(a) All applicants for a new permit must first satisfy one of the following two training requirements:
(1) The applicant shall complete a training course approved by the Director consisting of at least 20 hours of classroom and hands-on training. The training course must cover each of the following subject areas: canine behavior, pack management, dog park etiquette, safety and fight protocols, local laws and regulations, canine first aid, and any other subject or subjects that the Director may determine is or are relevant to the health and safety of animals and the public in the conduct of a Commercial Dog Walking business; or,
(2) The applicant shall complete an apprenticeship program approved by the Director consisting of at least 40 hours of practical experience working under the direct supervision of another dog walker who (A) is doing business as a permittee under this Article 39, and (B) has operated a dog walking business, with a valid City business registration certificate under Business and Tax Regulations Code Section 853 (or equivalent license or certification from another jurisdiction, as accepted by the Director), for at least three years. The person or organization providing the apprenticeship program may, but is not required to, charge the applicant for the program. The apprenticeship program shall cover each of the subject areas identified for training in subsection (a)(1), and the person or organization providing the apprenticeship program shall provide the participant who successfully completes the program with written certification stating that those subjects have been covered as part of the apprenticeship. The permit applicant shall provide the Director with a copy of such certification along with his or her permit application.
(b) The Director shall adopt regulations setting forth the required content of a course under subsection (a)(1) or the criteria for an approved apprenticeship program under subsection (a)(2). After adoption of such regulations, the Director shall approve or disapprove, within 30 days of submission, any entity's proposal to offer the required Commercial Dog Walking training under subsection (a)(1) or (2).
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), any person who, on March 1, 2013, has held for at least the past three consecutive years a valid City business registration certificate under Business and Tax Regulations Code Section 853 for a dog walking business (or equivalent license or certification from another jurisdiction, as accepted by the Director), or any person who as of that date has worked as a dog walker for such a business for at least the past three consecutive years, shall be deemed to have satisfied the training requirement of this Section. The Director may by regulation adopted under Section 3909 determine which other equivalent occupational experience, if any, provides similar training and may be substituted for dog walking under this subsection (c).