Shelter Learniverse

Webinar - 12/5/23 - Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV): How Real is the Threat? - EveryCat Health Foundation
2023-12-05 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Virtual
Dr. Ford will discuss several key issues pertaining to the diagnosis, management, and prevention of FeLV infection, emphasizing long-term patient management as it relates to the origins and development of infection, interpretation of diagnostic test results, and the practical side of vaccination decisions. He will discuss use and interpretation of the latest testing platform to assess outcomes in the individual patient.
This webinar is RACE approved for 1 CE Credit.
Presenter: Richard Ford, DVM, DACVIM, DACVPM (Hon)
WEBSITE LINK: https://everycat.org/3-free-race-approved-webinars-in-november-and-december/

Webinar - 12/5/23 - Crucial Cues Your Shelter Dogs, Volunteers & Adopters Should Know - 'Sit' Not Included with Leo Taylor - PPG (fee applies)
2023-12-05 10:00 - 11:00 | Virtual
Shelters often market dog volunteer positions as ‘dog walking’ opportunities but there’s an argument to be made that the physical exercise a shelter dog is receiving is not nearly the most important piece of the puzzle. The adage that a ‘tired dog is a happy dog’ has long been bemoaned by qualified dog professionals who are aware of the bigger wellness picture. The expectations placed on shelter dogs are A LOT for them to process both mentally and emotionally, and without conscientious volunteer training that prioritizes consistency and predictability they become susceptible to confusion, frustration, punishment, and behavioral decline. Similarly, transferring these simple skills to the dog’s adopter can make or break their ability to bond while transitioning into a new home.
Training and being a conscientious dog volunteer involves so much more than simply taking a dog on a walk and this webinar aims to highlight skills that will benefit nearly every dog during their shelter stay. It will not only help volunteers learn how to effectively execute the skills included, but will also emphasize the multifaceted benefits to both dog and human when becoming fluent in said skills. Our volunteers are here to help, so let’s be sure we’re providing them with the tools they need to make interactions with shelter dogs as stress-free as possible for both ends of the leash!
About the Presenter: Leo “LT” Taylor has worked and volunteered in San Francisco shelters for 13 years. As they have told the hundreds of dog volunteers they’ve trained, it’s rarely the case that a dog would choose to be in even the ‘nicest’ shelter, so it’s our job to bring the light back into their lives during an otherwise difficult and taxing chapter. LT is currently a senior in the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers and is thrilled to be serving on the PPG Shelter & Rescue Division committee. They’re in the midst of launching their own training business – Little King Trash Dog Behavior Consulting and Training – named after their deaf shelter dog, Lemmy, who was found evading people and digging through trash cans in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. LT believes every shelter dog deserves patience, respect, and an understanding of why they are the way they are by the people entrusted with their care.
WEBSITE LINK: https://petprofessionalguild.com/event-5469631

Webinar – 12/6/23 – DPFL’s Approach to On-Leash Reactivity – Dogs Playing for Life
2023-12-06 09:00 - 10:30 | Virtual
Reactivity on the part of dogs living in shelters is a rampant issue that can contribute to behavioral deterioration, increased length of stay, and even loss of life. From a misdiagnosis of “aggression” to dogs whose reactive behavior escalates to problematic and potentially unsafe levels, learning how to help dogs suffering from reactivity issues is a crucial need shared by our entire industry.
While this webinar can be attended as a standalone course, we will build on our Fancy Footwork approach to handling and training to offer practical training, handling, and safety solutions to on-leash reactivity for dogs living in shelters.
This is a 1.5-hour presentation followed by a Q&A session. This webinar will NOT be recorded and is scheduled on EASTERN TIME.
WEBSITE LINK: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uI1UvBOKS0Gj0MYiJa3_qw#/

Webinar Series - 12/6 and 12/13/23 - Legal Meets Best Practices - Translating California regulations into best practices that benefit you, your shelter, and the people and animals in your community - Maddie'sⓇ Million Pet Challenge
2023-12-06 10:00 - 11:30, 2023-12-13 10:00 - 11:30
REGISTER FOR THE EVENT NOW – CLICK HERE
The webinar series you’ve been asking for!
Legal Meets Best Practices: Translating California regulations into best practices that benefit you, your shelter, and the people and animals in your community.
Part 1 – December 6, 2023 – 10 AM to 11:30 AM Pacific
Part 2 – December 13, 2023 – 10 AM to 11:30 AM Pacific
Join us in this two-part series as we embark on a fun, interactive journey to demystify California’s legal landscape and discover how California laws and regulations can work in harmony with shelter policy to reduce unnecessary intakes and shorten shelter stays.
In this series, we will cut through the legalese, distill key takeaways, and provide you with practical, “what does this mean for me and my work?” guidance. If your shelter squad only ever attends one webinar series about how legal guidelines can be used to your advantage, let this be the one.
At the end of this series, you’ll understand how California laws and regulations should impact and inform best practices in how your shelter approaches critical areas including:

