Animal Care

A veterinarian bandaging up a dog's paw.

Explore your passion for animals and animal care with our noncredit programs designed to help you get the training necessary to work in you field of study or to give you the support needed for your own pets.

Veterinary Assistant Training

The Veterinary Assistant Training is a comprehensive training program over approximately ten months, starting in September each year. The series of coursework will provide you with the basic knowledge and skills needed for an entry-level position in a veterinary hospital or clinic. The process to enter the program begins during the summer semester leading into the new cohort starting in the fall.

Learn More about Vet Assistant

Schedule of Classes

Animal Care, Fall 2025

Registration opens July 28, 2025.

Pet First Aid and CPR

- CRN#: 24269
- Dates: October 18-25, 2025
- Time: Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
- Location: Rockville Campus
- Investment: $30 tuition + $55 fee = $85.00
  - Non-MD residents add $50

Explore ways to register for this upcoming class.

Animal Reiki, Fall 2025

Registration opens July 28, 2025.

Animal Reiki I

- CRN#: 24270
- Dates: October 6-20, 2025
- Time: Mondays and Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
- Location: Rockville Campus
- Investment: $75 tuition + $170 fee = $245.00
  - Non-MD residents add $140

Explore ways to register for this upcoming class.

Next Reiki Courses

Animal Reiki II

CRN#: 24271
Dates: October 27-November 10, 2025
Time: Mondays and Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Location: Rockville Campus
Investment: $75 tuition + $170 fee = $245.00
- Non-MD residents add $140

Animal Reiki III

CRN#: 24272
Dates: November 17-December 3, 2025
Time: Mondays and Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Location: Rockville Campus
Investment: $75 tuition + $170 fee = $245.00
- Non-MD residents add $140

Learn about our other animal care courses we offer including, Pet First Aid and CPR, the basics when starting your own pet care business, and being prepared for an emergency.

Animal Care Course Descriptions

PET008: Pet First Aid and CPR

Learn how to respond to health emergencies and provide basic first aid and CPR to cats and dogs. You will learn the basic pet owner responsibilities, administering medication, breathing and cardiac emergencies, and treating basic wounds.

PET016: Start Your Own Pet Care Business - The Basics

Turn your passion for animals into your business. Learn about basic pet care, nutrition, correct walking and exercise techniques, basic first aid, pet sitting, and how to handle difficult situations. Explore different aspects of start-up ideas, record keeping requirements, and how to market your business.

PET025: Emergency Preparedness for Pets - Are you Ready?

Pets are family too. Do you have a plan for your pet in an emergency? Including pets in the emergency plan helps your family’s ability to respond to an emergency. In this course, students will learn how to make an emergency plan for their pet, how to prepare a shelter for their pet, and how to prepare a disaster kit for their pet in the case of an emergency.

PET027: Caring for Your Pet

This course will provide new, present or soon to be, pet owners an understanding of how to properly care for their pet. Topics will include correct animal care, proper dental care, how to make healthy nutritional choices, and immunization education.

PET028: Careers in the Pet Industry

Explore diverse career pathways in the Animal Care profession and discover how to pursue those opportunities. Gain industry insights, job readiness, and certification requirements, preparing you for success in this rapidly expanding field. If you're passionate about animals or seeking a fulfilling career change, our wide-ranging course equips you with the knowledge and expertise to excel.

Animal Reiki

Animal Reiki is an energy healing technique developed thousands of years ago and has been adapted across many cultures. It can be used to helped stressed, nervous, and injured animals through many issues such as emotional or dietary and eating issues. Best of all, Animal Reiki is self-guided and heals so much more.

We offer a three-course sequence to expand your reiki understanding and practice. After completing each course, a student would receive a certificate of completion specific to the level of attunement completed. Students may interact with animals only during Reiki II.

Animal Reiki Course Descriptions

PET010: Animal Reiki I

This course will benefit you if you are new to Reiki or an experienced practitioner wanting to learn about working with animals. you will be introduced to Reiki, the Japanese healing system and the history of its founders. You will learn how you can perform Reiki sessions on animals with a focus on healing and balancing. Program textbook and companion workbook used for all three courses is included.

PET011: Animal Reiki II

This course is designed to enable you to learn the healing methods of Level II Reiki, how distance healing works across space and time, and how Reiki can be complimented with other alternative healing techniques. Prerequisite: Animal Reiki I.

PET018: Animal Reiki III

This course is designed to teach students advanced methods of using Reiki energy healing with animals, in continuation of the previous two-level courses. You will learn healing after surgery or trauma, energy work for animals with emotional and behavioral problems, and also techniques for balancing one's own energy and how to pass Reiki healing ability to others. Prerequisites: Animal Reiki I and Animal Reiki II.

The Animal Care programs may use live animals for teaching purposes. Montgomery College takes all necessary safety precautions when students interact with live animals. However, students must be aware that live animals by nature may not be absolutely controlled. Therefore, the potential exists for a student to be bitten, scratched, injured, or harmed by an animal while participating in our program. Montgomery College does not provide medical insurance for any injury sustained.

Registration Information

To enroll, students must be 18 years of age. Our noncredit programs are open enrollment and available to students on a first come, first serve basis. Some courses or programs require program approval or have required prerequisites. Students attempting to register online for an open enrollment course, must login to their MyMC Student Account to register for the classes in the program. Registration is open until the class start date or the class is at full capacity.

Ways to Register

Online: WDCE Web Registration Information.new window
In-Person: at one of our WDCE Student Services Locationsnew window.
Fax: Download, print, and complete this WDCE Registration Form (PDF, ) , and fax with payment information to 240-683-6945.
Mail: Download, print, and complete this WDCE Registration Form (PDF, ) , and mail with payment to: Montgomery College WDCE, 51 Mannakee Street CC220, Rockville, MD 20850.

Review all WDCE Registration Information, Options, and Policiesnew window.