Online Courses Approved for Texas ACOs

The ASPCA is pleased to offer two self-paced online courses which have been approved by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Animal control officers in Texas may apply these courses toward animal control officer continuing education requirements per Ch. 829 of the Texas Health and Safety Code.

Combating Dogfighting

(approved for 1.5 hours by DSHS)

Underwritten by the US Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and developed as an accompaniment to The Dogfighting Toolkit for Law Enforcement, the online course Combating Dogfighting teaches you how to detect, investigate, and take action against dogfighting within your jurisdiction.

Combating Dogfighting was developed by ASPCA anti-cruelty experts Randall Lockwood, PhD (Senior Vice President, Forensic Sciences and Anti-Cruelty Projects), and Stacy Wolf, Esq. (Vice President & Chief Legal Counsel, Humane Law Enforcement).

The course runs less than two hours and includes:

• Part One, Understanding Dogfighting, contains a comprehensive overview of dogfighting in the United States.
• Part Two, Investigating and Responding to Dogfighting, contains information and resources to help you detect and take action against dogfighting, including successfully prosecuting dogfighting in your community.

Watch a short clip of the course. (Warning: contains graphic images of animal cruelty.)

Investigating Animal Abuse for Law Enforcement

(approved for 3.0 hours by DSHS)

Developed in conjunction with the Illinois Regional Institute of Community Policing (now the Center for Public Safety and Justice), the Investigations course assists law enforcement and animal control professionals in effectively identifying and investigating animal cruelty and neglect. The three-hour course offers a comprehensive approach to enforcing animal cruelty laws, covering:

• Animal abuse and community policing
• Evidence collection and preservation
• Officer safety

To Register for the Courses:

1. Turn your pop-up blockers off and visit http://www.ASPCAonline.org
2. Then use the enrollment keys below:

Username: texas1
Password: texas

Note: Students from any state other than Texas should register via this form instead.

Technical Tips

• Turn your pop-up blockers off before logging in.
• The courses play best in the Firefox browser. If you must use Internet Explorer 7.0 or earlier, you'll need to apply a Microsoft patch. Once on the Microsoft site, scroll down to Fix it for me and click on the icon like you see below:

  

• If you have difficulty loading the courses, you may need to upgrade the free Adobe Flash Player on your computer.