Purpose. This Code establishes the standards of conduct and ethical practice expected of all master trainers, trainers, evaluators, staff, contractors, canine handlers, volunteers, candidates, and representatives of the American Patriot National K-9 Training Academy also known as AMPKT. The purpose of this document is to protect the public, search subjects, canine partners, master trainers, trainers, students, clients, partner agencies, and the integrity of the canine search and rescue profession.
1. Core Principles
Service: Place the safety and well-being of the public, search subjects, responders, students, and canine partners above personal recognition or gain.
Integrity: Be truthful, fair, accountable, and consistent in all training, evaluation, certification, and operational representations.
Competence: Work only within the limits of one’s canine certified criteria, as well as one’s education, experience, qualifications, and authorization.
Respect: Treat every person and canine humanely, professionally, and without harassment, intimidation, retaliation, or unlawful discrimination.
Stewardship: Strengthen public trust in canine search and rescue through responsible conduct and continuous improvement.
2. Scope and Responsibility
This Code applies during classes, seminars, field exercises, certification events, online activities, demonstrations, deployments conducted under the organization’s name, and all related communications. Each covered person is responsible for understanding and following this Code, applicable laws, site rules, safety plans, and authorized incident-command requirements. No person may direct, pressure, or knowingly permit another person to violate these standards.
3. Safety and Risk Management
Make safety the first consideration in planning and conducting every activity.
Use qualified personnel, appropriate protective equipment, reliable communications, suitable training areas, and documented emergency procedures.
Identify hazards, assess environmental conditions, and modify, suspend, or stop an activity when risk becomes unacceptable.
Do not participate while impaired by alcohol, illegal drugs, misused medication, fatigue, illness, or any condition that could compromise judgment or performance.
Promptly report injuries, near misses, safety concerns, and material deviations from approved plans.
Never imply that training or certification replaces the authority of the agency having jurisdiction or guarantees acceptance for deployment.
4. Canine Welfare and Humane Treatment
Treat every canine with patience, dignity, and humane care.
Use training methods that are purposeful, proportionate, and appropriate to the canine’s age, health, temperament, experience, and task.
Do not use abuse, neglect, intimidation, or methods likely to cause avoidable pain, fear, injury, or distress.
Provide appropriate hydration, nutrition, rest, shelter, conditioning, sanitation, transportation, and veterinary attention.
Remove a canine from an activity when illness, injury, exhaustion, excessive stress, unsafe behavior, or environmental conditions warrant it.
Do not misrepresent a canine’s health, training history, operational readiness, or certification status.
5. Instructional and Professional Conduct
Present current, accurate, evidence-informed material and clearly distinguish established standards from professional opinion or personal experience.
State learning objectives, prerequisites, evaluation methods, costs, limitations, and completion requirements accurately.
Create a learning environment that is safe, respectful, and accessible; provide feedback that is specific, constructive, and connected to stated standards.
Maintain appropriate professional boundaries and do not exploit instructional, supervisory, evaluative, or mentoring relationships.
Do not engage in harassment, bullying, retaliation, hazing, threats, or disruptive conduct.
Use another person’s work, images, records, or course material only with appropriate permission or attribution.
6. Evaluation and Certification Integrity
Apply published eligibility, testing, scoring, renewal, and appeal requirements consistently and impartially.
Base decisions on documented performance against defined standards, not reputation, personal relationships, sponsorship, payment, pressure, or favoritism.
Protect certification, evaluation test content, scoring tools, handler records, and other controlled materials from unauthorized access or disclosure.
Do not coach a candidate during a formal evaluation unless the rules expressly permit it.
Accurately document results and never falsify, alter, backdate, conceal, or improperly issue a certification.
Recuse oneself when an actual or perceived conflict could reasonably call impartiality into question.
Do not represent certification as a guarantee of operational success, employment, agency endorsement, or fitness for every mission.
7. Honesty, Records, and Public Representation
Make only truthful, supportable claims about certifications, qualifications, experience, outcomes, affiliations, credentials, and services.