Improving Community Cat Programs
Getting lost animals home fast
Focusing intake on the neediest animals
Knowing intake & holding period requirements
Knowing who can do what in the shelter

Powered by partnership. This webinar is brought to you by the Maddie’sⓇ Million Pet Challenge Learniverse at the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program, San Francisco SPCA’s Shelter PALS program, and CalAnimals. By sharing our diverse expertise and working together to find the intersections where California law impacts animal shelters, we’ve formulated holistic shelter practices that allow you to better leverage the law.

Want to invite others to this webinar?
Download, print, and share this flyer and post it at your shelter to invite other staff members!
Click on the image to download flyer as PDF

Webinar - 12/6/23 - Brave Spaces: Creating a Workplace that Truly Fosters Inclusion - The AAWA
2023-12-06 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Leaders who create work environments that fully support diverse identities have to be not only safe but brave. Inclusive organizations build cultures of psychological safety, in which all members feel safe and encouraged to share their honest ideas, opinions, and concerns without fear of being ridiculed or punished. When we have that kind of safety we can build brave spaces, in which individuals can engage in courageous conversations about uncomfortable topics, can dissent respectfully, and can challenge systems that impede progress toward diversity, equity, and inclusion for all.
In this session, we will explore some of the nuances between safe spaces and brave spaces, and identify skills and actions for leaders to create thriving environments that are both safe and brave. Leaders who wish to establish an inclusive work environment will especially benefit from this webinar.
Presenter: Jasmin M. Robinson, Director of DEI Initiatives, The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement
This webinar has been pre-approved for:

1 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credit
1 NACA CE
1 CE towards ACO CE requirements per Ch. 829 of the Texas Health and Safety Code by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS)

WEBSITE LINK: https://learning.theaawa.org/p/12-06-23

Webinar - 12/7/23 - Grants & Funding Opportunities with the Petfinder Foundation - Petfinder
2023-12-07 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
New webinar alert! Discover how easy it is to apply for and secure funding to support your organization’s mission of helping pets in need.
Grants from the Petfinder Foundation can provide funding for medical care, enrichment initiatives, staff training, and more. Join us for a webinar highlighting the impact of Petfinder Foundation grants on member organizations. Discover how easy it is to apply and secure funding to support your organization’s mission of helping pets in need.
What you will learn:

Foundation Insights: Learn about the Petfinder Foundation’s mission to provide vital resources, grants, and support to organizations like yours.
Funding Opportunities & How to Apply: See which funding opportunities are available, learn how to apply, and how the Sponsor-a-pet program can help earn additional dollars for your organization.
Creative Ways to Use Grants: Learn how other organizations have used Petfinder Foundation grants to implement life-saving programs, and make a lasting difference in the lives of animals in their communities.
Tips & Best Practices: Learn valuable tips for the application process and get best practices on making the most of a grant, from project management to effective utilization of funds for long-term success.
Q&A Session: Participate in a live Q&A session with representatives from the Petfinder Foundation. Get your burning questions answered and gain valuable insights from their expertise.

WEBSITE LINK: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5041598797999228245

Webinar - 12/7/23 - Paws for Celebration: A Look into Resources, Tools, and the Year Ahead From the HASS Division Leads - HASS
2023-12-07 15:00 - 16:00 | Virtual
Join us for a live webinar that promises a celebration of the work done by the HASS community and valuable insights into tools, resources, and the work shaping the future of supporting people and pets! Don’t miss out on your exclusive access to HASS division leads: Maggie Lynch, Senior Director of Research and Development, and Amanda Foster, Assistant Director of Implementation Analysis, will share our Social Return on Investment (SROI) in Supporting Human-Animal Bonds research collection and examples of data dashboards that help HASS pilots improve their operations. Lauren Loney, Staff Attorney and Policy Specialist, will talk about all things legislative, including our legislation tracker and how you can use it as an important advocacy tool, along with HASS’s 2024 legislative priorities. Lastly, Eliza Torres, Maddie’s® Education and Implementation Manager, will showcase the new HASS Resource Center and tease a powerful new tool coming in 2024. Vincent Medley, Maddie’s® Director of Human Animal Support Services, will moderate.
Register below and join us live on Thursday, December 7 at 5 p.m. CT. After the live event, a recording will be distributed to all registrants within 3 business days.
WEBSITE LINK: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/7816739797796/WN_ImkXniQoTeW_s_NoCFXyuQ#/

