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  • Webinar – 9/24/25 and 10/1/25 – Lifesaving Labs: Managed Intake – Best Friends

    Webinar – 9/24/25 and 10/1/25 – Lifesaving Labs: Managed Intake – Best Friends

    Supercharge your shelter’s lifesaving with Best Friends’ Lifesaving Labs, a virtual series spotlighting five impactful topics designed to help increase your organization’s save rate. Each session features proven programs, engaging workshops, and dynamic discussion panels to spark ideas, share strategies, and support your lifesaving goals. Catch up on-demand or join upcoming live sessions on Wednesdays at 2pm ET!

    September & October: Managed Intake

    • September 24 at 2pm ET: Session #1
    • October 1 at 2pm ET: Session #2

    You’ll also have opportunities like:

    • Chance for you and your organization to engage in real-time discussions, and ask questions
    • Resources to help you put action behind the information in your shelter
    • Opportunities for your organization to submit proposals and be selected for funding to implement featured topics
    • Recording of the sessions for your reference

    WEBSITE LINK: https://bestfriends-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/1817549180061/WN_McXDOqvQTiK7gcEopvveAw#/registration

  • Webinar – 9/25/25 – From Kennels to Clicks: What Marketing Strategies Actually Drive Adoptions – Best Friends

    Webinar – 9/25/25 – From Kennels to Clicks: What Marketing Strategies Actually Drive Adoptions – Best Friends

    Want more adoptions? The data is in — and your marketing strategy might be the key. Join us on September 25 at 4pm ET as we reveal the results of a recent animal welfare marketing survey that shows what really works when it comes to increasing pet adoptions.

    Whether your shelter is already performing above average or you’re looking for fresh ways to engage your community, this session will provide actionable insights you can put into practice right away. We’ll dig into how marketing efforts across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and your shelter’s website impact adoption success, and how listing pets consistently on Adopt a Pet and Petfinder plays a vital role. You’ll learn which tactics are working, where your shelter stands compared to others, and how to celebrate the areas where you shine while identifying where you can reach further.

    Panelists include Michelle Dunivan, Senior Director of Insights and Analytics at Best Friends Animal Society; Caitlin Quinn, Adjunct Instructor, University of Florida, and freelance communications consultant; and Jessica Arias, Director of Animal Services, City of Burlington, NC. Kasey Spain, Senior Manager of Network Engagement and Shelter Pet Data Alliance, will moderate.

    If you’re ready to connect your community work to real adoption results, this webinar is your roadmap. Walk away with practical ideas, inspiration, and a clear call to action: keep doing what’s working, and grow where you can.

    WEBSITE LINK: https://bestfriends-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/4917520773897/WN_3dBw2fQqRR6UwB3AhFf6uA#/registration

  • Online Event – 10/23/25 – ASPCA Research Forum 2025 – ASPCA

    Online Event – 10/23/25 – ASPCA Research Forum 2025 – ASPCA

    Registration is open for the 2025 ASPCA Research Forum! Join us virtually on Thursday, October 23, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET for a dynamic gathering of animal welfare professionals and researchers. Together, we will explore cutting-edge research that has the power to transform the lives of animals and further support your lifesaving efforts.

    The Agenda

    The conference will include five presentations with Q&A sessions at the end of each.

    Who Should Attend

    This virtual forum is open to all, including, but not limited to, shelter/rescue staff and volunteers, animal control, community cat organizations, veterinary students and professionals, animal behavior professionals, and students and researchers interested in the science behind animal welfare.

    Why Attend?

    This is more than just another webinar—it’s an annual event designed to inspire, educate and spark new ideas that can drive change in animal welfare. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect with leading minds in the field and take your knowledge to the next level! Engage with a community of like-minded professionals and experts. With live Q&A sessions after each presentation, you’ll have the opportunity to interact directly with the researchers and speakers and take away insights that can further support your lifesaving efforts.

    WEBSITE LINK: https://www.aspcapro.org/researchforum

  • Hybrid Conference – 10/4/25 – Spectrum of Care Symposium: Incorporating Accessible Strategies into Your Daily Practice – UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine (fee applies)

    Hybrid Conference – 10/4/25 – Spectrum of Care Symposium: Incorporating Accessible Strategies into Your Daily Practice – UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine (fee applies)

    Join us at the UC Davis Spectrum of Care Symposium: Incorporating Accessible Strategies into Your Daily Practice at UC Davis, where veterinary professionals come together to explore practical, evidence-based approaches to providing high-quality care across a range of clinical settings and client circumstances. Topics include applying research to real-world practice, accessible diagnostic strategies for cardiac disease, and collaborative, compassionate end-of-life care.

    Why Attend?
    UC Davis, home to one of the top veterinary schools in the world, provides the perfect backdrop for collaborative learning and professional growth. Attendees will benefit from expert-led sessions and networking with like-minded professionals committed to advancing inclusive and client-centered care.

