Shelter Learniverse Return to the Shelter Learniverse

Shelter Learniverse and Industry-Wide Calendar

Author: Elise Winn

  • New Course Clears Up Finder-Foster Program Questions

    New Course Clears Up Finder-Foster Program Questions

    Finder-foster programs are one impactful way to serve animals in the Right Place and the Right Time, to the Right Outcome: Animals found by community members can be quickly and legally moved from stray to foster status, and, if they can’t be reunited with their owner, adopted out, all without ever entering the shelter.

    But when do holding periods apply? What if the animal needs routine care? What would a finder-foster agreement look like, and is it necessary? If you’ve been wanting to introduce or fine-tune a finder-foster program at your shelter, but you’ve got questions, the new self-paced Finder-Foster Program course is for you!

    As part of the Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge Learniverse program, Bruce Wagman, Lead Counsel for San Francisco SPCA’s Shelter Policy and Legal Services (Shelter PALS), covers the concepts, legal issues, and suggestions for the development and operation of finder-foster programs for animal shelters in the state of California (and other states).

    You’ll learn how you can reunite more animals with their families, promote animal well-being and minimize stress by reducing time spent in the shelter, and as a result of these programs, reserve resources for animals in need of shelter services—all by engaging people who are already helping animals in your community.

    This short course has been approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (AAWA) and by National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA). It has also been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit until July 25, 2024, in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval.

    Although the specific information in this course is applicable to and based on considerations of California state law, the basic concepts will be applicable anywhere, subject to modifications necessitated by state or local laws. Shelters in other states are encouraged to check their state and local laws and ordinances to see how this information can be adapted for use in your location.

    #ThankstoMaddie, this course is offered at no cost! Enroll today, and check out other free SPOT mods (Self-Paced Online Training modules) and cohort-style Bootcamps available at the Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge Learniverse.

  • Apply by August 8 for New Population Management and Daily Rounds Bootcamp

    Apply by August 8 for New Population Management and Daily Rounds Bootcamp

    The newest Bootcamp from the Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge Learniverse is here to help your team implement efficient and effective daily population management rounds in just six weeks! Whether you wish your rounds were more productive or you haven’t started them yet, Population Management and Daily Rounds Bootcamp will help you improve animal health and welfare, increase the number of animals and people you can help, and decrease staff workload and burnout, length of stay, and the number of animals waiting in your shelter.

    Dr. Cindi Delany observes a dog during daily rounds

    Alongside your peers and fellow Bootcampers, you’ll master the why, how, when, where, and what of implementing and performing rockstar daily rounds through online content and live, interactive Zoom meetings. Led by your coach, Dr. Cindi Delany, you’ll spend two weeks covering the nuts and bolts of population management and daily rounds, then two weeks putting daily rounds into action (or improving what you’re already doing), with team check-ins and coach feedback. In the final two weeks, you’ll learn how to troubleshoot your systems and make your daily population management rounds sustainable long-term—even when you’re short-staffed or nearing (or even over) capacity.

    This cohort-centered course offers real-time implementation support with troubleshooting as you go, and results that will benefit your staff, community, and animals. Dr. Delany has established successful and sustainable rounds at many shelters, decreasing average length of stay by 50% or more and average on-site animal inventory by 50% or more, all while increasing live releases and animals helped, enhancing shelters’ ability to provide the Right Care, in the Right Time, with the Right Care, to achieve the Right Outcome for each animal. 

    Best of all, #ThanksToMaddie and the Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge Learniverse, Population Management and Daily Rounds Bootcamp is free to all participants! To ensure everyone receives the personalized coaching that makes a difference in your success, this session will be open to eight shelters; a waitlist will be created for future sessions. 

    Get your team on board and turn your population management processes and daily rounds into a well-oiled machine that boosts the well-being of animals and people! Learn more and apply by August 8.

  • Buying Group Offers Discounted Veterinary Supplies to Shelters and Rescues

    Buying Group Offers Discounted Veterinary Supplies to Shelters and Rescues

    A new program introduced by the San Francisco SPCA aims to lower the costs of veterinary supplies and other goods for participating animal welfare organizations. The Compassion Collective Purchasing Program is free to join and does not require administrative fees; in order to remain active members of the program, organizations would only need to make purchases at least once every 3 months.

