Continuing Professional Development

Posted on by

Continuing professional development events, such as networking seminars, conferences, and business training all take a proportion of my time. Some are very photography-centric, others concentrate on building a successful business. Last weekend, I attended training of a different nature. Dog First Aid.

First aid kit – the contents have been put together specifically with dogs in mind

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My decision to attend the course was based on three main considerations:

  • Wanting to improve my knowledge of animal first aid as a pet owner;
  • A general desire to improve my knowledge as an animal lover and potential passerby following an incident; and
  • My role as a pet photographer.

The course wasn’t an obvious addition to my continued personal development, but having trained in human first aid and mental health first aid, it made sense to broaden my understanding to include animals. Which, by the nature of my work, I spend a significant amount of time with.

In half a day, we learnt a lot, including how to administer CPR to a dog, and actions to take if a dog is choking. Some areas followed human first aid guidelines, such as using the ABC method when assessing a casualty.

  • Airway – clear it if necessary
  • Breathing – check whether the casualty is breathing
  • Circulation – is there a pulse and are there any sites of bleeding which need treating

Other treatments, used quite different approaches, such as dealing with a choking dog. The human first aid courses don’t tend to rely on suspending the subject by their ankles while trying to dislodge the item (or propping against something such as a gate or a wall in the case of a larger dog).

Above all, human safety was paramount (we won’t be any use to our dogs if we are hurt through putting ourselves in unnecessary danger), and the importance of always seeking veterinary advice as soon as possible was emphasised throughout. Even if the incident has been dealt with apparently successfully, advice should be taken in case there are complications. Dry drowning, for example, may happen days after the dog was saved from drowning in water.

What does all of this have to do with photography? The first aid training has raised my confidence in dealing with emergency situations involving dogs, and other animals. As a professional, I have a responsibility to my clients to ensure that I am as skilled as possible in handling expected, and unexpected, eventualities. Part of my role is to keep clients and their family – human or otherwise – safe while they are in my care. My continuing professional development embraces much more than photography and helps me to offer the best service possible.