Webinar - 1/31/24 - The Vomiting Dog - VETGirl
2023-12-12 08:00 - 17:00, 2024-01-31 17:00 - 18:00 | Virtual
In this complimentary, 1-hour VETgirl – Ceva Animal Health webinar, Dr. Harry Cridge, MVB, MS, PG Cert Vet Ed, DACVIM (SAIM), DECVIM-CA, FHEA, MRCVS reviews emesis and management of vomiting in dogs and cats. Tune in as he reviews differentials, recognition of dehydration and treatment!
Thanks to sponsorship from Ceva Animal Health, the recording of this webinar will be available to view free and On-Demand until December 31, 2024. (Remember: you must be logged in as a free Basic, ELITE Trial or ELITE member to register for the live event)
Not a VETgirl ELITE member? Get your learning on with the #1 veterinary CE resource – clinically relevant, practical, and accessible 24/7 on your own time! Don’t miss out – click HERE to check out your options, including our new 14-day, no-commitment ELITE Trial.
WEBSITE LINK: https://vetgirlontherun.com/webinars/january-31-2024-the-vomiting-dog/

Webinar - 12/12/23 - The Roundtable: Liability Insurance Challenges - The AAWA
2023-12-12 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Animal sheltering organizations face growing challenges with acquiring affordable liability insurance coverage. As the number of claims (including some in the seven-figure range) continues to rise, even those shelters with solid track records are paying the price. Serious dog bites seem to be at the epicenter of this insurance crisis. Animal welfare organizations are struggling to find coverage at all, and when they do find it the cost can be prohibitive.
In this discussion co-hosted by CalAnimals and The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement, we will have a candid conversation with two representatives from the insurance industry who will share the big picture of what – from their inside perspective – is causing insurance challenges and what organizations can do to mitigate their risks and improve their chances of securing coverage.
The Roundtable Panel:

David Denniston, Director of Risk Management, McNeil and Company
Damien Zillas, Compliance Coverage Counsel, Nonprofits Insurance Alliance

Moderated by:

Jim Tedford, CAWA, President & CEO, The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement
Jill Tucker, CAWA, CEO, California Animal Welfare Association

WEBSITE LINK: https://learning.theaawa.org/p/RT-12-12-23

Webinar - 12/13/23 - Counting All Paws: Mastering Daily Population Rounds - Best Friends
2023-12-13 14:00 - 15:00 | Virtual
Join us for a practical session on making daily population rounds in shelters! Daily rounds are a vital practice that help shelters reduce length of stay, keep animals moving through the shelter system, and ensures that every pet gets what they need to arrive happy and healthy at a live outcome.
This webinar will teach you what rounds should look like, demonstrate how they can help your shelter team, and include a step-by-step strategy to get to launch. Best Friends’ National Shelter Medicine team has helped several large shelters get daily rounds started, and we want to share those strategies for success with you! Rounds are a great way to improve team communication, which is often challenging in shelters. If you think you don’t have time for rounds – you must make time for this webinar! Join us and learn just how to make rounds work for your organization.
*This course has been approved for one hour of RACE CE credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval (#20-1129072). Continuing education credit is available only for those that attend live and complete requirements. CE credit is NOT available for viewing the recording; you must attend live to receive CE credit and complete a form following the webinar. Instructions on how to receive your CE certificate will be provided at the end of the webinar.
This one-hour webinar will be recorded and shared with registrants. Following the webinar, there will be a Q&A portion. Submit your questions ahead of time during registration or ask questions live at the event using the Q&A box.
Best Friends Speakers: Erin Katribe, DVM, MS – Medical Director Melanie Lyons – Manager, National Shelter Medicine
WEBSITE LINK: https://bestfriends-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/7616999885486/WN_CUxeMFqnSN69zGU50Mwn4A#/

Webinar - 12/14/23 - Improving Canine Quality of Life through Efficient, Low-Cost Dental Care - ASPCAPro
2023-12-14 09:00 - 10:00 | Virtual
What to do about canine dental health is one of the hottest topics in accessible veterinary care today. While everyone agrees that all dogs would benefit from regular dental procedures, the cost of dental care (including digital dental radiography) is well beyond the reach of many pet owners. Many shelter and community clinics provide some dental care to patients but often do so with guilt and conflict about not being able to provide the extensive care needed (or even worry about practicing below the perceived standard of care).
In this webinar, we will present results from an ASPCA-funded study that investigated the impact of dental cleaning on the quality of life of canine patients. Additionally, we investigated how an empirical treatment plan (pulling any obvious loose or severely diseased teeth) compared to recommendations made from a blinded radiograph review. Finally, we documented the incidence of retained roots for dogs who had extractions and followed these dogs forward in time for 6 months. This project aimed to answer the question of whether or not providing some care was better than providing no care for patients with end-stage canine dental disease. As many dogs ideally need dental procedures as often as every year, it is essential to come up with an affordable approach.
Takeaways

Understand current controversies around canine dental care.
Be able to describe strategies to make dentistry procedures more efficient.
Discuss improving communication around dental care using spectrum of care approaches.