    Experience Davis
    Beyond the conference, enjoy the charm of Davis—a vibrant college town known for its bike-friendly streets, welcoming atmosphere, and thriving food and arts scene. Whether you’re enjoying local coffee shops, scenic campus paths, or nearby vineyards, Davis offers a relaxed yet inspiring environment for your professional development.

    Date: Saturday, October 4, 2025
    Time: 7:30 am – 5:00 pm (PDT)
    Statutorily Approved CE Credit: Up to 7 hours (pending approval)
    Location: In-Person at Gladys Valley Hall, Davis, CA or Live Interactive Virtual Symposium

    WEBSITE LINK: https://ce.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/symposia-article/ucd-spectrum-care-symposium-how-incorporate-contextualized-care-your-daily

  • Webinar – 10/9/25 – Maddie’s Insights: Shelter Practices & Barriers in the Use of Anxiety Medications & Alternatives – Maddie’s Fund

    Webinar – 10/9/25 – Maddie’s Insights: Shelter Practices & Barriers in the Use of Anxiety Medications & Alternatives – Maddie’s Fund

    Fear, anxiety, and stress are common challenges for cats and dogs in shelter environments, yet little is known about how shelters use psychoactive medications and non-medication alternatives to address these welfare concerns. This presentation will include findings from a recently published study examining which psychoactive medications (such as gabapentin, trazodone, and fluoxetine) and non-medication alternatives (such as pheromones and nutraceuticals) are most commonly used in shelters in North America, how shelter staff perceive their efficacy and ease of administration, and the barriers such as cost, uncertainty about efficacy, and time constraints that limit their use, when warranted.

    In addition to highlighting key differences between cats and dogs in reported treatment frequency, this presentation will explore how factors such as shelter type, intake volume, and staff roles influence anxiety-medication decision-making. Attendees will gain a comprehensive overview of current practices, perspectives, and challenges to support them in evaluating and applying this information within their own animal care. Based on the barriers identified, the session will conclude with a research-informed discussion on practical strategies to address these challenges and identify priority areas for future work.

    Guest Speaker: Bailey H Eagan, PhD, MSC

    WEBSITE LINK: https://maddies.fund/MIwebcastsRegister

  • Online Event – 10/2/25 – Maddie’s Monthly Foster Connection: Smarter Systems for Stronger Support – Maddie’s Fund

    Online Event – 10/2/25 – Maddie’s Monthly Foster Connection: Smarter Systems for Stronger Support – Maddie’s Fund

    Long Stay Pet Workshop
    With every shelter stuffed to bursting, finding fosters and adopters is crucial. For some pets this is simple, but others are harder to place. In this workshop, we’ll discuss your favorite long stay pets to identify strategies for marketing them to fosters and adopters. This workshop is not just for foster staff– it’s open to anyone who is interested in marketing pets who are harder to place!

    Make sure to bring information about your own favorite or most challenging long stay. We’ll choose several and work through them together, discussing what works, what doesn’t work and some innovative new ways that can get extra attention and help them find the right home. We’ll discuss how we talk about behavioral and health challenges in bios and social media and discuss the optimal ways to be frank about issues while also not deterring potential adopters. We’ll look at different social media channels and how to optimize content about those pets for those channels to get the message across and help these pets put their best paw forward. Be prepared for a fun, frank and useful webinar with a lot of workshopping and participation!

    To submit a question for our presenters or a long stay pet you’d like to discuss during the workshop, please fill out this form:
    https://forms.gle/i1K3jAvzsJCfRtBs6

    Guest Speaker: Finnegan Dowling, Shelter Program and Engagement Manager, Mutual Rescue

    About Maddie’s Monthly Foster Connection:
    Join us on the first Thursday of every month to discuss successful foster innovations and programs, collaborate with others in the field, answer questions and talk through complex foster-related issues.

    Who should join: Foster managers, coordinators, volunteers and any staff who are interested in learning about what’s working in foster programs.

    You only need to register once for all meetings: https://maddies.fund/MonthlyFosterRegistration

    Can’t attend live?  Register anyway and you will get a link to the recording within a day or two after each meeting.

    All recordings and resources shared during the webcast will also be available in the Maddie’s Monthly Foster Connection group on Maddie’s Pet Forum https://maddies.fund/monthlyfosterconnectionMPF

    Maddie’s Fund does not share registration information.

    The opinions expressed by webinar presenters are their own and do not necessarily represent those of Maddie’s Fund.

    WEBSITE LINK:  https://maddies.fund/MonthlyFosterRegistration

  • Webinar – 9/30/25 – Beyond the Page: Meet the Authors Shaping DEI in Veterinary Medicine – Bridging Gaps in Veterinary Care: Equity, Access, and Innovation – MCVMA

    Webinar – 9/30/25 – Beyond the Page: Meet the Authors Shaping DEI in Veterinary Medicine – Bridging Gaps in Veterinary Care: Equity, Access, and Innovation – MCVMA

    Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association (MCVMA) is launching a new webinar.

