Work in a Rescue Centre – Canine Course

Do you want a career working in rescue centres, caring for dogs? This pathway is designed to help students negotiate the potential challenges they might face in this rewarding sector of canine care, and provide a high standard of care to dogs and their potential owners.

Over the course of your studies, you’ll focus on the following areas:

• Working and Caring for Animals in Rescue Centres
• Caring for Animals in Kennels and Catteries
• Rehoming
• Health, Safety, Legal and Associated Issues – FREE with this pathway

This career pathway combines 4 of our individual courses, providing students with a clear and comprehensive path towards a career in animal care. What’s more, when you take this pathway, you’ll save £120*, compared to taking each course on its own. Plus, you’ll get a free unit worth £195.

Working and Caring for Animals in Rescue Centres

Unit 1

• An animal care assistant’s responsibilities
• The Animal Welfare Act
• The five freedoms
• The general role of assistants in rescue centres
• Contact with the general public
• Personal presentation
• Animals and their care
• Health and Safety at Work Act
• Employer’s duties
• The Pet Animals Act
• Working in rescue centres
• Information on the prospective new owner
• The home check

Caring for Animals in Kennels and Catteries

Unit 1 

• Record keeping
• Law relating to small animals
• Customer service
• Hygiene
• Health and safety
• First aid

Unit 2 

• Anatomy of the dog and cat
• Skeleton, musculature, growth, skin, coat, senses, blood, lymphatic, nervous, urino-genital and digestive systems

Unit 3 

• Nutrition
• Diets
• Feeding for pregnancy, at weaning and for geriatrics
• Stock control

Unit 4 

• Health
• Basic animal nursing and first aid
• Use of drugs
• Diseases
• Infections
• Vaccination
• Parasites
• Veterinary attention
• Care of older animals

Unit 5 

• Kennel routines
• Grooming
• Special needs and requirements of: quarantine, rescue, welfare, showing, breeding, veterinary, hunting and other specialist centres

Unit 6

• Animal welfare issues
• Human support dog work and organisations
• Job applications and conditions of employment: first aid (human)

A Student Training Programme will be sent with your first two units. This will contain your course outline, and is designed to ensure that practical elements are assessed and completed to the required standards. Workplace managers, supervisors or proprietors can assess occupational competencies in the workplace.

A Special Study and an Evolution Study must be completed during this course

Re-homing

Section 1

• Attitude of the rehoming service
• Essential skills and assessment
• Care in the confined environment
• Centre policies

Section 2 

• Assessment – temperament and risk
• Ensuring adaptability and adjustment
• Documentation
• Association of dogs and cats homes – code of practice

You will have the opportunity to complete a Special Study on a topic of your choice, relevant to the course.

Health, Safety, Legal and Associated Issues

Unit 1

• Customer Service and Care
• Client Distress
• Personal Safety
• Health and Safety
• Prevention of Ill Health and Accidents
• Risk Assessment
• First Aid
• Legal Issues
• Environmental Issues
• Insurance

On successful completion of this pathway you’ll receive the Animal Care College Certificate* in our ‘Work in a Rescue Centre – Canine’ programme, graded to show the standard you have reached. There are no exams.

You will also receive the Certificate of Achievement at QLS Level 3 when you complete this course**.

Quality Licence Scheme endorsement involves robust and rigorous quality audits by external auditors to ensure quality is continually met. A review of courses is carried out as part of the endorsement process.

* The Animal Care College Certificate will be issued once you have successfully completed your course and finished your course payments.

**QLS registration fees included.

Your practical competencies need to be assessed for this pathway through a minimum of 30 hours’ working within kennels – this can be in a voluntary capacity. We can suggest and help you identify possible placements.

This pathway can help you progress in your career in the animal care sector.

Once it’s completed, you may wish to further your study. If that’s the case, we’d suggest:

• Advanced Canine/Feline Care
• Anatomy and Physiology of Cats and Dogs
• Canine First Aid
• Intermediate Canine Psychology

If you are looking to set up your own business then you should consider obtaining insurance cover. Further information is available on request.

If you’d like to turn what you’ve learned into a career, or you’re wondering how best to apply it to your existing role, get in touch with one of our tutors, or contact our support team from 9am – 5pm.

Your first unit will be sent to you when you enrol, you can start as soon as you want and progress through the course at your own pace, studying when and where you choose.

Your course materials are broken down into manageable units and will include helpful guidance and advice as well as additional reading lists and tools to signpost where you can source further information. We would encourage you to carry out wider reading and research on topics covered in the course materials.

Your learning materials have been developed by experts so studying is easy and enjoyable. At the end of each unit, there will be an assessment to complete and submit to your tutor.

Studying with the Animal Care College is a great place to start your learning journey and will give you a solid grounding in animal care subjects.

The Animal Care College’s courses promote the best care of pets at all stages of their development. We believe working and engaging with animals is a deeply rich and rewarding experience. Although the theory learning is important, being able to put your skills into practice beyond the theory is even more so. We are here to help you every step of the way as you build meaningful bonds with animals and gain in-depth knowledge that can only be obtained by working directly with animals. We can help advise on potential placements and work experience where necessary.

There are no deadlines for this pathway. Simply study in the comfort of your own home, and in your own time.

Distance learning is designed to be flexible, but as a guide, students who can spend 4-6 hours a week studying tend to complete a single unit within a month.

You can contact our support team who are here to help you Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, at any point during your studies – to ask questions or for advice. Your tutor will mark your lessons, giving valuable, constructive feedback – helping you to master each step before moving on to the next. You can contact them for support or advice throughout your studies.

When you take this pathway, you’ll save* and get a free unit worth £195.