The Animal Lovers Assistance League at the Currituck Animal Shelter is starting a new national pet training program called "Open Paw."

The program was designed to teach volunteers ways to train cats and dogs impounded at the animal shelter on ways that improve their chances of being adopted.

"The main focus of an Open Paw shelter is to provide a humane education resource for every person in the community," said Kelly Gorman, president of Open Paw. "Modeling fun and friendly training methods through the daily care of the resident dogs and cats achieves this goal. People see the wonderful results of training right before their eyes and they ask questions of the staff and volunteers, who are happy to share their knowledge."

To help improve the chances of shelter animals of being adopted and staying adopted, the Open Paws teaches volunteers ways to train animals on basic household manners and friendly behaviors.

Volunteers play a key role in the Open Paw program and the Animal Lovers Assistance League is seeking volunteers who would like to complete the training and spend time working shelter animals.

Volunteers will complete four levels of training for both dogs and cats. Each level teaches volunteers a variety of skills in working with and training shelter animals. Volunteers also can use the skills they learn at home with their own pets. Or if they don't have a pet, develop the skills needed in preparing to get a pet.

Volunteers also can also work at their own pace and stay at any course level for as long as it takes for them to move on to the next level. A brief, hands-on examination will be required students can move onto the next level.

The first training session for level one starts at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10, at the Currituck Animal Shelter, 204 Airport Road, Maple. The course will be taught by Animal Trainer Vicky Hagemeister.

For more information, call Ginger Sikes, president of the Animal Lovers Assistance League, at 232-3696, or send e-mail to gsikes@mchsi.com. The program is free and volunteers who complete all four levels for cats, dogs or both will receive a

certificate.

The first group of training sessions will be for dog

training.