Mission Viejo Animal Services Rolls Out Teen Explorer Program

MISSION VIEJO, CA — A new opportunity for Mission Viejo's animal-loving teens is rolling out this September, as the city's Animal Services Department announced Thursday that they will hold an Animal Services Explorer Program for youth interested in getting up close and personal with all kinds of career skills related to animals.

The program is intended to give teens the chance to get their paws on real-life animal experience that may further them along their career paths, as well as leadership skills and knowledge that will enable them to transition into their chosen career. Senior Animal Services Officer Sgt. Kyle Warner said the program will cover a wide spectrum of topics, from animal handling to animal cruelty investigations.

"There's not a whole lot of programs out there that allow youth to be involved with animals," Warner said. "[And] if someone wants to work in this industry, a lot of businesses require that experience."

The program was made possible through people in the Animal Services Department like Warner, as well as Orange County "Learning for Life," a division of the Boys Scouts of America that holds other explorer programs for teens interested in criminal justice or firefighting, among many other things. Warner was a police explorer in his teen years, and his experience in that program has stayed with him throughout his career.

"It's something I've always kind of held special," Warner said. "It got me in the public sector, I got to do something I love."

That feeling is just what Warner hopes will pass onto the youth who participate in the Animal Services Explorer Program. There are a myriad of learning activities and real-life skills that the program has scheduled, and Warner hopes every moment will help build up teens and prepare them for whatever animal-related career path they go down in the future.

"[It's to] develop that next generation of people who will be working in this industry. It's kind of cool to see youth get excited about this industry and working in animal welfare," Warner said.

If accepted into the program, teens will have the chance to work with the Animal Services Department and trained volunteers to hone in on real-life skills. Warner said that there are also field trips to wildlife research centers planned, and explorers will additionally have the chance to go out at night to locate and identify animal tracks.

The program is currently accepting applications, and Warner said that as the program gets up and running, the department will accept 15 youth explorers into the program. If the interest is high enough, the department may do a second recruitment later in the year. Teen explorers will be announced sometime in September, Warner said.

Those interested can fill out and submit the application online by visiting Mission Viejo's website.