Credits
This program has been RACE approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval.
WEBSITE LINK: https://www.aspcapro.org/training/webinar/improving-canine-quality-life-through-efficient-low-cost-dental-care

Webinar - 12/14/23 - Maddie's Insights: The Development of and Research on the Family Bondedness Scale - Maddie's Fund
2023-12-14 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
The Family Bondedness Scale (FBS) was designed to measure scores which represent the degree to which a person is emotionally and affectionately bonded to a pet as a member of their family. This presentation will cover the development and use of, and research to date on, the FBS when measuring equivalence between cat and dog owners. Dr. Nugent will go over the rationale for the scale, what it is intended to measure, how it was developed, how scores on the scale should be interpreted and how it should be scored and used. He will also discuss current research on the scale and the implications of the results in both veterinary research and practice.
Can’t attend live? Register anyway and you will get a link to the recording: https://maddies.fund/MIwebcasts
Connect with the guest speaker & ask questions here on Maddie’s Pet Forum: https://maddies.fund/MIwebcastsFamilyBondednessScale
This webinar has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by the National Animal Care & Control Association and has been submitted for approval for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize the Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) approval.
About the Presenter: Dr. Bill Nugent is a Professor at the College of Social Work, The University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He has been with the College of Social Work for over 30 years. He is former Director of the Ph.D. Program, and former Associate Dean for Research. His areas of specialization include measurement and quantitative methods. He has also been conducting research on the links between violent political rhetoric and violence, including mass shootings and police shootings of civilians. He and his wife ran a Great Dane rescue organization for a number of years, and he is one of few professors with a background as a catcher in a flying trapeze act.
WEBSITE LINK: https://maddies.fund/MIwebcasts

Webinar - 12/14/23 - Alleviate Communication Anxiety: Finding Connections with Colleagues and Clients - Fear Free
2023-12-14 16:00 - 17:00 | Virtual
Communicating effectively with others is often challenging and stress-inducing. During this webinar, Dr. Maryse Osborn-Doser, DVM, Insights Discovery Client Practitioner with IDEXX, and Rebeka Graham, a Licensed Practitioner with Insights Discovery, will walk through the value of a deeper understanding of psychology preferences in communications, along with tools to adapt and connect more effectively in conversations with your colleagues and clients.
In this webinar, we will:

Discuss how perceptions and preferences influence attitudes and decisions
Describe the value of recognizing and adapting to personality preferences in communications
Identify your psychology of preferences
Evaluate how color preferences look in real life

Brought to you by our friends at IDEXX.
Dr. Osborn is a 2005 graduate of The Ohio State University. She started in a mixed-animal practice in Western New York; after a few years, she focused on small animal medicine and surgery. Before joining IDEXX in 2016, she worked in two different private practices as well as doing relief work. Her career at IDEXX started with supporting the Upstate New York region as a Professional Services Veterinarian. In the fall of 2019, she moved to the Commercial Learning team to launch the North America Regional Thought Leaders program where she is now the Sr. Manager of Commercial Learning Enablement. As both a practitioner and industry professional, she has seen the power of connections in communications, and in October 2020, she became a certified Client Practitioner with Insights Discovery.
WEBSITE LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_i8-h_hjjQxiuQDkkGG3ZsA#/

Webinar – 12/18/23 – Stranger Danger! Advocating for and Advancing Your Human-Reactive Dogs – Dogs Playing for Life
2023-12-18 09:00 - 11:00 | Virtual
At Dogs Playing for Life’s Stranger Danger webinar, hosted by Aimee Sadler, CEO and Founder of DPFL, you will learn how to work with dogs that are wary of strangers by building their confidence and helping them develop new skills which will enable them to meet new people (and potential adopters) happily and successfully! Even for the private dog trainer or dog owner, the skills taught in this webinar will help support your stranger danger dog to expand their comfort level when meeting new people at home!
This webinar will demonstrate:
— DPFL’s Assess and Progress approach: fluttering between assessing and influencing behavior to determine how a dog might respond WITHOUT proper human support to determine what training is necessary for successful placement
— Comprehensive Tool Selection: determining what tool will best support the dog while keeping the handler and others safe during the learning process
— Principles vs. Methods: determining what approach will teach the dog as efficiently and effectively as possible
— Creative Proofing: conducting training with the goal of solid generalization of new skills so that dogs are able to work for multiple handlers with clarity and confidence
Come learn how to safely and effectively reach this segment of the canine population through in-depth behavior analysis, dynamic video examples, and practical approaches designed for anyone who is trying to find solutions for the dogs who need this extra human support.
This is a 1.5-hour presentation followed by a Q&A session. This webinar will NOT be recorded and is scheduled on EASTERN TIME.
WEBSITE LINK: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PryYmMAjTM2sQnypPTv2bw#/