    “By creating a buying group, we increase our purchasing power with the aim to qualify shelters and rescues for discounts that may otherwise be out of reach for a single entity,” says Jennifer Scarlett, DVM.

    Interested organizations across the country are invited to join the program, which partners with Covetrus to provide discounts on products like flea/tick preventatives, veterinary supplies, medical supplies, and equipment. 

    To join or learn more, visit https://www.sfspca.org/compassion-collective/ or contact SF SPCA Supply Chain Director Donna Shiono at dshiono@sfspca.org. Existing Covetrus customers will have the new discount added to their account.

  • Discover the Right Place for At-Risk Animals in a New Course from Maddie’s Million Pet Challenge

    Discover the Right Place for At-Risk Animals in a New Course from Maddie’s Million Pet Challenge

    Registration for The Right Place Is Live!

    Providing the right care and right outcome starts by serving animals in the right place, but how do you determine the right place for an animal at risk of entering the shelter? Start with the newest course, The Right Place, in the Maddie’s®️ Million Pet Challenge Learniverse! In this free SPOT mod (code for Self-Paced Online Training Module), you’ll learn the framework that will help remove decision fatigue and get animals where they need to be—or help them right where they are.

    Subject matter experts from the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program will walk you through guiding principles that animal welfare professionals can use to make decisions, train their staff and engage the public, with the ultimate goal of serving animals in the place that permits the best possible result for the animal(s) and person(s) in the most humane and efficient possible way. Priority is given to keeping animals safe in the community when possible, with shelter intake reserved for those animals who can’t be safely managed by community members (such as owners, finders, concerned caregivers and foster families).

    You’ll learn about a range of programs you can use at your shelter to lead animals to the right outcome while making the best possible use of your resources and reducing the burden on your staff. Plus, you’ll find inspiration in examples of animal shelters that have successfully implemented these programs with positive results.

    Enroll today and discover how to serve animals in the right place—and in turn how to serve more animals and people: savings associated with lower admission and care in the shelter can be redirected to support safety net services and provide care for animals with advanced medical or behavior needs who have no other option but shelter admittance. This short course has been approved for 3.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (AAWA) and National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA). RACE credit pending approval.

    The Right Place is the first course in a self-paced series that will explore each of the Four Rights, an evolution of the Million Cat Challenge’s Five Key Initiatives and the foundation of Maddie’s Million Pet Challenge. Within the Four Rights, every element works in concert to support one another: animals and people are treated as individuals, empowering shelter staff to make the best decisions for everyone; community safety net services are in place and flourishing; and humane care within the shelter is provided, with appropriate outcomes for the animals that do come in, allowing shelters to deliver the Right Care, in the Right Place, at the Right Time, to the Right Outcome.

    Join us in the Maddie’s®️ Million Pet Challenge Learniverse, an interactive, online learning community found at the intersection of Knowing and Doing. Hosted by a team of animal welfare’s leading experts, it is a space to question, test, and implement innovations in the pursuit of continuous discovery and improvement in animal sheltering. #ThankstoMaddie, The Right Place and other SPOT mods, along with cohort-style, coach-led Bootcamps, are available at no cost.

    Do you have comments, questions, or ideas related to the Four Rights? Join the discussion on Maddie’s Pet Forum!


    Enroll Today!

  • Reach Out to Join Our California Outreach Team

    Reach Out to Join Our California Outreach Team

    Our person

    We’re looking for a seasoned shelter professional who is ready to roll their sleeves up and apply their years of shelter operation and animal care experience to a program that is designed to scale humane, community-centered practices to shelters of every type. 

    If you share our passion for supporting shelters in reaching their goals through inclusion, transparency, organizational wellness, purpose-driven innovation, and barrier-busting programs, we’d like to learn more about your experience and vision for community-based animal sheltering. 

