Shelter Learniverse and Industry-Wide Calendar

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.

Every Dog Austin Presents: When you love a complex or sensitive dog, chances are you’ve experienced some emotional ups and downs along the way. You’ll walk away from this Coping with Canines webinar with concrete tools and mindset shifts rooted in counseling and mental health theories, and a deep reassurance that you’re not alone in this experience.

PPG Presents (fee applies): When dogs have separation anxiety, they cannot be at home alone, creating stress and anxiety for all concerned. This webinar will present a management plan for families to implement. This plan will help their dog be more comfortable at home and provide them with well-deserved freedom, a win-win situation for all.

HSVMA Presents: Refractory behavior problems are something we have all seen in practice. These cases are often highly charged emotionally, and we know that owners who feel they have come to the end of their ability to care for a challenging pet are heartbroken and often guilt ridden. During this important webinar we will consider how to evaluate these cases.

Dogs Playing for Life Presents (fee applies): 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.

Maddie’s Fund Presents: In this session, Seana will share research on pre-COVID retention programs focused on companion dogs offered by US animal sheltering organizations, highlighting gaps between these programs and community needs. She will outline a strategic decision-making process for selecting community programs to support pets in homes and discuss different program options.

ASPCAPro Presents: With some veterinary professionals promoting pediatric spay/neuter and others recommending waiting or foregoing sterilization altogether for some breeds, how should we base our decisions and recommendations? This case-based discussion covers the critical evaluation of recent studies on the ideal age for spaying and neutering dogs and cats, specific variables that impact timing considerations, and comparisons of some of the risks and benefits of early spay/neuter surgery.

HASS Presents: Since 2020, the animal welfare industry has faced an increase of challenges unlike ever before. In this webinar, Dr. Ellen Jefferson, President & CEO of Austin Pets Alive!, will present where we’ve been and the future of the animal welfare industry through a new model approach piloted by the HASS community.

Fear Free Presents: The shelter experience is unfortunately stressful for many pets. Essential wellness care, such as vaccines, deworming, and parasite prevention, can add to an animal’s fear, anxiety, and stress. By using Fear Free methods, shelter teams can minimize this stress with little to no additional time.

Dogs Playing for Life Presents (fee applies): At DPFL’s Stranger Danger webinar, you will learn how to work with dogs that are wary of strangers by building their confidence and helping them to develop the skills 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!

PPG Presents (fee applies): Since every human and animal is unique, we must look at how the individual is understanding what is expected. A puppy may be confused by what we are trying to teach or the teacher may not know how to “fix” a problem in a way that the learner understands it. Understanding frustration elicited aggression can not only help the learner learn and the teacher teach, it can also help improve the bond between the human and the animal.

NACA/Justice Clearinghouse Present: Drawing on real-life scenarios and case studies, we’ll examine the benefits of approaching enforcement with a holistic understanding of animal welfare and community needs. By fostering compassion-driven interventions, this session empowers officers to make informed decisions that prioritize both legal compliance and the well-being of animals and communities alike, one that honors the spirit of the law while upholding its letter.

Community Cats Podcast Presents: In recent years, more and more shelters have adopted Return-to-Field (RTF) programs. We’ll cover the policies behind RTF, the mechanics of implementing the program, current controversies over the RTF of friendly cats, and how to combine RTF with TNR in general to lower cat populations and create sustainability.

Dogs Playing for Life Presents (fee applies): 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!

University of Florida Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program Presents: Are you an animal welfare professional looking to enhance your organization’s post-adoption support? Could your return rates for adoptions decrease if your adopters could get real-time answers to the most common settling-in issues for a new pet? Petszel can lighten this load for you. Join us for a webinar to explore how Petszel can help your organization make more adoptions stick and see examples from other shelters that are using this app.

Life of Riley at Spring Point Presents: Earlier this year, members of Bailing Out Benji were given intimate access inside USDA kennels in the Midwest: they were allowed to see every inch of these facilities, touch everything (including dogs!) and had all their questions answered by the kennel owners. Join Mindi Callison and Alexis Bell for a conversation about their experience and hear why animal advocates can be hopeful about changes that are happening within the industry.

ASPCAPro Presents: Join us for an insightful session that will help you enhance your organization’s methods for collecting and utilizing behavioral observations in shelter animals. Our expert panelists will examine a mock behavioral communications flowchart and share valuable, practical tips to help you evaluate your shelter’s behavioral communication processes.

United Spay Alliance Presents: Join us for a FREE webinar, “Bridging the Gap: How VPAs Can Revolutionize Veterinary Care,” featuring expert Dr. Bob Murtaugh, where we’ll dive into the exciting push for the Veterinary Professional Associate (VPA) position. This new role is set to enhance and support the veterinary profession, offering solutions to both current and future challenges.

Dogs Playing for Life Presents: 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!