Webinar - 12/21/23 - Ask the Expert! Keeping Tenants & Their Pets Together - Maddie's Fund
2023-12-21 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Join us on Thursday, December 21 at 12n Pacific / 3pm Eastern for a Q& A with housing rights expert Dianne Prado of Housing Advocacy & Equity Resource Team (HEART LA).
Hear about the three most important things you can ask and do to help a person with a pet who is facing housing insecurity or unable to find housing because of their pet. This will be a highly interactive discussion, so bring your questions for Dianne to answer as well as any issues or topics related to pets and housing that you have for her.
Attendees will also

learn the basic eviction process
leave with concrete steps to help a person remain housed with their pet
debunk myths that either scare people into surrendering their pets because of housing insecurity or prevent people from fostering or adopting a pet

REGISTER HERE
This one-hour meeting will be recorded, so register even if you cannot attend live. You’ll be sent the on-demand recording link when it is ready.
It has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by the National Animal Care & Control Association.
Maddie’s Fund does not share registration information.
About the presenter
Dianne Prado (pictured above with her dog) is the Founder and President of the Housing Equity & Advocacy Resource Team (HEART LA), a legal non-profit that helps ensure people and their pets remain housed. Dianne is an appointed public member of the CA Veterinary Medical Board, trainer and consultant for the Stay Housed Los Angeles (SHLA) Eviction Defense Program, and Lecturer in Law for UCLA Law School teaching Los Angeles Housing Law and Policy.
WEBSITE LINK: https://maddiesfund-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvdOyoqToqG9YM4YJfE_sdYrvCqEfgCv1I#/

Webinar - 1/10/24 - Trans* Inclusive Workplaces - The AAWA
2024-01-10 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Toward a Culture of Belonging and Inclusion in Animal Welfare
How can we ensure inclusion, safety, and belonging for transgender* people in our organizations?
Webinar attendees will unpack the importance of DEI work concerning transgender, non-binary, and gender-fluid people in the animal sheltering and well-being movement, and how this work is inherently anti-racist and anti-oppressive. This webinar will cover a brief history of gender, the intersectional, Black Feminist roots of queer theory, and unpack some of the most asked questions about transgender and non-binary identities.
Attendees will walk away with tangible ideas that your organization can implement to create more trans-inclusivity, equity, and belonging, and will understand how these actions can contribute to your overall DEI efforts.
Presenter: Rory Adams, Senior Manager of Adoption Initiatives. PetSmart Charities
(Image via All Are Welcome Here)
WEBSITE LINK: https://learning.theaawa.org/p/1-10-24

Webinar – 1/11/24 – For Dog’s Sake, Can You Stop That? Canine-Friendly Body Language Improvements for Humans – Dogs Playing for Life
2024-01-11 09:00 - 11:30 | Virtual
Dogs are resilient and oh-so-forgiving! These qualities make them endearing as companions, along with their ability to love unconditionally. So, why do some dogs struggle to understand us when we are offering affection or when we want to help them, not harm them? In this session, we will focus on the HUMAN handling that contributes to unwanted behavior, even “aggression”. Get ready to rethink your approach as we reveal the common and widely accepted and taught handling errors that set dogs up for failure. Through extensive video examples, we will demonstrate alternative handling techniques that help dogs to trust and thrive!

This webinar will demonstrate:
– Examples of handling that causes negative behavior compared to handling that promotes desired behavior
– Demonstration of handling that induces trust and learning with dogs that are too afraid to respond initially to food rewards or affection
– Comprehensive discussion around the correct use of pressure and release and why this is a critical skill for shelter canine handlers to master to save more dogs
This is a 2-hour presentation followed by a Q&A session. This webinar will NOT be recorded and is scheduled at EASTERN TIME.
WEBSITE LINK: https://dogsplayingforlife.com/webinars/

