Protect People and Protect Pets

CHICAGO - "As a professional, it is important for me to be aware of signs of potential abuse in order to protect my clients," says Chicago-based dog behaviorist and coach Ami Moore.

In order to keep abreast of the latest information concerning the link between violence among humans and violence toward animals, Moore recently completed a course called "Protecting People and Pets" - presented by Diana Clement, director of the Humane Society of the United States.

"Those who abuse dogs will often abuse women and children," Moore noted.

The three-part course illustrated how cruelty to animals often occurs alongside other problems such as maltreatment of children, teen violence, spousal abuse, elder abuse, and aggression in neighborhoods, schools, and communities.

The course was designed for educators, investigators, animal care and control personnel, law enforcement officials, protective service professionals, and other anti-violence workers who hoped to gain fundamental knowledge of the relationship between cruelty to animals and interpersonal violence.

During the course, Chicago leaders discussed resources currently available to individuals and families dealing with domestic violence, along with actions being taken to increase programs to prevent animal violence and violence toward women and children.

Moore has developed a successful career by applying human occupational therapy techniques to the training of dogs. A lifelong dog lover, she has used what she learned during her ten years as a children's occupational therapist to help dogs who have behavior issues.

Moore's human clients struggled with disabilities such as attention deficit disorder (ADD) and Down Syndrome, and, through her experiences, she discovered that dogs who have trouble being calm have many things in common with children who have ADD.

"My goal is to bring harmony to people and their dogs," Moore has said.

With the knowledge she gained during the "Protecting People and Pets" course, she can now assist in bringing harmony to families as well.

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Ami Moore is a Chicago-based dog behaviorist, dog coach, educator, speaker and author. Visit her Web site at http://www.chicagodogcoach.com/ .