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Pet Detective and Missing Animal Response Training
If you are interested in pursuing a career as a “pet detective,” be aware that some states may require that you are a licensed private investigator to offer these services. This generally does not apply to non-profits or volunteer groups.
Missing Animal Response Network
This educational site is operated by Kat Albrecht, founder of Missing Pet Partnership (MPP). MARN offers several online training options for those interested in helping people find lost pets as a professional or volunteer. This course is an expansion of the Missing Animal Response Technician (MAR tech) course that was previously offered by MPP. I took the MAR tech certification back in 2008 as an on-site seminar and I also took their first webinar training in 2013. MARN occasionally offers on-site seminars most frequently a spring or summer seminar in Mystic, CT.
Are you interested in training a dog to search for missing dogs or cats? Kat now offers an online, interactive training to help you do just that. Visit the Missing Animal Response Network courses page for more information.
Kat also has an inspirational autobiography about her path as a pet detective. Pet Tracker: The Amazing Story of Rachel the K-9 Pet Detective. See the Scent and Search Dogs page for links to Kat’s other book on training a lost pet search dog.
Mission Reunite
This non-profit group was formerly called Missing Pet Partnership. According to their website, they offer animal shelter seminars and an online Missing Pet Consultant certificate program. This appears to be aimed at offering volunteer lost pet services.
Running a Pet Detective Business: books and webinars
There really isn’t any information out there specifically on operating a pet detective business. However, there are some good materials available on successfully operating dog-based businesses in general. I definitely recommend Veronica Boutelle’s books and materials from DogBiz (formerly called DogTec) including one-on-one business and marketing consulting, which I have personally taken. They also offer online business and marketing classes in their Dogbiz University.
Boutelle, Veronica. 2014. How to Run a Dog Business: Putting Your Career Where Your Heart Is. Dogwise Publishing.
Boutelle, Veronica. 2010. Minding Your Dog Business: A Practical Guide to Business Success for Dog Professionals. Dogwise Publishing.
These books are also useful for learning how to effectively work with clients and gain compliance. These are often the most difficult aspects of both dog training and helping people find their missing pets.
Wilde, Nicole. 2003. It’s Not the Dogs, It’s the People! A Dog Trainers Guide to Training Humans. Phantom Publishing.
Ryan, Terry. 2008. Coaching People to Train Their Dogs. Legacy Canine.
Vanfleet, Rise. 2012. The Human Half of Dog Training: Collaborating with Clients to Get Results. Direct Book Service.
Tawzer Dog is another great resource for webinars on running a dog-based business.
The Applied Animal Behavior Academy offers some great webinar packages such as the Client Relationship Package and the Dog Behavior Science Package.