Webinar - 1/11/24 - Bringing the Past, Present and Future into Focus for Kittens - National Kitten Coalition
2024-01-11 11:00 - 12:00 | Virtual
It was not very long ago in the United States that kittens too young for adoption or those with signs of illness were routinely euthanized. Happily, the situation for kittens in our country has been rapidly changing, and those same kittens who would never have had a chance in the past are now being successfully cared for and adopted into loving homes.
This session will provide the inspiration for attendees to continue in their life-saving efforts. Attendees will gain insights into past and present situations for kittens’ survival and will also acquire useful, proven information on new, upcoming programs and protocols being implemented around the country that are saving more kittens than ever. We can see a better future for kittens in our country, and together we can make that vision become the reality!
Presenter: Rosemarie Crawford, LVT
Click here to register for this FREE webinar.
If you can’t join us for the live presentation, don’t worry! Sign-up anyway, because a recording of this, and other webinars, will be available on NKC’s eLearning Center no later than two weeks after they air.
WEBSITE LINK: https://kittencoalition.org/event/bringing-the-past-present-and-future-into-focus-for-kittens/

Webinar - 1/11/24 - Maddie's Insights: Foster Care and the Human-Animal Bond - Maddie's Fund
2024-01-11 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
It is commonplace among those who provide foster care for animals to have a recurring conversation with those who do not. Upon hearing that one is an animal foster parent a frequent response is, “Oh, I could never do that. I would not be able to give the animal up.” But this is precisely what those caring for animal fosters are called to do. The ability of animal shelters and rescues to provide critical care through foster homes depends on volunteers who willingly and temporarily take animals into their homes and lives. Studies of foster volunteers has indicated that they find taking care of animals with medical, and particularly behavioral, issue to be stressful. And, volunteers that do not feel that their shelter is providing them sufficient emotional support are more likely to think about quitting. Given these two realities it becomes important for shelter staff to understand the emotional aspects of providing foster care and to identify ways to better support volunteers so that they are satisfied and more likely to continue to provide this service.
The presentation addresses these issues with the following learning objectives:

What is the nature of attachment (human-animal bond) between volunteers and their foster animals?
What emotions do volunteers experience when their fosters leave their care?
What coping and resilience strategies appear to reduce the stress of providing foster care?
How can animal shelters help foster volunteers cope with the stress inherent to fostering?

This webinar has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by the National Animal Care & Control Association. It has also been submitted for approval for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize the Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) approval.
If you have questions you’d like our presenter to answer, submit your questions or comments on this discussion thread: https://forum.maddiesfund.org/discussion/webcast-on-january-11-2024-maddies-insights-foster-care-and-the-human-animal-bond
About the Presenter
Dr. Laura Reese is a professor in the School of Planning, Design, and Construction at Michigan State University. Her research focuses on issues of animal welfare policy and shelter management. She wrote the book, Strategies for Successful Animal Shelters, and has published numerous articles on local animal ordinances, dog bite risks, animal cruelty, compassion fatigue, animal foster programs, and animal shelter volunteer satisfaction. She is the president of Professional Animal Welfare Services which provides consulting services to animal shelters and rescues and founded The Un-Shelter a foster-based rescue in Michigan. Dr. Reese also volunteers in and provides foster care for local animal shelters in the Charleston, SC area.
WEBSITE LINK: http://maddies.fund/MIwebcasts

Webinar - 1/11/24 - Sheltering Beyond Shelters: Housing Justice Advocacy and its Role in Animal Welfare - HASS
2024-01-11 15:00 - 16:00 | Virtual
Housing is a necessity that impacts all families in the United States, and believe it or not – it also profoundly affects animal shelters. Join us for a webinar on the state of housing and the history of housing justice advocacy efforts in the U.S. (and why animal welfare advocates should care). Lauren Loney, Staff Attorney & Policy Specialist for HASS, will share highlights from the HASS shelter intake reasons database, which details more than 20,000 housing-related intakes across the country. Joining Lauren is Megan Collop (MSW, LCSW), Manager of Client Support Services for Colorado Legal Services, and Christina Rosales, Housing and Land Justice Director for PowerSwitch Action. Megan is a licensed clinical social worker with a master’s in social work and an Animal Assisted Social Work certificate. Christina holds a master’s in social work and has dedicated her career to advocating for equitable housing. These impressive panelists will discuss why our approach to the pets and housing crisis must go beyond pet inclusivity, be intersectional, and align with broader tenants’ rights and housing justice movements; they will also provide resources for how to do it. Vincent Medley, Maddie’s® Director of Human Animal Support Services, will moderate.
Register below and join us live on Thursday, January 11 at 5 p.m. CT. After the live event, a recording will be distributed to all registrants within 3 business days.
WEBSITE LINK: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/2616740581796/WN_-AIP-PlOQt-geuDOGubKoA

Webinar - 1/16/24 - Playgroups: The Why, the What, and the How - Dogs Playing for Life
2024-01-16 08:00 - 11:00 | Virtual
Learn about all the ways in which DPFL Playgroups are transforming shelters all across the country! This webinar (formerly offered in three parts) will cover the Why, the What, and the How of playgroups.
Attendees will be introduced to dynamic video examples and impactful data and experiences from some of the over 350 shelters who have embraced the power of letting shelter dogs play!
This is a 3-hour presentation with Q&A at intervals throughout. This webinar will not be recorded.
This course has been pre-approved for 3 continuing education unit (CEU) credits for Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (AAWA) and by the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP).
WEBSITE LINK: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ie4fO2XQQcmgY_2MQnbwnA#/registration

Webinar – 1/17/24 – Level Up Your Cat Housing: Game-Changing Upgrades Are Within Reach – Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge
2024-01-17 10:00 - 11:30 | Virtual
Register Now!

