There is a lot of confusion when it comes to generally accepted accreditation principles.

In the United States, the only accreditation that holds any weight has to come from an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or the Council on Higher Education Accreditation in Washington.

If not, it won’t be accepted by those in academia, business, and government.

However, there may be exceptions in specific animal industries.

For instance, I received private certification from a number of institutions that were leaders in their fields before any degrees in those areas were available.

Those credentials hold weight based on the agency and the people who I trained under.

However, I also received recognized degrees and certifications from accredited schools and believe that you need to have an edge in today’s competitive animal career market.

So, although you might have found a school you think is perfect for training for a career with animals, I’d encourage you to check to see if the school is listed and accepted as an accredited institution.

A few places to check:

• International Association of Universities
• Commonwealth Universities Yearbook
• ACCRAO & Electronic Database for Global Education
• US Department of Education
• College Navigator
• Council for Higher Education Accreditation
• Australian Education International

There are more than 50 unrecognized accrediting agencies and many others that do not meet the criteria for recognition so take your time to determine what would work the best for your long term goals.

You might also check out this distance learning FAQ.

My favorite trip was to an exotic feline facility where the highlight of many students was that they were licked by a leopard.

Hmm, that might be a good title for something.

Anyway, when I moved away from the San Diego location, I moved my animal career coaching to private sessions and have enjoyed watching some of those clients move into careers with animals.

At long last I will begin offering animal career coaching again for selected people who want to participate.

I’ll be sending out notices within a week to my subscribers so I’d urge you to make sure to sign up to the list.

A select group of individuals will be chosen to participate in a beta test of a new online program and course work designed to help you identify if you have what it takes to be involved in an animal career and then direct you into actions that can help you make the career with animals dream a reality.

I’ll be only selecting a few people for this program test and it will be fee based.

It will include some great perks and introductions to a variety of aspects in the animal field (both wild and domestic) so if you want a career with dogs or seek something more exotic–you won’t want to miss it.

The first pre-requisite is that you have to be a subscriber on my list–so sign up now and wait for the announcement!

Above: Animal CSI Unit of the ASPCA Forensics Team. Photo courtesy of the ASPCA

Animal CSI?

You bet!

Animal forensics is something that began back in the late 1980s but that only began to surface as a viable animal career recently and got the attention of the media back in 2009 with the first Animal Crime Scene class at the University of Florida.

The fairly new Veterinary Forensics Medicine Sciences program at the University of Florida, Gainesville is the first of its kind in a major university and is directed by Melinda Merck, a veterinarian who also works as the ASPCA’s senior director of veterinary forensics.

She also has the distinction of serving as the head of the new mobile CSI unit and is the author of Forensic Investigation of Animal Cruelty: A Guide for Veterinary and Law Enforcement Professionals (with Randall Lockwood and Leslie Sinclair).

The first time wildlife forensics caught my attention was when the US Department of Wildlife opened their forensics laboratory in Oregon.

Although work began to open the wildlife forensics laboratory in the mid-1980s, it officially opened in 1989.

A few years later (1991), the lab became known as the Clark R. Bavin National Fish & Wildlife Forensic Laboratory.

The lab has grown from a staff of ten to that of a group of more than 30 professionals.

Accreditation was received from the American Society of Crime Lab Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB) in 1997, and within a year it became the official crime lab of the Wildlife Working Group of Interpol and of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Originally housed inside a 23,000 square foot building at Southern Oregon University, a 17,000 square foot addition was completed in 2008–indicating the growing need to serve the industry.

The animal forensics lab has several roles that include the goals to:

• Identify the species or subspecies of pieces, parts or products of an animal.
• Determine the cause-of-death of an animal.
• Help wildlife officers determine if a violation of law has occurred.
• Identify and compare physical evidence in an attempt to link suspect, victim and crime scene.

The wildlife forensic specialists conduct crime scene investigations, examine evidence, and provide expert witness testimony in court while working to support over 200 Special Agents and Wildlife Inspectors throughout the United States,

Another blip on the animal career radar was the first annual Veterinary Forensic Sciences Conference which was hosted by the William R. Maples Center for Forensic Medicine, University of Florida.

