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
IAABC Presents (fee applies): This course will help you think scientifically about animal training and behavior consulting for all species, understand and break training into component principles, understand environmental events that maintain behavior, increase your ability to be humane and effective, and more.
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.
VETGirl Presents (fee applies for non-members): In this 1.5-hour, VETgirl small animal webinar, Dr. Pete Mantis, DipECVDI, FHEA, FRCV reviews abdominal radiology of the dog and cat. Tune in as Dr. Mantis goes through a practical abdominal radiographic anatomy, outlines a systematic approach to reading abdominal radiographs and discusses examples of abnormalities identified in abdominal radiographs.
PPG Presents (fee applies): Separation anxiety clients are geographically diverse, and dog-training consumers are more willing to work virtually and with technology, to deliver higher-quality personalized services. This session will review the direction in which this fascinating training issue is headed, including the effective use of technology that aids the training team for successful resolution of separation anxiety.
HASS Presents: This webinar will go over key highlights from 2022 sheltering data, better data practices, ways data can help us improve, what's to come moving forward, and more. Don't miss this opportunity to unleash the power of data in 2023 and beyond!
PPG Presents (fee applies): Animal trainers and behavior consultants sometimes overlook or undervalue Level 2 (Antecedent Arrangements) of the Humane Hierarchy. Level 2 is much broader than simply “managing the environment” to prevent problem behaviors from occurring. We’ll look at specific examples of antecedent arrangements drawn from Kathy’s work with behavior-consultation clients.
CalAnimals Presents: Learn how you can manage compassion fatigue and make your passion for helping animals sustainable! Presented by professional counselor, former animal shelter worker/ACO, and author of To Save a Starfish: A Compassion Fatigue Workbook for the Animal Welfare Warrior, Jen Blough, this interactive webinar will help participants learn about compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress.
This 4 session VIRTUAL workshop designed for all levels of shelter staff will cover advice to resolve common dog and cat behavior problems to prevent surrender, a behavior perspective on intake and adoptions, canine behavior evaluations and decisions-making, and behavior modification in the shelter. Each session is 90 minutes, from 11am to 12:30pm Pacific Time […]
Karen Pryor Academy Presents: Tune into the next episode of Live from The Ranch to learn the ground-breaking Click to Calm method, tools, and techniques that award-winning author and behavior specialist Emma Parsons has used to help hundreds of her clients and their dogs.
Community Cats Podcast Presents (small fee applies): Are you ready to be part of the solution for feral and stray cats in your neighborhood? Our expert instructors will teach you best practices for Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) and colony management. Learn what TNR is and why it works.
VETGirl Presents: In this complimentary, 1-hour VETgirl–Blue Buffalo webinar, Dr. Erik Zager, DACVECC reviews diagnostics, prognostics, and treatments for heatstroke. Heatstroke is a life-threatening disease that can result in multi-organ dysfunction and death. Tune in to learn how early intervention, appropriate ICU care, and sufficient supportive care can improve outcomes in these critically ill patients.
Best Friends and Southern Utah University Present (fee applies): The Cat Lifesaving Course, run by Best Friends Animal Society in collaboration with Southern Utah University, will offer practitioners, community members, advocates, and volunteers an opportunity to learn about the proven policies, programs and procedures necessary to meet the community’s expectations of cat lifesaving.
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.
Dogs Playing for Life Presents: In this first of three webinars, we will present powerful examples of how playgroups can not only enhance the quality of life for your shelter dogs, but how focusing on their quality of life through enrichment can lead to game-changing benefits to your shelter’s everyday operations.
The AAWA Presents: This session will define what it means to be an ally and why allyship is important to the animal welfare profession. Together, we will explore actions to support diverse communities and become better allies.
VETGirl Presents (fee applies for non-members): In this 1-hour, VETgirl veterinary technician webinar, Barbie Papajeski, MS, LVT, RLATG, VTS (Clinical Pathology) reviews blood chemistries, including understanding and minimizing factors in the collection of samples which is vital in optimizing test results. Tune in to learn the veterinary technician’s role of ensuring adequate collection methods and minimizing outside interferences, as well as a review of common and specialized tests.
Shelter Behavior Hub Presents (fee applies): New course, starting March 9, with Instructor: Sue Alexander CPDT-KSA, CBCC-KA, CDBC, assisted by Trish McMillan, MSc and special guests! Shelter Dog Training Mentorship is a ground-breaking comprehensive course that focuses on how to train dogs. This course takes you from recognizing and addressing stress in dogs though teaching dogs specific skills, and changing emotional responses.
This 4 session VIRTUAL workshop designed for all levels of shelter staff will cover advice to resolve common dog and cat behavior problems to prevent surrender, a behavior perspective on intake and adoptions, canine behavior evaluations and decisions-making, and behavior modification in the shelter. Each session is 90 minutes, from 11am to 12:30pm Pacific Time […]
NACA/Justice Clearinghouse Presents: This webinar will help bridge the gap and start a conversation between these two branches of law enforcement so we can better support each other, ensure more successful operations on both sides, help prosecutors do their job, and reduce everyone’s workload.
