By Josh Bergeron

josh.bergeron@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — The Rowan County Animal Shelter in early March will host seminars for law enforcement and animal control officers across the state.

The first seminar, on March 1, will focus on animal cruelty investigations. The second, on March 2, will be about horses. The training is sponsored by the N.C. Animal and Rabies Control Association. On both days, training will be held at the Rowan County Animal Shelter from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The registration fee is $100 for each day.

Rowan County Animal Enforcement Manager Clai Martin, the vice president of the sponsoring association, said the seminars are important because of changing laws and the state taking over shelter operations.

“This training is an opportunity to benefit everybody and meet the demands of the state and communities because we strive to meet the highest standards and are constantly seeking opportunities to improve,” Martin said.

A flier promoting the event says training is recommended for law enforcement, animal control, humane investigators, code enforcement officers and prosecutors. Animal control officers from shelters around the state would attend, he said.

Topics for the animal cruelty seminar will include: constitutional law, animal case law, dangerous dog investigations, hoarding cases, dogfighting cases, interviews and report writing, case file preparation, crime scene investigation, body condition scoring and animal evaluations.

Topics discussed during the horse seminar will include: equid evolution, breed identification, equine anatomy, podiatry, equine dental, gastrointestinal tract, diseases, handling and restraint, cruelty recognition and body condition screening.

Seminars will be presented by the American Animal Cruelty Investigations School.

For more information or to register, email your name, agency and address to Clai.Martin@rowancountync.gov

Contact reporter Josh Bergeron at 704-797-4246.