* § 422. Personnel training requirements. 1. Each animal shelter licensed pursuant to this article shall provide training to all staff members and volunteers having direct animal care responsibilities. Such training shall be provided within the first sixty days of employment and at least annually thereafter and shall be in addition to any and all training otherwise required by federal, state, or local law or regulation.

2. Acceptable training modalities shall include, but not be limited to, online webinars, on-site lectures or seminars, off-site conferences for animal shelter staff, or other formal training modalities as authorized by the commissioner.

3. Training topics shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(a) humane handling techniques;

(b) infectious diseases commonly found in animal shelters;

(c) zoonotic diseases;

(d) animal cruelty;

(e) sanitation procedures;

(f) body language and normal behaviors for all species regularly handled; and

(g) required documentation and data entry.

4. Complete documentation of training sessions shall be maintained for a period of not less than three years from the date of training completion. Such documentation shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(a) the date of training delivery and the date of completion;

(b) the topic or topics of the training session; and

(c) the provider of the training and a list of training course attendees.

* NB Effective December 15, 2025