    What your role would look and feel like

    Each member of our outreach team has an area of interest that together allows us to offer shelters well-rounded support. You’ll be lending your operational and animal care expertise to round out a team of veterinarians specializing in data analysis, facility design, housing, behavior & enrichment, infectious disease management, free-roaming cat programming, and Capacity for Care. You’ll be visiting shelters in person, working with shelter personnel through phone, Zoom and email, and participating in our online training courses hosted in the Learniverse.

    Is this opportunity speaking to YOU?

    Do you love working with animals but find one of your superpowers is supporting and mentoring people? Do you know firsthand how satisfying it is to streamline processes and remove barriers for staff, animals, and the communities we assist? Are you ready to take what you’ve learned and pass it along to your California colleagues? Let’s talk about transitioning into the next chapter of your career where you’ll scale the number of animals you help by coaching, supporting, and serving the people that care for them.

    We are committed to a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. 

    Remote work is an option but the candidate must live in California (preference for those with roots and experience in California) or be willing to relocate.

    At least 4 years of experience in organizational operations management (non-profit, government or similar) is required, with some significant experience in animal shelter management/operations.

    To apply or share with a colleague, click here by July 10: Careers (universityofcalifornia.edu)

  • Apply for a California for All Animals Open Grant Through June 30

    Apply for a California for All Animals Open Grant Through June 30

    If you haven’t applied for an Open Grant yet, there’s still time! Our latest round of funding is available to ALL private shelter organizations (with or without a municipal contract), animal service agencies, and municipal shelters. California for All Animals is committed to helping you advance the welfare of both animals and their people in your community and the well-being of your staff through focused training, expert mentorship, tailored resources, and the right funding to support your vision. Open Grant applications will be accepted through June 30, 2022; grants from $25,000 to $200,000 will be awarded to shelters and focused on the following categories: 

    • Outcomes (Adoptions, Return to Home, and Return to Community): What does your organization need to increase adoptions, foster programs, transfer to partners, return to home, and return to community of origin (community cats, for example). Proposals may include requests for veterinary care, supplies, equipment, technology, training and staffing.
    • Field Services and Control: Animal control officers play a vital role in an agency’s connection to the community. What does your organization need to return loose pets to their homes and provide support to community members? Examples include supplies such as kitten kits, fencing, trolleys, doghouses, vouchers for spay/neuter and medical care, microchip scanners, collars and leashes, and technology to enhance mobile work. Proposals will also be accepted for training for animal control officers to provide supportive services.
    • Care of Animals in the Shelter: Grant funding in this category should focus on physical, medical and mental well-being of animals that are in the shelter’s care. This includes veterinary care supplies and services, behavior and enrichment, volunteer and foster programs, equipment and supplies including housing improvements and interaction spaces.
    • Intake Management and Community Support: Grant funding in this category should focus on strengthening and streamlining your organization’s ability to provide services to the community. Examples include supplies and veterinary care to keep pets in their homes and communities of origin, developing appointment-based services for intake, resources for handling calls such as an automated system, finder foster programs, website messaging, text messaging, hotline run by staff or volunteers, and staffing for outreach and engagement.

    We’re committed to making the application process simple and engaging. To learn more and apply for the Open Grant, please visit CaliforniaForAllAnimals.com/grants, where you can also watch a short video of California Director Allison Cardona walking you through the four-step process. If you are experiencing any barriers to applying or could just use a little guidance filling out your application, please email us at grants@californiaforallanimals.com! We’re here to listen and to help.

    Just like you, we believe that every animal deserves the Right Care, provided in the Right Place, at the Right Time to achieve the Right Outcome. We also believe every person working in a shelter deserves access to the tools they need to do their job well and to feel satisfaction from the hard work they do. Together we can make California a place where families are truly supported and shelters are able to offer the care that is right for each situation at the moment it’s needed the most. 


    Apply now

  • California for All Animals #allthenews: Over 90 Grants Awarded to Shelters This Spring

    California for All Animals #allthenews: Over 90 Grants Awarded to Shelters This Spring

    It’s been nearly four months since we launched California for All Animals, a five-year, state-funded project to improve the lives of at-risk animals and provide much-needed resources to shelters that serve this vulnerable population. We invited you—along with California shelters, advocates, and animal welfare organizations who believe in fierce compassion for animals and people—to join the movement and dream different to do different for the animals and communities across our state.