Maddie's Fund Presents: Dr. Nicholas Dodman, DVM, DACVA, DACVB, and Ian Dinwoodie will discuss the results of their recent publication concerning optimal treatments for various canine behavior issues related to fear and anxiety. Viewers will learn which behavior professional to consult for the best chance of success with each individual fear and anxiety behavior problem, the best behavior modification techniques to be employed for each problem, and more.
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.
Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge Presents: The Spring 2023 Shelter Summit and Fast Tracks will give you the opportunity to learn by doing, create the change you want to see at your shelter, and go further together with your colleagues in the industry with the support of expert coaches. Register now to maximize your resources and set yourself and your shelter up to thrive during kitten season and beyond!
Network for Good Presents: A donor cultivation event, also known as a friendraising event, is a more intimate event tailored to cultivating new donors! During this webinar you’ll learn H\how donor cultivation events are the gateway to individual giving, seven tips on hosting a Friendraising event, and more!
PPG Presents (fee applies): In this webinar, we'll explore what fawning is, why it happens, and how it can impact our dogs' lives. We'll discuss how fawning can develop as a survival strategy in response to abusive or neglectful situations, and why it can be difficult to recognize and address as dog owners. We'll also explore how fawning can contribute to anxiety, fear, and behavioral issues in dogs, and discuss strategies to build coping skills to aid rehabilitation.
NACA/Justice Clearinghouse Presents: This course is perfect for those just getting started in creating a program or for those who want to increase their efficacy with new ideas. We will discuss all types of fundraising and outreach programs including but not limited to grants, individual giving, social media, events, engaging staff and volunteers, and more. Perfect part 2 for the Yes, you can Fundraise! Fundraising for Animal Welfare Government Agencies course held on Jan 26.
HASS Presents: Join Lindsay Hamrick, Director of Shelter Outreach & Engagement with the Humane Society of the United States, to learn why work-life balance can be difficult in animal welfare and practical tips for organizations and individuals to identify barriers to achieving better balance. Attendees will learn strategies to create boundaries between their professional and personal lives, affording time for individualized self-care and wellness while still meeting the needs of the mission.
FDSA Presents (fee applies): This webinar will cover what negative reinforcement is and how it works, the related concepts of pressure, release, & relief, human & animal examples in the real world, the possible fallout & ethical issues associated with -R, and several basic training protocols. So get your training nerd hat on and come geek out with me about negative reinforcement!
VETGirl Presents: In this complimentary, 1-hour, VETgirl–Loyal webinar, Dr. Brennen McKenzie will review the fundamental principles of canine aging – how and why dogs age, when a dog should be considered geriatric, and what approaches we should take to extend lifespan and healthspan in companion dogs. Tune in for a systematic approach to assessing and managing common age-associated diseases and clinical problems!
Community Cats Podcast and Neighborhood Cats Present: Drawing from over 20 years of experience working with feral cats, the folks at Neighborhood Cats have gathered together their favorite ways of catching the wiliest of felines. Whether it’s putting in a clear rear door, using Spam as bait, wrapping your trap with green garden netting, or training a cat to enter a trap, you’re bound to learn something new that will improve your trapping success.
PPG Presents (fee applies): The most common cause of companion dog relinquishment and non-medical euthanasia is problem behavior. Many animal behavior professionals utilize descriptive assessments, functional assessments, or medical assessments to try and identify the functions of problem behavior in order to target those functions in behavior modification protocols. However, studies have demonstrated differences in accuracy and efficiency between functional assessments and functional analyses.
VETGirl Presents: In this complimentary,1-hour, VETgirl–Elanco webinar, Dr. Brian Herrin, DVM, PhD, DACVM will discuss common tapeworms of dogs and cats, but are they all the same? Since tapeworms can be relatively difficult to diagnose and sometimes treat, it’s time to look a little closer at the common species that we find in dogs and cats. Tune in to learn species similarities and differences, the spread of certain species and the possible emerging threat to public health.
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.
My Dog Is My Home Presents (fee applies): Join us March 21-23, 2023 to learn, share, and collaborate on emerging practices in co-sheltering people and animals together. This year’s theme is “Changing Systems. Changing Lives. Creating a world with equitable access to homes for people and their animals.”
Struggling to recruit and retain staff? You are not alone! Could it be your compensation and benefits package? Three HR leaders will share their successful employment strategies related to compensation and benefits. Panelists will discuss what has worked and not worked with their teams, offering inspiration and ideas your org can consider. Conversation topics will […]
My Dog Is My Home Presents (fee applies): Join us March 21-23, 2023 to learn, share, and collaborate on emerging practices in co-sheltering people and animals together. This year’s theme is “Changing Systems. Changing Lives. Creating a world with equitable access to homes for people and their animals.”
