COLLEGE OFFERING PROGRAM ON PETS.

Byline: Krystn Shrieve Staff Writer

MOORPARK - Whether they're students who want careers as groomers, people who volunteer in shelters, or pet lovers with dogs or cats at home, Moorpark College's new pet studies program will help them better relate to their four-legged friends.

The Companion Animal/Pet Studies program, started this year, is being taught by Deena Case-Pall, an animal behavior consultant. Case-Pall is a licensed psychologist - specializing in both people and animals - who for the last 20 years has consulted veterinarians, humane societies, animal rescue groups, animal control departments, and individuals in Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

``Moorpark College has the exotic animal program to help prepare people to work at zoos, but there are a whole lot more dogs and cats out there than there are lions and tigers,'' said Case-Pall, who lives near Camarillo and has several dogs. ``So we thought it would be a good time to start a program for the companion animals we all love so much.

``Having a pet is like being a parent,'' she said. ``There is no official training. You're primarily on your own.''

Steven Pollock, chairman of the Behavior Science Department at Moorpark College, helped create the program with Case-Pall and said during their preliminary research they found there are between 250 and 350 different veterinarians, pet stores, pet groomers, pet sitters and other pet-related businesses in Ventura County alone.

However, as far as they know, there are no courses - in Ventura County or statewide - that teach people how to better interact with their pets. Other than veterinary programs that may only touch on the topic, the only programs Pollock and Case-Pall could find that were even close were a program for animal health technicians at Pierce College in Woodland Hills and similar programs at the University of New Hampshire and at Technikon, a two-year vocational training program in South Africa.

``Just think how many people out there own pets,'' Pollock said. ``We did a survey of our own student population and found that more than 80 percent of our students have a dog or cat at home - people love their pets and there is definitely a need for something like this is out there.''

Eventually, the plan would be to expand the program to include other types of pets such as rats, gerbils and hamsters and programs on pet hospice, euthanasia and pet-related grief.

But right now the program's main course is an introductory class taught by Case-Pall from 7 to 9:50 p.m. on Thursday nights about the relationships between people and their pets, health, care, behavior, and the legal and ethical concerns surrounding home-based and small animal-care businesses.

In August, the college held a one-day dog management course that was so popular it drew a crowd of 70 people and had to be moved to a larger classroom. It will be repeated again in January.

On Saturday, a similar class will be held for people who want to know more about their cats. The class will cover raising a kitten or a cat, coping with common cat behavior problems such as scratching and litter box use or dealing with a feral - or wild - cat. Participants are asked not to bring their cats to the session.

``The class will be taught by veterinarian and cat-lover KayLee Pasek,'' Case-Pall said. ``She'll talk about cat breed recognition and how to choose a cat but some questions I'm sure she'll get include how to introduce new cats to the family, issues concerning indoor and outdoor cats and whether cats can be trained - I believe they can, I believe all cats, for example, should come when they're called.''

PET PROJECT

Moorpark College's inaugural feline management course will be held 8:30 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. Saturday in Room 211 of the library, 7075 Campus Road. The course is worth a half-unit and costs $5.50. For information, call Steven Pollock at [phone].

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Box: Pet Project (see text)