been first published 20 years ago but but Alison has identified some concepts which are now rather dated. Education, education, education! It is many years since education was confined to professionals and these days even if you want to be a football referee for youngsters playing in the most junior of leagues on a Sunday morning, you will be expected to have taken the necessary examinations to prove your competence. Certainly, for many years those working with animals on premises which require a licence such as pet shops and boarding kennels, have been expected to demonstrate that they know what they are doing through the City & Guilds Pet Store Management course or through one of the many caring for animals courses which have been established. The Animal Care College has been in the forefront of this educational revolution since helping to found the original Lead Industry Body for Animal Care back in the early 1980s. We are unlikely ever to be in the situation where those wanting to keep an animal as a pet must have a qualification but there is no doubt that the Animal Welfare Act 2006 demands a level of expertise which requires some knowledge if owners are to be able to look after their pets properly. We have seen several examples of owners being taken to court because they had not realised the importance of continuing care and pets have been allowed to get too fat, too thin or been kept in conditions which are not acceptable. Many of our students at the College are dedicated and enthusiastic pet owners and we have been delighted at the number of prospective dog owners who have signed up to our free course on how to select, buy, care for and train their new puppy. We hope that those who have bought their

5 5 of 5 04/12/ :08 pet wisely and begun to train properly will be helped to ensure that their pet is a good citizen within the community and that they will be encouraged to understand canine psychology, using that information to ensure that their dog is well-behaved. There is clearly a demand for information by those who are not experienced pet keepers and even those that are experienced, such as dog and cat breeders, are also finding that the health and quality of dogs and cats that they breed can be improved if they have a better understanding of physiology, metabolism and the practical aspects of meeting, whelping and weaning. The Animal Care College is just one of a number of organisations providing education and information in this way and we are proud to have been first in the field having been established in giving us 30 years of experience. We were also the first to ensure that courses were accredited by independent awarding body so that our students could be assured of the quality and standards of our courses. There are more thoughts on this and many other subjects at Very best wishes, Animal Care College