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This year’s Spring MACA Conference will address dog body language, legal issues surrounding service or therapy animals, animal licensing and hostile situations.

 Sessions:

 ·        Dog Body Language

 Dana Emerson, Senior Veterinary Technician, U of M Vet School Behavior Service

Dana Emerson began her career at the U of M Veterinary Medical Center in 1996.   She currently assists the U’s Behaviorists with their appointments and other clinicians around the clinic that have animals with behavior concerns.  Her other duties in Behavior Service include  receiving and triaging all incoming behavior calls; behavior modification instruction to pet owners; lecturing to first year veterinary students about animal handling and how to lower stress in their patients; and helping senior veterinary students, interns and residents improve their technical skills in regards to behavior and behavior modification. 

 ·        Service Animal/Therapy Animal Legal Issues

 Pamela Hoopes, Legal Director, Minnesota Disability law Center

Pamela Hoopes has been the Legal Director of the Minnesota Disability Law Center since 1998.  She joined MDLC in 1989 as a staff attorney and became a managing attorney in 1994.  Before moving to Minnesota, Pamela was a litigator with the New York firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and clerked for a federal magistrate judge in the Southern District of New York. Pamela is a graduate of New York University School of Law and Oberlin College.

·        Animal Licensing

 Dan Nizolek, Manager, City of Minneapolis Animal Care and Control.

Dan is the Manager of Minneapolis Animal Care and Control (MACC) for the past several years.  Prior to MACC, Dan worked two years in three divisions (Business Licensing, Problem Properties, and Development Review) within Minneapolis Regulatory Services.  Dan also served four years as a Council Member on the Minneapolis City Council, and prior to that worked eight years as a Crime Prevention Specialist on the Minneapolis Police Department.

 ·        Dealing with Hostile Situations,

 Rob Harvey, Columbia Heights PD

·        Mental Health Issues

 Deb Leavitt, Hennepin County Community Outreach for Psychiatric Emergencies (COPE) COPE is a multi-disciplinary team mobile crisis response services for adults.  The primary aim of COPE is to help people to manage their mental health crises within their present setting.  Deb Leavitt will present information on mental health issues encountered by ACO’s.

Registration

Registration includes continental breakfasts, lunch and afternoon snacks.  You can register with the completed PDF form mailed to Sheena Basness, Safety Center, 300 5thRegister Online Street West, Northfield, MN, 55057 or attach scanned completed form and send to: registration@minnesotaanimalcontrol.org , or you can register online HERE.

 Accommodations

The conference will be held at the Jackpot Junction Casino, 39375 County Highway 24,
PO Box 420, Morton, MN 56270, 1-800-946-2274 or 507-697-8000.  Hotel accommodations are the responsibility of the individual registrant.   A block of guest rooms have been reserved for us for $40 per night until March 27.  Be sure to mention MACA conference when reserving your room.  

For more information contact Tom Mahan at tmahan@ci.new-hope.mn.us or Sheena Basness at Sheena.Basness@ci.northfield.mn.us.

 Schedule

Tuesday April 17^th 2012:

 ·         8:00-8:15 AM: Registration, Welcome, coffee and pastries provided

 ·         8:15-10:30 AM: Dog body language, Dana Emerson

 ·         10:30-10:45 AM: Break

 ·         10:45 AM-Noon: Service/companion animal legal issues, Pamela Hoopes

 ·         Noon-1:00 PM: Lunch provided

 ·         1:00-2:30 PM: Mental Health issues, Deb Leavitt

 ·         2:30-2:45 PM: Break, snacks provided

 ·         2:45-4:00 PM:  Mental Health issues

 Wednesday April 18^th 2012

·         8:00-8:30 AM: Registration, coffee and pastries provided

 ·         8:30-10:30 AM: Animal Licensing, Dan Niozelek

 ·         10:30-10:45 AM: Break

·         10:45-12:00: Animal Licensing, Dan Niozelek

·         12:00-1:00 PM: Lunch provided

·         1:00-2:30 PM:  Dealing with Hostile Situations, Rob Harvey

·         2:30-2:45 PM: Break, snacks provided

·         2:45-4:00 PM:  Dealing with Hostile Situations, Rob Harvey