Global Conservation Force is excited to announce our upcoming Conservation Working Dog Seminar Day, taking place Saturday, May 23 in Southern California. This specialized training event brings together real-world operational experience in conservation K9 deployment, suspect tracking, and endangered species scent detection.

Hosted by Mike Veale and Rita Santos, the seminar represents the first time Global Conservation Force has brought this style of conservation working dog training directly to Southern California.

The event combines two operational disciplines actively used in wildlife protection efforts around the world:

  • High-Risk Suspect Tracking & Trailing
  • Endangered Species Scent Detection

Mike Veale brings over 20 years of direct field experience in anti-poaching, wildlife protection, conservation, and counter wildlife trafficking. His work includes operating conservation K9s in real-world environments for suspect tracking, wildlife contraband detection, and endangered species detection in the wild. Through Global Conservation Force, these efforts support dozens of K9 units and hundreds of working dogs and handlers across Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe.

Event Details

 

Saturday, May 23


9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

 

Registration

  • Observer (no dog): $200 — 5 spots available
  • Working K9 Team: $400 — 6 spots available

Participants will receive practical instruction focused on operational application, field-ready concepts, and the growing role of conservation K9s in wildlife protection and anti-trafficking efforts worldwide.

 

This seminar is designed for handlers, conservation professionals, first responders, and anyone interested in learning more about the expanding role of working dogs in global conservation operations.

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Joining Mike is Rita Santos, an experienced conservation detection dog specialist whose work includes endangered wolf scat detection programs across Europe, along with endangered species detection projects in Malaysia. Her experience in modern conservation scent work and operational reliability brings an important scientific and field-based component to the seminar.

 

Mike first met Rita during the Global Conservation Force x Scent Imprint for Dogs Operational K9 Course held earlier this January in the Netherlands. The course brought together operational handlers, conservation professionals, and instructors from multiple countries to exchange knowledge and advance working dog capabilities in conservation and field operations. The collaboration and shared operational mindset during that program helped spark the idea for bringing this style of training to the United States.

This May seminar is only the beginning.

Global Conservation Force is already working alongside Scent Imprint for Dogs and instructor Wesley Visser to expand future training opportunities in Southern California. Plans are already underway for a larger operational training program scheduled for January 2027.

 

Following the California training block, the teams intend to move into Belize to continue another phase of field operational training directly alongside rangers and handlers operating within national parks. These programs are designed to strengthen real-world conservation K9 capability while continuing to build international collaboration between operational conservation teams.

The May 23 seminar is intentionally being kept small to maximize hands-on instruction and direct engagement.