Network for Good Presents: In this conference, we’ve brought together four, amazing, female thought-leaders to help you through your challenges with marketing in fundraising. We’ll have sessions on how to create an effective email program, manage marketing with a small staff, how to better brand your nonprofit, and how to generate email leads using social media.
CVMA Presents (fee applies): The first hour of the webinar will be for all employees (supervisors and non-supervisors). There will be a 15-minute break followed by the second hour of the webinar for supervisors only so that they can receive a full two hours of training.
My Dog Is My Home Presents (fee applies): Join us March 21-23, 2023 to learn, share, and collaborate on emerging practices in co-sheltering people and animals together. This year’s theme is “Changing Systems. Changing Lives. Creating a world with equitable access to homes for people and their animals.”
National Kitten Coalition Presents: Pregnant queens with their tiny baby kittens are already arriving in many parts of our country – and in some places, the kitten season never stops! These moms and their babies need trained fosters to save their lives. Have you thought about fostering a mom with kittens? Have you fostered already, but would like to know more? Join us for this free training!
FDSA Presents (fee applies): Starting with no cue at all, Denise Fenzi will walk you through the steps of developing a strong leave-it! First you'll teach a traditional cue and next you'll work towards an automatic response to attractive options in the environment. How cool is that?!
Dogs Playing for Life Presents: 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!
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.
Maddie's Million Pet Challenge Presents: Is what your shelter software has to say getting lost in translation? Start transforming numbers and patterns in your intake and outcome reports into concrete benefits for animals and staff. Discover how to increase live release and lower length of stay based on information you already have at your fingertips.
CVMA Presents (fee applies): The first hour of the webinar will be for all employees (supervisors and non-supervisors). There will be a 15-minute break followed by the second hour of the webinar for supervisors only so that they can receive a full two hours of training.
HASS Presents: We know that people and pets need support to stay together through challenging times—but how can you identify the support your community needs and how your organization can facilitate it? That’s what this webinar is all about! Amanda Gatten, KC Pet Project’s Director of Community Programs, will share what a comprehensive, flexible, effective community support program looks like at a HASS pilot shelter, with ideas and tips for other organizations to steal.
Maddie's Million Pet Challenge Presents: Uncover hidden and not-so-hidden roadblocks that are keeping animals in the shelter, contributing to shelter team overwhelm and fatigue, and tying up precious resources. Discover how to clear the way to ensure more pets are reunited with their families or placed in new homes. Tap into opportunities to increase live outcomes and build relationships with potential partners, volunteers, fosters, and adopters in your community.
PPG Presents (fee applies): Predation Substitute Training (PST) is a motivation-based and need-oriented training program, designed to stop uncontrolled predatory chasing and to provide safe outlets for our dog’s natural drive. Instead of making discipline the nagging factor that spoils the fun, this training system will help dogs and their guardians to grow as a team and go hunting together!
Maddie's Million Pet Challenge Presents: Shelter teams are faced daily with high-stakes outcome decisions made harder by an increasingly complex and strained system. We’ll discuss some of the issues at play and help you to develop tools to remove bottlenecks to outcomes and overcome the toughest decision-making dilemmas, from adoption to euthanasia, with transparency and compassion.
VETGirl Presents (fee applies for non-members): In this 1-hour, VETgirl small animal webinar, Dr. Chris Ralphs, DACVS goes through how to manage large open wounds in dogs and cats. Tune in to learn the open wound management and second intention healing practices you can use for wound management!
Maddie's Million Pet Challenge Presents: Capacity for Care (C4C) is such a wonderful place to be, yet it can feel so out of reach. What is your shelter’s capacity for care, what is it based on, and are you staying within it? Even just understanding what C4C is can feel overwhelming, much less getting there. Need a refresher or don’t know where to start? Answer — right here!
Maddie's Million Pet Challenge Presents: Learn progressive and collaborative ways of respecting all of the members of your community, especially those who come to us for supportive services. We’ll focus on ways to help pets stay in their current homes when possible and effectively reserve shelter intake for animals who really need to be in our care. We’ll discuss not only how these techniques can reduce shelter intakes, but also how this approach will set everyone up for success, including families, animals, and shelter team members.
VETGirl Presents: En este webinar, de 1 hora de VETgirl Español, el Dr. Alberto L. Fernandez, DACVECC discutirá el uso de la anestesia inyectable en la Sala de Emergencia y en la Unidad de Cuidado Intensivo. Se repasarán los medicamentos disponibles, con énfasis en la farmacología y contraindicaciones de cada uno, para proveer una anestesia segura.
Maddie's Million Pet Challenge Presents: Continue learning and start implementing through our eight-week coach-led Fast Tracks (with minimal time commitment each week). Apply to join a Track Pack to unlock dedicated coaching sessions and get the extra accountability, motivation, and inspiration you need to get the impact you want. Stay on track by advancing within a tight-knit group of shelters working side-by-side with your coaches to achieve your goals.
Community Cats Podcast Presents: Are you ready to be part of the solution for feral and stray cats in your neighborhood? Our expert instructors will teach you best practices for Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) and colony management. Learn what TNR is and why it works.