    You answered the call, and since then, we’ve given away more than 90 grants totaling over $440,000 to shelters from Yreka to Chula Vista, and with our latest Open Grant period running through June, we’re just getting started!

    In our first #allthenews newsletter, you can read about the highlights of our collective work so far, from installing double-compartment housing to level up health and wellness for cats and kittens, as well as puppies and small dogs, to kicking off a Cal for All Call series to support shelter leaders in building relationships and nurturing healthy organizational cultures that benefit animals and the people who care for them.

    You’ll also get to know California State Director Allison Cardona and hear more about how we are building a humane-hearted California #alltogether, community by community.

    Share this newsletter! If you’re in California, invite shelters in your region to join California for All Animals and apply for an Open Grant if they haven’t already. Applications are open through June 30, and it takes just four simple steps. If your organization serves animals, but you’re not an animal shelter, connect with your local shelter and explore opportunities for collaboration and program development. Questions? Email us at email at grants@californiaforallanimals.com; we’re here to help!

    Thank you for all you do to achieve our shared goal of matching every animal in need with the right outcome through the right care, delivered in the right place and at the right time. And thank you for the reminder that each of us holds the capacity to care for animals—and for each other.


    Read #allthenews

  • Four Rights Webinar Series Wraps with One Big Question

    Four Rights Webinar Series Wraps with One Big Question

    #ThankstoMaddie and the Maddie’s Million Pet Challenge team, we’ve spent this spring alongside all of you exploring what it would take to create a world in which every single shelter is able to provide every animal at risk with the Four Rights: the Right Care in the Right Place, at the Right Time, to the Right Outcome. Inspired by the Five Key Initiatives of the Million Cat Challenge that empowered shelters to save over 3.5 million cats, the Four Rights include all species at risk in shelters, with community safety net services, humane care within the shelter, and appropriate outcomes for the animals that do come in all working in concert to support one another.

    If you missed any of our five-part webinar series, The Future Is Four, you can watch—and share—all the recordings at Maddie’s University!

    The Future is Four – Dr. Kate Hurley, the co-founder of the Million Cat Challenge and one of the inspirations behind the Maddie’s Million Pet Challenge, invites us to reflect on how far our field has come, and she explains how the Four Rights can help us meet current challenges and shape a hopeful future for animal sheltering. Watch the recording here.

    The Right Place – Drs. Cynthia Karsten and Chumkee Aziz guide you through the framework that allows you to remove decision fatigue and get animals where they need to be—or help them right where they are. Watch the recording here.

    The Right Time – Drs. Cindi Delany and Kate Hurley outline strategies for streamlining tasks, reducing length of stay, capturing lost resources, and making the most of the resources you have. Watch the recording here.

    The Right Care – Offering the Right Care means animals are not left in dangerous circumstances to cause harm, suffer, or die because the shelter can’t admit them; nor are they are admitted to a crowded shelter when there are better options within the community. Drs. Chumkee Aziz and Denae Wagner and Cat Adoption Team (CAT) Executive Director Karen Green discuss how to provide humane housing and match community need to community capacity and shelter services to ensure all animals receive the care that is right for them. Watch the recording here.

    The Right Outcome – Drs. Cynthia Karsten and Kate Hurley discuss how we can ensure the right outcome for pets and people facing challenges big and small. Watch the recording here.

    What’s next? Join us in Barrier Busting June!

    In last week’s Right Outcome webinar, Drs. Kate Hurley and Cindy Karsten closed out the series by sharing recommendations for removing barriers to the Right Outcome and encouraging us to look for opportunities to turn good outcomes into better and best outcomes. We were so inspired by your barrier-busting ideas during the webinar, we’re making the entire month of June all about removing barriers and clearing the way for more animals to reach the Right Outcome. All you need to do to join us (and put your name in the hat for a prize from our Basket of Joy!) is answer this question:

    What is ONE barrier to the Right Outcome for animals in your shelter that you could remove in June?