Discover innovative, proven strategies to transform your feline housing and get cats purring! With this webinar, you’ll be prepared to level up your shelter’s housing even with limited resources. UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program veterinarians Dr. Becky Stuntebeck and Dr. Denae Wagner will unveil tips and tactics for creating environments that work better for cats and for your team. From DIY cozy nooks to interactive play zones and portals, you’ll learn the how-tos of housing that puts cats at ease, supports animal health and staff safety, and encourages adoptions. You’ll also discover keys to supercharging cat care and overall welfare regardless of housing.
Don’t wait – get all the info you need to get ahead while cat population numbers are lower. Register today and revolutionize cat housing and care in your shelter!
You‘ll learn:

How to improve your cat housing
Setup & strategies that meet cat, staff, & shelter needs
Double-compartment housing benefits for cats & staff

To invite others, download, print, share, and post the flyer at your shelter.

Register Now!

Click the image to download the flyer, then print, share, and post it at your shelter to invite other staff members

To register, scan this code with your phone’s camera.
This webinar is brought to you by the Maddie’sⓇ Million Pet Challenge Learniverse at the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program.

Webinar - 1/17/24 - Aligning DEI Programming with Strategy - The AAWA
2024-01-17 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Toward a Culture of Belonging and Inclusion in Animal Welfare
Would your leadership like to start or expand your DEI initiatives? Having trouble getting buy in from your staff, board, or community? Learn how Marin Humane partnered with a consultant to align their DEI programming with their strategic plan and priorities. Marin Humane found by connecting the dots, they began thinking more creatively about addressing critical needs in their community.
The presenters will share examples of projects and programming implemented during a nine-month capacity-building engagement. You will walk away with a menu of projects and programs plus sample project charters, including a job description review with revision and plans for board diversification.
Session Objectives:

Understand the key factors that drive organizational effectiveness through DEI goals and objectives
Develop DEI plans that integrate with organizational strategies and priorities
Deploy viable short, mid, and long-term DEI projects and programming to address improvements to talent acquisition, engagement, and retention; organizational morale; mission-driven programming; and board development

WEBSITE LINK: https://learning.theaawa.org/p/1-17-24

Webinar - 1/21/24 - Antimicrobial Use in the Clinic: What’s My Perfect Drug Match? Swipe Right on Microbe Killers - VETGirl
2024-01-21 17:00 - 18:00 | Virtual
Hey..ho..it’s what you NEED to know!
In this complimentary, 1-hour VETgirl – Antech webinar, Scott Weese and Michelle Evason will discuss key aspects of (and common questions on) clinical antimicrobial use in dogs and cats. Tune in to learn about practical management of common & emerging antimicrobial and stewardship topics, along with freely available evidence- and expert-based resources to help with veterinary antimicrobial use, preventive care, and pet-owner communication!
Thanks to sponsorship from Antech, this webinar is FREE to all! (Remember: you must be logged in as a free Basic, ELITE Trial or ELITE member to register for the live event)
WEBSITE LINK: https://vetgirlontherun.com/webinars/january-21-2024-antimicrobial-use-in-the-clinic-whats-my-perfect-drug-match-swipe-right-on-microbe-killers/

Webinar – 1/24/24 – Telemedicine and Vaccine Clinics in California: What Shelters Need to Know About Legislative Updates for 2024 – Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge
2024-01-24 10:00 - 11:30 | Virtual
REGISTER FOR THE EVENT NOW – CLICK HERE
January 24, 2024 10 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
We’ve got amazing news about access to care in animal shelters for 2024. Thanks to groundbreaking veterinary telemedicine and vaccine legislation, your California shelter can ring in the new year with fewer restrictions around who can provide essential care and how, freeing up your team to more easily meet medical needs in the shelter or community.
Discover how your shelter can:

Empower RVTs to take charge of vaccine clinics (even if your vet is elsewhere)
Provide increased access to wellness care for pets in your community
Use telemedicine to expand the veterinary care your shelter can provide, whether an animal is in foster or in the field, working with staff or contract veterinarians
Increase access to care for underserved pets and their people and decrease unnecessary intake
Use telemedicine to increase veterinary care for animals in the shelter

This must-see webinar will set the stage for everything you do this year. Register today and invite your field officers, veterinary staff and community partners, so you can turn the page to better care together!

