Disaster Animal Response Training (DART)

Course Description

The Disaster Animal Response Training (DART) is the premier basic training for building community preparedness for animals in disaster and for preparing animal disaster responders nationwide. This three-day workshop is designed to familiarize participants with the necessary elements of team-building and provide the background necessary to become an effective emergency animal relief responder. The class includes three days of mixed classroom/tabletop/hands-on instruction.

Course Objectives

After completion of DART, participants will have tools to begin forming a local or regional community animal response team and a basic understanding of necessary skills to participate in national disaster response for animals.

By the end of the workshop participants will have a practical knowledge of:

  • Personal, facility and community disaster preparedness for animals
  • Animal care and handling in disaster situations
  • Incident Command System (ICS)
  • Legal and media issues
  • Safety
  • Communications
  • Staffing and volunteer management
  • Resource and donations management
  • Damage assessment
  • Emergency animal sheltering

Prerequisites

Click here for the prerequisites for Disaster Animal Response Team Training (DART)

Schedule

Where: The location of onsite workshops will be determined by the host agency.

When: This is a three-day workshop held between the hours of:
9:00am to 5:00pm (Day 1)
9:00am to 5:00pm (Day 2)
8:00am to 3:00pm (Day 3)
Check in begins at 8:30am (Day 1)

* Note: Participants will be given an hour for lunch

Registration & Fees

Cost Options: The Host Agency can choose from one of the three cost options, below. Rates are specific to each workshop topic and length of the workshop

  • Hosting Agency Flat Rate/No Student Registration Fee: The Hosting Agency pays a flat rate to cover the cost of the workshop; individual students do not pay HSU. The cost of each workshop varies according to the requirements of each workshop and your location. For specifics, please inquire with hsuonline@humanesocietyuniversity.org.
  • Low Cost Student Registration Fee/Back-up Hosting Agency Matching: The student registration fee is set at a low rate determined by the hosting agency (i.e. $25). The hosting agency would match the difference between the low student rate and the normal registration fee. An invoice will be sent to the hosting agency following the completion of the class.
  • Student Registration Fees only/No Hosting Flat Rate: HSU sets the registration fees based on our average class size of 35 students. Workshop fees vary in order to cover costs of instructor travel and materials. In general, our standard student rates are:

Workshop Rate:

Length of the Workshop Individual Participant Fee Host Agency Flat Fee
Three-day workshops: $195 $3,500

Registration deadline is two weeks before the start date of the workshop.

Cancellation fee is 25% of the registration fee.

No refunds will be given after the two-week time period.

HSU reserves the right to cancel this workshop due to low enrollment or in the case of a major animal disaster response.

Accommodations

Recommendations for accommodations will be made by the host agency and will be posted on the specific webpage for each workshop.

Instructors

All of our instructors are subject - matter experts with 10 or more years of experience in their field of instruction.

Required Materials

Workshop materials will be provided by HSU and sent to the host agency within 7-10 business days prior to the start of the workshop.

Upcoming Workshops

View all upcoming Disaster Animal Response Training workshops