The campus also hosts the International Veterinary Forensic Sciences Association (IVFSA) whose purpose is to:

• Promote the health, welfare and safety of animals through the fostering of current, new, and novel techniques of forensic science and crime scene processing to circumstances of animal abuse, neglect, cruelty, fighting, and death.
• Apply forensic science techniques to legal investigations involving animals as the victim of criminal offenses and civil disputes.
• Educate the animal welfare community, law enforcement, crime scene analysts, forensic scientists, veterinarians, attorneys, judges, and pathologists on the application of forensic science techniques and crime scene processing methods to cases of animal abuse, neglect, cruelty, fighting, and death.
• Inform the law enforcement and legal community on the various scientific disciplines that can be utilized for the interpretation of collected physical evidence related to any crime scene where an animal’s presence or absence is relevant.
• Advance and foster excellence in the veterinary forensic sciences.

In 2010, the ASPCA co-hosted the third annual Veterinary Forensic Sciences Conference and unveiled the new Mobile Animal Crime Scene Investigation Unit (a Subaru Outback). Here is a video of the Animal CSI.

My belief is that the statement their vet is the only Animal CSI is in error as there are other forensic animal specialists that have been working in the field for some time.

However, what is clear is that this is a growing field and if you are interested in, or fascinated by, investigative work–this might be the animal career for you.

I thought you’d be interested in this video from the UK about animal careers and how to individuals obtained their career goals.

The one consideration you should pay attention to is the competition and the trend of combining both experience with education.

For a long time there was not a lot of interest in animal nutrition other than from the agricultural field or those involved in the manufacturing of specific diets.

Today that is changing a there is a rising trend for animal nutritionists.

However it is hard to find a course of instruction that isn’t in the main sector of commercial animal diets.

When I was a clinic associate for a progress animal wellness center back in the mid-1990s, natural nutrition and raw food diets were considered fairly new and foreign.

Today that isn’t the case as more and  more people question the reasoning behind commercial manufacturing and demand more complex and more palatable foods for their pets.

One thing you can do is explore the animal nutrition books on the market to get a small glimpse of what is involved and if you might be interested in an animal nutrition career.

Coming from the zoological field had its advantages because we had to feed foods that met the nutritional needs of our animals and primarily fed raw diets. During my early years in my career with animals we were also instrumental in assessing the packaged foods that began to appear on the scene.

Lifestyle diets for companion animals broke onto the market around the early 1980s and today the dietary options available for pets can make your head spin since there are so many choices.

If you are looking for a career with animals that helps them and continues to offer new opportunities, consider animal nutrition.

But keep in mind that this is a growing field and so hard to find a lot of options. The main three areas include agricultural (animal science), pets and zoo animals–listed in order of the opportunities on the job market.

One good place to start is the Comparative Nutrition Society because it crosses disciplines and can be a good place to network and explore.

The Global College of Natural Nutrition is now offering a course of study and has some accreditations but is not a recognized program for animals and I doubt a Holistic Chief for Animals certification will hold any weight at the moment.

In the zoo world you can find some zoo nutrition books over at the European Association of Zoos & Aquaria and announcements on upcoming zoo nutrition conferences too.

If you are looking for something that has weight within the animal field (but more conservative in scope) start with some of the recommendations at the American College of Veterinary Nutrition.

You might find it interesting to know that of all the zoos in the United States there are currently only about 20 or so zoo animal nutritionists. (Brookfield Zoo is one of the leaders in the industry.)

The Zoo Nutrition Advisory Group just posted an opportunity for a Wildlife Nutrition Fellowship position (deadline July 31, 2010) if you are already on the path and have an MS or PhD. (The opportunity is via the University of Florida and Disney’s Wild Animal Kingdom.)

Animal Sciences usually has a lot more opportunities and Purdue currently offers an online course that could be something to use to get your feet wet to see if it is something that you might be interested in.

Principles of Animal Nutrition covers five main areas: nutrients, digestive systems, feeds, ration balancing and livestock feeding. The course touches nearly every subject in basic animal nutrition and is part of the animal sciences department at the College of Agriculture.

For information about fees or registration contact Dennis McElhoe the distance learning coordinator, at (765)-494-1434, dlmcelhoe@purdue.edu.

Additional course information is available by contacting the instructor Dale Forsyth at (765) 494-4841, dforsyth@purdue.edu.

Courses that involve animals are exciting and new to many fields including the legal field but that is not the only one seeing changes and passion about animals within the student body.

In 2008 a course called, “Animals, Culture and Food” was offered at the University of Iowa and it was so popular, another was quickly schedule along with a course on ancient and modern human relationships with dogs.

More and more animal classes are cropping up in the areas of law, religion, ethics, literature, visual art, ecology, sociology and other studies as the animal world becomes more complex and expands.

These animal studies were once hard to find, in fact, when I was accepted to the University of California system–US Davis did not have a behavior course and we discussed a “special major” type of program instead.