Powered by partnership. This webinar is brought to you by the Maddie’s Million Pet Challenge Learniverse at the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program, San Francisco SPCA’s Shelter PALS program, and CalAnimals. By sharing our diverse expertise and working together to find the intersections where California law impacts animal shelters, we’ve formulated holistic shelter practices that allow you to better leverage the law.

Want to invite others to this webinar?
Download, print, and share this flyer and post it at your shelter to invite other staff members!
Click to download this flyer

Webinar - 1/24/24 - Grief & Loss in Veterinary Medicine - BlackDVM Network
2024-01-24 16:00 - 17:00 | Virtual
Euthanasia is an experience, not a procedure or event. The experience of the loss of an animal companion, no matter how dignified, well-planned, and peaceful, initiates a physiological, cognitive, and emotional process which is unique to the individual. This program explores the experience of loss not only for the human “pet parent,” but also for the other animals who shared in the life of the deceased. Humans and animals have parallel emotional circuitry built into the limbic system of the brain. There is much about the emotional experience of loss that we have in common with our animal companions. Listeners will be challenged to imagine foreign perspectives and re-think the human-animal bond, anthropomorphism, and mortality itself.
This webinar will equip you with skills to:

Challenge assumptions about patients, clients, and the end of life
Become comfortable allowing animals to show their emotional needs
Engage better with clients, patients, and colleagues

WEBSITE LINK: https://www.blackdvmnetwork.com/event-details/grief-loss-in-veterinary-medicine

Webinar - 1/25/24 - In It for the Long Haul: Combatting Compassion Fatigue and Enhancing Resiliency for Animal Welfare Professionals - NACA/Justice Clearinghouse
2024-01-25 12:00 - 13:15 | Virtual
The animal protection field is both incredibly rewarding and challenging. This webinar will discuss the causes and symptoms of compassion fatigue and provide a suite of skills for building and maintaining a healthy and intentional culture of skillful communication, openness, and personal responsibility.
Topics to be covered:

A shared language and understanding of the causes and symptoms of compassion fatigue
Skills that can be used to build and maintain a healthy and intentional culture
Communication, openness, and personal responsibility related to compassion fatigue

This webinar has been certified by the National Animal Care & Control Association and is approved for 1 Continuing Education Unit. Please refer to your NACA membership portal for current CEU submission process. Current NACA Members who attend the live presentation or watch the recording will be able to download a jointly issued attendance certificate that includes the National Animal Care & Control Association logo. Visit the NACA training page for a complete list of future trainings.
About the Presenter:
Hilary Anne Hager is the Vice President of Outreach, Engagement and Training for the Humane Society of the United States. She has spent the last twenty years in the animal protection field, working at two different animal shelters, volunteering in wildlife rehabilitation, and as a member of the board of directors for several organizations, including a chimpanzee sanctuary, a “friends-of” nonprofit group supporting a municipal shelter, and a state federation of animal welfare organizations. She teaches compassion fatigue workshops around the country to help provide members of the animal protection community the support and resources to maintain their own well-being while working in a challenging and emotionally-charged environment. Hilary holds a master’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership from Seattle University.
WEBSITE LINK: https://www.justiceclearinghouse.com/webinar/in-it-for-the-long-haul-combatting-compassion-fatigue-and-enhancing-resiliency-for-animal-welfare-professionals/

Webinar - 1/25/24 - In Whose Best Interest? with Karen Deeds - FDSA (fee applies)
2024-01-25 18:00 - 19:00 | Virtual
This webinar will not outline any training or behavior modification. What it will do is present your options for dogs with serious behavior problems and give you a framework about how to make an educated decision regarding those options. Is management alone an appropriate option? Or is your problem too severe to chance management failure? Is the problem one that can be responsibly transferred to another owner and/or another environment successfully? The same variables to help determine what option is best for you, will also be critical in determining if training and behavior modification are a viable option as well as how successful that option may be. The agonizing decision to discuss behavioral euthanasia with your veterinarian can also be analyzed logically by using these same variables. This can be a difficult topic. But it is important to keep in mind, in whose best interest we decide.
Whether you are part of a rescue group, shelter staff, or volunteer, dedicated dog owner, professional trainer or behavior consultant, or a veterinarian working with a client, this webinar will help to make an appropriate decision regarding a dog in your care.
Join Karen Deeds as she takes you through over 20 variables about the dog, the environment, and the people involved to help you determine what option is best for a dog with serious behavior issues.
WEBSITE LINK: https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/index.php/self-study/webinars
