The National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA) is the leading professional association committed to growing the level of professionalism in the field on Animal Care and Control.
As part of our mission, we are committed to offering working Animal Care professionals the education they need to grow in fulfilling, mission-driven careers that serve both their communities and the animals they care about.
If you’re ready to take the next step in your career, consider investing in your future by earning your ACO II Certification
Designed for the busy working professional, each lesson is divided into 5-10 bite sized “topics” that can be completed in 10-20 minutes each. Here are the six major topic we cover in this course.
Led by renown expert, Jim Crosby, this canine encounters program provides over six hours of deep-dive instruction about the safe and successful navigation of the most commonly experienced dog encounters that ACOs face.
Taught by experienced investigators and prosecutors in the field, the Animal Fighting portion of the ACO II program includes over five hours of practical instruction covering both cock fighting and dog fighting investigation and prosecution
Taught by Licensed Psychologist Dr. Kimberly Miller and Denise Beagley, at ASU's Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy, these three lessons will help your officers learn how to use calming language to diffuse, re-direct, or de-escalate a conflict situation.
Animal hoarding is more than just an animal cruelty case. It reveals a community member who is disturbed and deeply in need of assistance. These two lessons discuss what animal hoarding is in both legal and psychological terms, the investigation and intervention of the case, as well as potential and appropriate remedies.
Large animal investigations are unique and as diverse as the large animal/farm animal realm itself. These two lessons will begin your exploration of large animals – specifically horses and other farm animals – and provide an orientation for investigations into large animal cruelty or neglect cases.
ACOs often find themselves routinely conducting inspections as part of a myriad of different types of cases. These two lessons will explore how to go through the inspection process, along with helpful tips and tricks to make your job a little easier.
A video lesson to begin your learning.
With additional content such as review material, interactive exercises or memorable quotes to reinforce your learning.
We often include inset boxes to help you connect the dots between the various lessons you are taking, and occasional “Pro Tips” your instructors are sharing to help make your job just a little bit easier …
... And all along the way, we share reminders to apply what you’re learning to your own agency.
As an added bonus, from time to time you’ll even see additional resources, white papers, or other related webinars listed – just in case you’re inspired to learn more about a given topic.
We also include little “Knowledge Checks” along the way to help reinforce what you need to know for each Lesson’s final quiz (5-10 questions).
These questions also help you to prepare for your cumulative, end of course final certification exam.
But don’t stress: We do these intermediate steps so that nothing on the quizzes, or the final exam, are ever a surprise. We want you to succeed!
The lessons are taught by some of the industry’s thought leaders – people you might only get to hear at a national conference or read about in industry magazines.
Our subject matter experts include investigators, prosecutors, NACA Board Members and Leadership, and a range of Animal Control Professionals from across the US to share their first-hand experience and expertise to help you be successful.
Our instructors include:
The NACA Certification is designed specifically for working adults in the Animal Care/Control profession.
What’s more: Every lesson in the course has been reviewed by NACA’s training committee consisting of resident experts who are committed to enhancing and growing our profession. So when you go through the lessons, you know you’re hearing expert advice from people you can trust.
Can’t Wait to Get Started?We get it: If you’re used to learning strictly in a classroom environment, online learning might be a little scary at first.
But know that whether it’s a technical support issue or a question about something an instructor has said in a video, we’re here to help ensure you feel confident in your knowledge and development.
Here is a link to a handy list of Frequently Asked Questions - but don't hesitate to reach out if your question is not answered.
We hear you. Only you know about the demands of your job or if you can “juggle” the demands of work, family, and school.
That said, online courses are a great way to get the knowledge (and certification) you need for career growth, without being tied down to a specific schedule, being out of the office for days at a time, or burdened by the expense of high priced tuition or travel costs.
The NACA Certification is designed specifically for working adults in the Animal Care/Control profession. Split up into bite sized components, each lesson can be completed over a lunch break in a week’s time – sometimes less.
And don’t worry: if life gets in the way, you’ll have a whole year to complete the lessons on your own schedule.
All of our instructors and contributors are not just experts in their own fields – they’re seasoned and experienced speakers and trainers.
Here’s just a few things that have been said about your instructors.
“All around, great information for a topic that is prevalent yet there are no a lot of resources for.”
"I loved the in-depth step by step process on building a single case and how all the evidence flows. Fantastic"
“How to prosecute animal cruelty cases in a manner that it sticks. Researching the Judge on their views and prior rulings on animal cruelty cases. Michelle is amazing!!!!”
“Humble experienced individuals who have common sense yet humane practices as Dave Pauli expressed- some things can’t be ‘taught’ in a book or class but rather shared through stories & field experiences. Thank you!”
“As a six-year equine cruelty investigator, in Illinois where livestock does not fall under companion animal humane laws, the information on cattle BCS was incredibly helpful to me, as horses and cattle can go hand and hand. The example of hock scoring was completely new to me, and I grabbed a quick screenshot for future reference. Audra is a great speaker, and very professional. Thank you for another fantastic JCH webinar!”
Our first-year introductory pricing for the NACA ACO II is $397. People who complete the entire course and all of the required End of Lesson quizzes, homework, etc will receive a Certificate of Completion issued by NACA*.
Students who wish to sit for a final, online proctored exam to become a NACA ACO II will pay an additional $50 to cover the cost of the online proctor.
Current NACA Individual Members are eligible to receive a $100 off coupon - contact [email protected] for details.
Ready to Get Started?Yes - please contact me for details on how to qualify for any of the following discounts:
You can pay by credit card or debit card through our online check out.
For agencies paying by Purchase Order, or if your agency is wanting to certify 3 or more people (25% discount), please contact us at [email protected].