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!