Today animal certifications and specialty courses delve into a wide variety of areas.

When I taught for the largest adult education provider in the USA, my courses were novel–but today they would be consider common place.

What is different is that high education institutions are offering more and more options in their humanities and social science departments.

Scholars involved in these practices can be found at the discussion portal called, H-Animal.

But perhaps one of the fastest growing fields is on the legal front since over 100 (actually closer to 120) law schools in North America and Canada offer law courses with an animal-centric bent.

But before 2000 there were only about nine law schools with animal courses.

When I added the book, Dog Law to my library–this career option was at its very early stages (1999).

One of the leaders in this field is the Animal League Defense Fund’s animal law program which reflects the interest people have in the human-animal bond but that is not seen as much in the legal realm as it is in society.

So today there are a wide variety of animal cases involving constitutional, family, criminal and estate law.

The wave of animal law began to become noticeable when both Harvard Law School and the Georgetown University Law Center announced courses on animal law (1999).

When I was working on my book that explored animals and ceremonies a few years ago, I talked with Paul Waldau.

Waldau has been a guest lecturer for legal courses and has taught ethics to veterinarians and many courses of animal in religion.

He believes that the interaction between humans and animals needs understanding and that it should spread beyond the legal realm to teachers, economists, communities of faith, journalists and other fields of specialty.

An increase in different education programs that involve animals is sparking change and excitement within many institutions.

I’ll be getting into more topics in the future but if you are interested in law–this is an area of specialty you might consider.

As always, I encourage you to keep an eye out for the Animal Career Secrets which will highlight trends and specific programs.

In the meantime, sign up on the email list for first notification!

Today I thought I would take a few minutes to alert you to a website that would be of use if you live in the United Kingdom and are seeking an animal job in the veterinary field. The website name is VetClick. The site is a membership site, which offers a variety of services to the veterinary medical community. The site was registered in 1999 and has a clean, easy to navigate presence.

The reason I think the site is valuable to animal career job seekers is that those practices who post their jobs online, or who wish to view applicants, pay for the opportunity to do so. The site does not just specialize in job postings or seekers, it also sells products and provides a referral listing for veterinary practices.

What is a perk for those of you seeking an animal job in the UK is that you can post your CV (curriculum vitae) to the site at no charge. I also like that the site actually asks if veterinarians are registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to work in the UK. VetClick also provides valuable downloads to helping you fine tune your application to reap the best results. If you are a veterinary technician or veterinary nurse you must explore the specific requirements necessary to work in the United Kingdom before applying as this site is specific to the United Kingdom.

Another area of interest on the site is the forum which currently has topics for pet owners, veterinary students, wildlife rehabilitation, and a public discussion area. Although I am not familiar with the names of those who moderate the specific areas of the forum, each section has a specialist assigned to address the questions. The Ask the Vet section is the most active and post histories go back to 2004.

For those not seeking a career, you can find a veterinary practice listing by plugging in the postal code or town. This is incentive to members and a good resource for pet owners who find yet another reason to use the site.

To achieve ranking, the site has a free listing resource page for websites related to animals, supplies, and other topics. That does not mean that the sites listed are necessarily the best but they are specific to the UK which is appropriate. Since I thought the topic was misplaced, I clicked into the Dating category and found dog walking and single pet owner listings. So, you might want to peruse the directory to see what pet or animal related businesses are thriving in the UK for other job or business ideas.

Another valuable resource is the veterinary practice listings by specialty. What surprised me was the number of homeopathic clinics. I am glad to see those growing steadily around different countries. Again, these listings are a free resource for ranking but also of use to readers of VetClick.

The final two areas of the site include the animal news feed and the mediation section. The news feed covers a variety of veterinary, conservation, and other animal news. I have no idea why the mediation section was included in this site as it is more appropriately placed into a legal website. However, perhaps it is a service provided to the membership–it doesn’t say.

Overall, I believe VetClick is a good resource for UK job seekers or UK veterinary practices that are seeking help. At the very least, check it out and let me know what you think.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and the host of the syndicated, Ark Animal Answers.

There are many people who are interested in working with birds. There are many different careers with animals and each has a variety of specialty areas. Studies for a career with birds may include ornithology, falconry, bird banding, or rehabilitation. There are also careers training pet birds, bird behavior, leading birding groups and more.

Today I am going to touch on banding birds. Banding is a process where a numbered band is placed on a bird’s leg. Believe it or not, bird banding has been a career area for about 105 years and the man credited with starting it all was Dr. Paul Bartsch of the Smithsonian Institution.