    Share your answer by replying to this thread on Maddie’s Pet Forum, and you’ll be entered to win one of these prizes:

    • A Yeti: begone, thirst barriers! Whether you need a tumbler for your smoothie or a supersized bottle for your iced coffee, you’ll be covered.
    • The Best Practice Playbook for Animal Shelters: your guide to breaking down barriers to best practices, Dr. Sara Pizano’s playbook will help your shelter implement proven national standards with a special emphasis on the efficient use of all resources that will eliminate waste and save lives.
    • Your own personalized jingle: the quickest barrier-to-joy buster is a custom jingle composed by Koret Shelter Medicine Program songsmith extraordinaire Andy Cowitt. We’re already imagining a shelter staff singalong…

    So what barrier could you banish this month? We can’t wait to find out! We’ll announce the winners in early July.


    Share your answer

  • It’s Open Grant Season in California!

    It’s Open Grant Season in California!

    California for All Animals is committed to helping you advance the welfare of both animals and their people in your community and the well-being of your staff through focused training, expert mentorship, tailored resources, and the right funding to support your vision. We are ecstatic to announce our next round of funding available to ALL private shelter organizations (with or without a municipal contract), animal service agencies, and municipal shelters.

    We welcome Open Grant applications May 1–June 30, 2022; grants from $25,000 to $200,000 will be awarded to shelters and focused on the following categories: 

    • Outcomes (Adoptions, Return to Home, and Return to Community)
    • Field Services and Control
    • Care of Animals in the Shelter
    • Intake Management and Community Support 

    We’ll be holding Zoom office hours to answer questions on May 3 from 3 p.m.– 4 p.m. and June 13 from 10 a.m.–11 a.m. You can also sign up on Calendly for half-hour, one-on-one chats with California Director Allison Cardona on May 4 and 5. 

    Just like you, we believe that every animal deserves the Right Care, provided in the Right Place, at the Right Time to achieve the Right Outcome. We also believe every person working in a shelter deserves access to the tools they need to do their job well and to feel satisfaction from the hard work they do. Together we can make California a place where families are truly supported and shelters are able to offer the care that is right for each situation at the moment it’s needed the most. 

    To learn more about funding categories and how to apply for the Open Grant, please visit CaliforniaForAllAnimals.com/grants. If you are experiencing any barriers to applying or could just use a little guidance filling out your application, don’t be shy. We’re here to help and we love hearing from you! Click here to schedule office hours with someone on our team.

  • Last Call! Three Things You Don’t Want to Miss This Month

    Last Call! Three Things You Don’t Want to Miss This Month

    The days are getting longer as March is coming to a close: here are three sweet opportunities—a brand new Bootcamp, a big (Big Dog!) virtual conference, and a grant for California shelters—to ring in spring before the month is up. 

    1. Apply by 3/28 for the next Behavior, Training, Enrichment (BTE) Bootcamp

    Developed by Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge Director of Online Learning Cindi Delany, DVM, KPA-CPT, this immersive and coach-guided course will do more than help you identify new ways to improve animal welfare and wellness; it will also get you started making those improvements in less than two months, and your coaches will continue to support you on an ongoing basis once Bootcamp is over. And thanks to a generous grant from the Wiederhold Foundation to develop this program and to the Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge, you can participate free of charge! Apply by 3/28/22 for the session beginning 4/18/22.

    Apply now

    2. Register for the Big Dog Master Class

    The newly launched Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge and Human Animal Support Services are teaming to bring you a completely FREE, two-day virtual conference March 29–30 to tackle your biggest challenges surrounding big dogs. We’ve got proven solutions and data-driven protocols delivered to you in straightforward, streamlined modules for all levels of animal shelter professionals. We want your organizations to be supported as you learn better dog management, getting more live outcomes, shortening lengths of stay, and creating safer shelters.

    Register now

    3. Calling all California Shelters: Apply for a California for All Animals Welcome Grant by 3/31

    Don’t leave money on the table! All municipal shelters and private shelters holding a municipal contract in California are eligible to apply for a California for All Animals Welcome Grant through 3/31/22. Fill out the super short application, share some data, and claim your money. If you’ve already claimed your $5,000, help spread the word to shelters in your network! We’re here for you: Email data@californiaforallanimals.com if you need guidance on gathering or submitting your shelter’s data or if you need help with the application process.

    Learn more