For John Peaveler, it’s all about options. The more tools and techniques you have at your disposal, the better your chances of successfully capturing and handling animals.

“I’m not a PhD or a veterinarian, but I know how to operationalize the theories and find solutions and equipment that work. Having a range of tools available is important because if I’m limited to one or two, it restricts my options and increases the risk that the animal will suffer,” John Peaveler says.

Today, John is running his business, Humane Innovations, which sells equipment for animal capture and handling, and spends a great deal of his time teaching at conferences or traveling the world to consult for public and private animal welfare agencies. One week, he is working hands-on with immobilization training in Tbilisi, Georgia, and the next, he’s advising government agencies in Romania or conducting training in Kazakhstan.

More often than not, the topic is how to manage populations of feral dogs which is an issue in many countries.

“Sometimes, we’re also called out to simply catch difficult dogs. We were recently in Puerto Rico to catch 3 specific wild dogs that kept causing trouble and having litter after litter of pups. So, we created custom cages that we brought there together with other equipment and succeeded in catching them,” John Peaveler explains.

Saving dogs in the Kuwait desert

That John Peavelers' professional life has ended up revolving around animal welfare is rather circumstantial. Needing the money to pay for his education - he aspired to become a photojournalist -  he took a contract with the US Airforce in 2004 working on a military base in Kuwait.

Stray dogs are a common problem in Kuwait, and John found himself taking care of 18 dogs.

“If you spend any time in the desert with these dogs, it will be obvious that their future does not look bright. They have an expected lifespan of about  1,5 years, and then they will die of something terrible. I’m a rational person, so it’s not that I get emotionally tied up in it, but I was presented with a problem I could do something about. I was the guy there, and I could do something that mattered.”

John met a woman who ran a dog shelter in Kuwait, and they started working together and ended up saving 1200 dogs every year. And ended up getting married as well.

Accuracy is vital

When John Peaveler advises organizations and agencies on different tools and technologies, chemical immobilization and the use of DANiNJECT equipment play an important part.

“Having quality equipment is vital if you want to work with chemical immobilization. Accuracy matters a lot, as well as the accuracy of pressure. You can’t use blank rounds for small animals. You have to hit the animal with appropriate pressure. Just enough to make the dart go in, but not cause tissue damage, which will lead to a cascade of other problems. It’s especially important when working with dogs because they have a small target area. You will need to dart them from a 45-degree angle from the back at a maximum range of 15 meters to minimize the risk for the animal,” he explains.

“I also teach a lot of animal shelters on using immobilization. It’s not always thought of in relation to indoor use, but it's perfect in animal shelters where you might have aggressive dogs that you don't want to approach. You can dart them at short range without them even noticing it and the DANiNJECT pistol is a perfect tool for that.”

At the end of the day, it’s all about having the right tools and the appropriate training to get the job done.