Today banding reports are still submitted and the band number is entered into a computer database and contains important information about the particular animal such as the species, sex, condition, age, and the area where it was banded.

Every time a banded bird is trapped and released again, or if the bird is found dead, the database is updated. The latest statistics available to me were that in 2001 a whopping 1,049,646 birds were banded in the United States and Canada, and 97,204 recoveries were reported to the Bird Banding Laboratory.

Traditionally a biology degree is helpful but studying ornithology is more appropriate. If you want more opportunities consider a field of study that allows you wider options…however for this field a degree is not always required.

Banders are a select group and there are only 2000 Master banding permits and 3000 subpermits in the United States. Those who apply for a banding permit must show that they are qualified to safely trap, handle, and band the birds.

To become a master at bird banding the minimum age is 18 years for the permit. A project proposal must be submitted and you will need recommendations by three licensed bird banders or professional ornithologists discussing your skills. The actual requirements I found are:

Applicants who are at least 18 years of age and are able to identify all of the common birds in their different seasonal plumages may apply for a bird banding permit. However, it is recommended that applicants initially request a subpermit under an existing bander. Applications are submitted to the Bird Banding Laboratory in the USA or the Canadian Wildlife Service in Canada. The applicants must furnish the names of three well-known bird banders or ornithologist who can vouch for their expertise as a bird bander.

To get experience prior to applying for a permit you should volunteer to help local bird banders in your area. Call the local universities, natural history museums, bird groups, or wildlife refuges to find out who is banding birds in your area. Most enjoy having volunteers.

If you do a good job and learn the nuances of bird banding, you may be able to obtain the recommendations you need to proceed. Each state varies in the way they regulate bird banding. There are both federal and state permits so you’ll need to check into the requirements for your particular state and also if you need special permits for trapping devices such as mist nets (specially designed nets for capturing birds).

• The formation of the National Bird Banding Program was heavily influenced by Frederick C. Lincoln.

• Read the executive summary about the North American Bird Banding Program at the United States Geological Survey website.

• Bird Ringing at Wikipedia

The Avian Flu has raised concern for some handling wild birds so the National Wildlife Health Center has a page you might be interested in viewing. It specifically updates those working with wild birds about health issues.

Birds are fascinating animals to work with and since there are so many varieties this is an area of focus you might want to explore.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and the host of the syndicated, Ark Animal Answers.

In the past few years there have been a number of new types of pet businesses exploding across the nation, many are prominent in urban areas and some pet businesses are more susceptible to challenges when there are fluctuations in the economy.

One of the reasons for this is that many consider them non-essentials. Pet food and veterinary medical services will always be needed but not every pet service or business will be.

At the moment, it looks like we are headed into tougher times. In the past, I’ve watched specialty boutiques, training businesses, grooming services, dog walking, and pet clean up services suffer from lower demand in the face of economic hard times.

Customer service and quality products or services can help fight against economic ups and downs but there are a few things to consider. One of the things many pet businesses do is diversify.

Not too long ago I remember when most groomers refused to sell products. I had been commissioned by one of the major pet wholesale distributors to open up that market since they had been unsuccessful at doing that.

It would seem like this would be a no-brainer but most didn’t want to deal with sales or keeping products on the shelf clean. I have to admit that in my training business at the time I preferred to refer to local pet businesses for products so as not to compete–and to create goodwill so that my business would thrive from the referrals for animal behavior instead.

However, as time passed many of those business owners realized that they were missing on out sales that could increase their revenue and create an additional income on a regular basis. Today, I still refer but I also have product on hand to sell to clients and have my own proprietary products as they are a big boost to the bottom line.

Another strategy is to network with other pet related services and businesses. Cooperation and cross referral creates good will and additional customer loyalty—not to mention the additional dollars from sales.

My point in bringing this up is to challenge those who are interested in pet businesses to use a bit of creative thought on how to make your business as profitable and stable as you can.

Think about ways you can increase revenue, keep current clients and customers happy, and attract new clients. If you make these efforts part of the business plan, should the economy takes a serious hit, your business will continue to move forward despite challenges.

While I am on the topic, many businesses start up with little capital to fund their first years. In general, most businesses will fail in the first five years and it would be a good idea to do ample research, construct a good business plan, and consult with experts who can help steer you in the right direction.

If you do decide your own business is the way to go, the groundwork you do in advance will save you heartache and stress in the future.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and the host of the syndicated, Ark Animal Answers.