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Animal Welfare

Animal Control Officer Resources

ACO Training

2024 Training Requirements

NEW ACOs: Maine ACO Certification Course required within 6 months of appointment by a municipality.

Maintenance of ACO Certification requires 8 hours of annual training, beginning the year following certification.

There are five Core subject areas in which 1 training hour must be taken every 3 years.

Core 1- ACO Safety
Core 2- Ethics
Core 3- HIPAA for Law Enforcement
Core 4- Officer Wellness & Mental Health Awareness
Core 5- Implicit Human Bias

ACOs must submit their training certificates to AWP by 12/31 each year to maintain certification. Failure to complete the required 8 hours in any year results in a lapse of certification beginning January 1 of the following year. Retaking the ACO Certification Course is the only way to regain certification following a lapse.

Submit Proof of Training

Animal Control Officer Certification

To be certified as an Animal Control Officer in Maine, the completion of our Online ACO Certification Training is required. The training consists of the core competencies that all ACOs must be aware of to perform their duties efficiently and includes the basic and advanced training requirements laid out by M.S.R.A. Chapter 717 §3906-B(4).

All trainees will be required to register with an email address to receive the instruction for the online training.
Cost: $50
Registration Form (PDF)

ACO Continuing Education Training

Advance approval is recommended for any non-AWP-sponsored or pre-approved courses for CE credit. The request should be submitted to the AWP not less than 2 weeks before the date the course is to begin. Please email the request to Connor.Egan@Maine.gov.

Pre-approved low-cost and no-cost courses are abundantly available. You can find Maine ACO Pre-approved courses below: Please note that some trainings will be hosted and/or organized by a third party.

Approved Courses on Justice Clearinghouse +

Maine ACO Preapproved Training Courses.

The courses are all approved to fulfill CE requirements. Some courses are also approved to fill CORE requirements and are marked at the bottom of the detailed page once you click on the individual course of interest.

For example: This webinar has been pre-approved by the Maine Animal Welfare Program for 1 Continuing Education Unit in Core Area 4 (Officer Wellness & Mental Health) for the State of Maine's ACO annual training. You can find more information about Certification, required annual training or submitting materials for credit at Maines Animal Control Officer Resource Page.

Need an account? If you do not have an active Justice Clearinghouse account, please email animal.welfare@maine.gov to request an account.

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Approved Courses on National Animal Care and Control Association +

Free ACO Training Courses.

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February 27, 2026 ACO Lunch and Learn: Best Friends Series #1: "Basic Report Writing" with Tracy Hahn +

Date: February 27, 2026

Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Organization: Animal Welfare Program & Best Friends National Shelter Support Team

Location: Microsoft Teams

Fee: Free

Credit: 1 CEU

Join Tracy Hahn, Strategist with Best Friends National Shelter Support Team, to learn about Basic Report Writing for ACOs

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March 27, 2026 ACO Lunch and Learn: Best Friends Series #2: "Basic Dog Bite Investigations" with Talia Padilla +

Date: March 27, 2026

Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Organization: Animal Welfare Program & Best Friends National Shelter Support Team

Location: Microsoft Teams

Fee: Free

Credit: 1 CEU

Join Talia Padilla, the Operations Manager with Best Friends National Embed Program Team, as she provides A workshop designed to teach a basic understanding of how to conduct an investigation into a biting dog case. Topics include written reports, interview techniques, severity levels, and evidence documentation.

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April 24, 2026 ACO Lunch and Learn: There's a What Where? A Review of Maine Animal Trespass and Stray Livestock Laws and Resources +

Date: April 24, 2026

Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Organization: Animal Welfare Program

Location: Microsoft Teams

Fee: Free

Credit: 1 CEU

Review the laws regarding animal trespass and stray livestock with AWP staff, and hear from USDA Wildlife Services' Robin Dyer about the resources they can provide to safely contain escaped livestock.

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May 29, 2026 ACO Lunch and Learn: Best Friends Series #3: "Safe and Humane Animal Handling in the Field" with Sam Cintron +

Date: May 29, 2026

Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Organization: Animal Welfare Program & Best Friends National Shelter Support Team

Location: Microsoft Teams

Fee: Free

Credit: 1 CEU

Join Sam Cintron, Senior Specialist with Best Friends National Shelter Support Team. In this lunch-and-learn, Sam will equip field officers with the skills they need to safely and humanely capture and transport animals they encounter on duty.

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June 26, 2026 ACO Lunch and Learn: Best Friends Series #4: "Beyond the Scanner" with Tracy Hahn +

Date: June 26, 2026

Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Organization: Animal Welfare Program & Best Friends National Shelter Support Team

Location: Microsoft Teams

Fee: Free

Credit: 1 CEU

Animal control officers are playing a much larger role today in reducing shelter intake by identifying and returning stray dogs to their families without bringing them into the shelter, but all too often, officers stop looking for an owner when they find that the animal has no ID tags or microchip. This workshop highlights successful efforts by agencies across the country that have significantly increased the field RTO rate for animals without obvious identification.

Join Tracy Hahn, Strategist with Best Friends National Shelter Support Team, for this Lunch and Learn.

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ACO Lunch & Learn Video Library

Animal Control Officers can earn a CEU by watching the video on YouTube and then taking (and passing) a quiz. Quiz links are available on the videos. Quizzes can be taken with unlimited attempts, but a passing score of 80% is required to receive credit.

September 26, 2025 : Rabies 2025 Update

August 22, 2025 : Kennel Inspections

July 25, 2025 : Getting to Know Your ADA

April 25, 2025 : Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in 2025: Birds, Cows, Cats, Humans - Situational Awareness for Animal Control Officers

March 28, 2025 : Livestock Investigations - Part 2

January 31, 2025 : Livestock Investigations Part 1

August 30, 2024 : Common Issues for ACOs (including summons writing)

July 26, 2024 : Body Condition Scoring Basics

June 28, 2024 : Animals and Mental Health; Operating in Grey Areas

May 31, 2024 : Dangerous Dogs from Complaint to Courtroom

April 26, 2024 : HSUS Handling "Nuisance" Wildlife Calls

April 12, 2024 : Animal Hoarding with Rachel Welch