Includes courses that were approved by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to meet training requirements set forth in Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter 829, Animal Control Officer Training and for which the course sponsor has requested posting; however, they are conducted by outside sponsors, NOT the DSHS. It is the responsibility of each animal control officer to fulfill these mandated training requirements, keep accurate records of their training, and have this documentation available for review by facility inspectors.  In the chart below, call the number provided or click on a contact name for the course for which you would like to register to ask questions about a particular course.

The ACO Basic training course does NOT count toward an ACO’s continuing education (CE) hours.

Current status of maximum number of online/virtual CEs effective September 1, 2022: the decision on an ACO’s maximum allowable number of online/virtual CEs per 3-year period will be at a local level, for instance by the ACO’s supervisor or agency policies (or possibly the individual ACO depending on the AC agency’s structure and policies). Please note that certificates of completion from sponsors of online/virtual courses may still include the statement about the previous 10-hour limit.

Before attending a non-DSHS course, an ACO should request verification from the course sponsor that a specific ACO Basic Training or Euthanasia Training course has been pre-approved by the DSHS or that the course sponsor of a specific CE course is adhering to standards and curriculum as prescribed by the DSHS for meeting Chapter 829 ACO training requirements. Upon completion of training, an ACO may request a new certificate from the course sponsor if the one that is issued does not contain the following information: course title, participant’s name, whether the course is Basic or continuing education (CE), course date and location (“virtual” or “online” may be substituted as applicable), length of course, a statement that the course was approved by DSHS (for CE courses prior to 1-1-23 and all Basic and Euthanasia training courses) or a statement that the course sponsor attests that they have “read and adhered to standards and curriculum prescribed by the Texas Department of State Health Services” (for CE courses on or subsequent to 1-1-23), and the course sponsor’s name and contact information.

*Schedule for Non-DSHS ACO Courses
These courses are approved by the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to meet training requirements set forth in Texas Health and Safety Code, Ch. 829, Animal Control Officer Training.  Additionally the euthanasia training courses have been approved to meet training requirements set forth in Texas Health and Safety Code Ch. 821, Treatment and Disposition of Animals. All of these courses are conducted by outside sponsors, NOT the DSHS.  You need to get in touch with the contact(s) listed for a course to obtain details about it.

Disclaimer: The approval of an animal control course by the Department of State Health Services pertains only to the approval of the course curriculum, instructors, length, date, and location as provided by the course sponsor. During the current COVID disaster declaration, it is the responsibility of the course sponsor to determine if there are any applicable restrictions in place to which they must adhere, including those associated with an emergency declaration(s) or a local order condition(s).