    Beyond the Page: Meet the Authors Shaping DEI in Veterinary Medicine is a groundbreaking webinar series that brings to life the voices behind Elsevier’s Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine, Parts 1 & 2 – the first comprehensive, open-access DEI publications in veterinary medicine.

    Thanks to a generous grant from Maddie’s Fund®, MCVMA secured permanent open access to these volumes. Now, Beyond the Page takes this knowledge further with live, interactive conversations that connect scholarship to action.

    Our first installment features none other than Dr. Michael Blackwell, Director of the Program for Pet Health Equity at the University of Tennessee, former Chief of Staff in the Office of the Surgeon General of the U.S., and recipient of the AVMA’s 2025 Frederick Douglass Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award.

    We’ll discuss his chapter, “Bridging Gaps in Veterinary Care: Equity, Access, and Innovation,” which explores practical strategies for closing gaps in care, addressing inequities, leveraging innovation, and reimagining how our profession can better serve diverse communities.

    Join us! September 30 5pm PT \ 8pm ET

    Read the chapter for free now at: mcvma.org/publications

    Register for our free webinar to be part of this inspiring conversation: https://bit.ly/MulticulturalVMABeyondthePage 

  • Online Conference – 10/11/25 to 10/12/25 – 2025 United Spay Alliance Online Conference – Community Cats Podcast & United Spay Alliance (fee applies)

    Online Conference – 10/11/25 to 10/12/25 – 2025 United Spay Alliance Online Conference – Community Cats Podcast & United Spay Alliance (fee applies)

    Join the Community Cats Podcast and United Spay Alliance for an informative two-day virtual conference focused on all aspects of spay/neuter. This event will bring together animal welfare experts from across the field to present a variety of topics, including how to establish and maintain a low-cost spay/neuter program, secure funding for essential services, and raise awareness in communities about the importance of spay/neuter initiatives.

    Throughout the conference, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions, hear details and get firsthand knowledge of successful programs, and learn valuable lessons from both professionals and volunteers on what strategies have worked (and what hasn’t) in their spay/neuter efforts. This event offers a chance to connect with others who share a commitment to reducing pet overpopulation and to come away with innovative ideas and practical solutions to make a lasting impact in your community.

    WEBSITE LINK: https://www.communitycatspodcast.com/events/2025-united-spay-alliance-online-conference/

  • Online Event – 10/15/25 – Shelter Med LIVE – Small Patients, Big Procedures: Weighing Pediatric Spay and Neuter Considerations – UC Davis KSMP

    Shelter medicine bridges gaps in veterinary care access, ensuring animals are sterilized, vaccinated, and healthy before going home to the people and communities who care for them. Shelter Med LIVE is the place where vet professionals connect around what it takes to make shelter medicine happen every day—from intake triage to MacGyvering creative fixes. Every third Wednesday, join your UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program outreach veterinarian host and special guests for real talk and real solutions.  

    Ask questions (or send them in ahead of time). This isn’t a lecture—it’s a conversation for everyone who wants to nerd out on shelter medicine. Kick back and recharge with your colleagues in the middle of a long week.  

    On the 10/15 edition, we’re diving into pediatric spay and neuter—what’s new, what’s still misunderstood, and how to make it work in a shelter context. Hosted by Dr. Jennifer Bennett (DVM, MS, CAWA) with guests Dr. Brian DiGangi (DVM, MS, DABVP) and Dr. Emily McCobb (DVM, MS, DACVAA), the discussion will cover everything from pre-surgical candidate considerations, anesthesia tweaks, and recovery, to barriers and implications for shelters and access-to-care programs. Expect the kind of practical wisdom you can only get when you’ve been there, spayed that, plus plenty of “wish I’d known that sooner” takeaways. You’ll find a conversation that’s as accessible as it is evidence-based. 

    This event has been approved for 1.5 hours of continuing education credit by CAWA and NACA.

    Can’t make it live? Register to receive the recording and resources after the event, accessible through the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program Shelter Learniverse, #ThanksToMaddie! 

    WEBSITE LINK:  https://www.shelterlearniverse.com/webinars

  • Online Event – Third Wednesdays – Shelter Med LIVE – UC Davis KSMP

    Online Event – Third Wednesdays – Shelter Med LIVE – UC Davis KSMP

    Shelter medicine bridges gaps in veterinary care access, ensuring animals are sterilized, vaccinated, and have the medical treatment they need before going home to the people and communities who care for them. Shelter Med LIVE is the place where vet professionals connect around what it takes to make shelter medicine happen every day—from intake triage to MacGyvering creative fixes. Every third Wednesday, join your UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program host Dr. Jenn Bennett and special guests for real talk and real solutions.

    Ask questions (or send them in ahead of time). This isn’t a lecture—it’s a conversation for everyone who wants to nerd out on shelter medicine. Kick back and recharge with your colleagues in the middle of a long week.

    This event has been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit by CAWA and NACA.

    Can’t make it live? Register to receive the recording and resources after the event, accessible through the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program Shelter Learniverse, #ThanksToMaddie!

    WEBSITE LINK:  https://www.shelterlearniverse.com/events