Welcome to our Shelter Industry Events Calendar! Here, you’ll find a variety of webinars, learning opportunities, online meetings, and national events focused on animal sheltering and related interests. While some events are hosted by the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program, most are organized by other groups and agencies. Please note that being listed here doesn’t mean we’ve reviewed the material.

We’re here to provide you with a range of resources to help make your life easier. For more details about any event, feel free to contact the organizer directly (you’ll find their info in the event description). Know of any event that we are missing that you think should be shown here? EMAIL US at events@sheltermedportal.com

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Online Event – First Thursdays – Maddie’s Monthly Foster Connection: AWLA’s Kitten College Program – Maddie’s Fund

Virtual

Maddie's Fund Presents: AWLA’s Kitten College went from saving just 92 kittens a year with 28 foster families, to saving more than 1,500 kittens a year with almost 300 foster families. Come to this session on May 2 to learn how they do it!

Free

Online Event – 5/2/24 – Live from the Ranch: Choice and Control in Animal Learning with Susan G. Friedman – Karen Pryor Academy

Virtual

Karen Pryor Academy Presents: On the next episode of Live from The Ranch, Ken Ramirez will be joined by Susan G. Friedman, Ph.D. They will discuss what it means to incorporate choice and control in training plans, the impact of negative reinforcement, and how to think beyond labels by measuring observable behavior.

Free

Online Meeting – Mondays – Weekly Community Conversations #ThanksToMaddie – Maddie’s Fund

Virtual

Maddie's Fund Presents: Maddie’s Fund hosts a weekly 50-minute Zoom call for animal well-being professionals. These calls are a collaborative space to share exciting new programs and research, discuss uncomfortable topics, connect with peers in the industry, and more, all while sharing a common goal of preserving the human-animal bond. There is a NEW registration page for meetings starting May 6, and anyone who has been attending the calls will need to re-register here: https://maddies.fund/CommunityConvoRegistration2024

Free

Online Event – 5/7/24 – All Call: Collaborative High Quality, High Volume Spay/Neuter Training – California for All Animals

Virtual

California for All Animals Presents: Outreach Veterinarian Chumkee Aziz will gather folks from organizations across the state for a conversation about their experiences in High Quality, High Volume Spay/Neuter training programming. Albert Escobedo, Dr. Jennifer Allen, Megan Gram, and Kylie Ramos will discuss challenges they’ve faced and how they’ve overcome them, vet recruitment strategies, advice for retaining surgical team members, and more.

Free

Webinar – 5/7/24 – Tribal Law and Animal Law – NACA/Justice Clearinghouse

Virtual

NACA/Justice Clearinghouse Presents: Given the expansiveness of tribal law and the uniqueness of each tribal nation, this webinar will highlight some common themes different tribal cultures share that are specific to animals; the struggles that occur in advocating for tribal nations’ needs and the needs of animals who live on reservations; and the challenges that exist with the imposition of mainstream culture onto tribal cultures.

Free

Online Seminar – 5/7/24 and 5/9/24 – Keeping Families Together: How to Support Domestic Violence Survivors and Their Pets – CVMA (fee applies)

Virtual

CVMA Presents (fee applies): In this session, we will discuss the link between domestic violence and pets and how the veterinary community can increase access to veterinary care for survivors and pets by supporting pet housing programs at domestic violence shelters. Studies show that 65% of domestic violence survivors have a pet, but nearly half delay or avoid leaving abusers out of concern for their pets.

$25 – $120

Online Course – Starts 5/8/24 – Animal Behavior Consulting: Principles & Practice – IAABC (fee applies)

Virtual

IAABC Presents (fee applies): The IAABC Animal Behavior Consulting Principles & Practice Course is a unique twelve-week, a multi-module course providing a comprehensive overview of the many facets of animal behavior consulting for all species. The course is appropriate for experienced behavior consultants and practitioners as well as those newer to the field with a strong interest in animal behavior.

$2200 – $2500

5/8/24 – How to be an Expert Witness in Animal Cruelty and Custody Cases – The AAWA

Virtual

The AAWA Presents: This session will reduce the fear of the unknown and instill confidence in testifying by explaining what is expected of an expert witness and outline things one should and should not do on the stand.  Veterinarians often are especially reluctant to become involved with cruelty cases because of the fear of testifying in what they consider a potential adversarial situation and may feel they must make the entire case or speak in absolutes.

Free

Webinar – 5/8/24 – Place More Pets Now with These Easy Changes – Best Friends

Virtual

Best Friends Presents: Join your peers from shelters and rescues, along with Best Friends staff, in a live Q&A discussion on open adoptions and fostering. This webinar will equip you with tangible advice for breaking down barriers in your adoption and foster processes to include your entire community.

Free

Webinar – 5/9/24 – Maddie’s Insights: Impact of Classical Counterconditioning (Quiet Kennel Exercise) on Barking in Shelter Dogs – Maddie’s Fund

Virtual

Maddie's Fund Presents: A major welfare concern in animal shelters is excessive barking from kenneled dogs. This contributes to noise pollution, can cause hearing damage, and has a negative impact on all animals within earshot. This study demonstrated that by implementing a simple classical counterconditioning exercise, consisting of instructing all ward passers-through to toss treats to each dog regardless of behavior exhibited, could change the emotional state of dogs from negative to more positive, thus reducing fear and frustration that often leads to excessive barking.

Free

Online Seminar – 5/7/24 and 5/9/24 – Keeping Families Together: How to Support Domestic Violence Survivors and Their Pets – CVMA (fee applies)

Virtual

CVMA Presents (fee applies): In this session, we will discuss the link between domestic violence and pets and how the veterinary community can increase access to veterinary care for survivors and pets by supporting pet housing programs at domestic violence shelters. Studies show that 65% of domestic violence survivors have a pet, but nearly half delay or avoid leaving abusers out of concern for their pets.

$25 – $120

Webinar – 5/9/24 – Management vs Training for Behavior Problems – FDSA (fee applies)

Virtual

FDSA Presents (fee applies): If you have a dog with a behavior issue, getting a handle on how management and training are different -- both in their goals and their execution -- is crucial to your success! In this webinar Dr. Cook will go over how management is crucial to reducing unwanted behaviors, movement and stationary skills, and more.

$19.95

Online Meeting – Mondays – Weekly Community Conversations #ThanksToMaddie – Maddie’s Fund

Virtual

Maddie's Fund Presents: Join us each Monday at 11am PT/2pm ET to receive support and learn about innovative ideas other organizations across the country are seeing success with. If you registered prior to May 2024 or are new to these meetings, please use this link to register:
https://maddies.fund/CommunityConvoRegistration2024

Free