Maintain complete and accurate attendance, training logs, evaluation, certification, incident, and financial records for the required retention period.
Use organizational names, marks, logos, certificates, and titles only as authorized.
Do not knowingly spread false or misleading information about master trainers, trainers, handlers, canines, evaluators, agencies, competitors, or partner organizations.
When speaking publicly or on social media, protect confidential information and make clear whether views expressed are personal or officially authorized.
8. Conflicts of Interest and Financial Ethics
Disclose financial, personal, family, organizational, or supervisory interests that could influence—or appear to influence—a decision.
Do not offer or accept gifts, favors, payments, referrals, or benefits intended to affect admission, instruction, evaluation, procurement, discipline, or certification.
Do not use confidential information, organizational property, or one’s position for improper personal advantage.
Ensure fees, refunds and sponsorships are represented transparently and handled according to written policy.
9. Confidentiality, Privacy, and Sensitive Information
Protect personal information, handler records, medical or veterinary information, examination materials, security-sensitive search details, agency information, and operational records.
Access and disclose such information only for legitimate authorized purposes or when required by law. Obtain appropriate consent before recording or publishing identifiable images, videos, case details, or training results. Confidentiality obligations continue after the relationship with the organization ends.
10. Authorized Deployment and Prohibition on Self-Deployment
American Patriot National K-9 Training Academy is a handler/canine teaching, training, evaluating and certifying company. A certification issued to a canine team from AMPKT verifies that on that date and during that time the canine team demonstrated that they met AMPKT’s established deployable criteria in accordance with their standards. However, it does not automatically authorize said canine team for deployment on an actual search as that responsibility remains with the appropriate SAR organization or agency. AMPKT does recommend the following steps:
Canine teams should not self-deploy to an incident, search area, disaster site, or potential crime scene without a legitimate request, activation, or authorization from the agency having jurisdiction or another recognized coordinating authority.
Handlers should not use AMPKT certifications, organizational affiliation, public visibility, personal contacts, or social media to bypass established request, dispatch, credentialing, check-in, or incident-command procedures.
Teams should operate within the assigned mission, geographic area, operational period, and chain of command, and must promptly report findings through authorized channels.
Handlers should not enter restricted or unsafe areas, interfere with authorized responders, compromise evidence or scent conditions, contact affected families without authorization, or create additional risk or resource burdens.
If a handler becomes aware of a possible need for canine search resources, the handler should provide information to the appropriate authority and remain available for formal activation rather than responding independently.
Unauthorized or unethical self-deployment may result in suspension or revocation of any and all AMPKT certifications or affiliation.
11. Reporting Concerns and Non-Retaliation
Anyone who observes a suspected violation, unsafe condition, animal-welfare concern, falsification, harassment, or other misconduct during any of AMPKT ‘s classes, seminars, workshops, field exercises, certification events, online activities, demonstrations, deployments, should report it promptly to an AMPKT master trainer or trainer. Reports should be made in good faith and include available facts. Knowingly false or malicious reports are prohibited. The AMPKT master trainer will review concerns fairly, protect confidentiality to the extent reasonably possible, and prohibit retaliation against anyone who raises a good-faith concern, participates in a review, or refuses to engage in misconduct. Immediate threats to people or animals should be reported to the appropriate emergency or public authority without delay. Retaliation against any complaintant for reporting a violation of this policy, filing a complaint under this policy or assisting in a complaint investigation is strictly prohibited. However, if after investigating any complaint, it is determined that the complaint was not made in good faith, or that the complaintant provided false information regarding the complaint, punitive action may be taken against the individual(s) who filed the false complaint or anyone who gave false information.
12. Review, Due Process, and Corrective Action
Potential violations will be reviewed promptly and impartially using this document as a guide. The subject of a complaint will receive notice of the concern and a reasonable opportunity to respond, except where temporary protective action is necessary. Outcomes may include education, coaching, corrective action, removal from a class, seminar or activity, invalidation or suspension of certification(s), suspension or revocation of credentials, termination of affiliation, or referral to an appropriate authority. Decisions should be proportionate, documented, and subject to any established appeal process.