Online Course - Starts 3/3/25 - Shelter Care Specialist Certification Program - UC Davis KSMP Shelter Learniverse
2025-03-03 | Virtual
Are you ready to take your career in animal sheltering to the next level? Offered by the Koret Shelter Medicine Program Shelter Learniverse as part of Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge, the Shelter Care Specialist Certification Program empowers frontline animal shelter workers to provide exceptional care, grounded in best practices, with a focus on improving outcomes for animals and communities.
Through engaging online courses, you’ll gain expertise in:

Best practices to reduce animal stress.
Foundational animal care and medical care to enhance your skills.
Behavior, training, and enrichment for healthier, happier animals.
Population management to optimize shelter resources.
Daily care best practices that streamline your workflow and maximize impact.

Whether you’re new to shelter work or a seasoned professional, this program equips you with the tools, knowledge, and recognition to make a greater difference.
Why Become Certified?

Advance your career with professional credentials.
Learn practical, actionable skills to improve daily operations.
Gain confidence in providing high-quality care for every animal.

Applications are being accepted for the spring 2025 session starting 3/3/25! Start learning today and become part of the growing movement to transform animal sheltering.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 2/3/25.
Certification is currently free, #ThanksToMaddie!
This program is most relevant for individuals working in public shelters or private shelters with municipal contracts. Enrollment is limited; applicants from these shelter types will be prioritized for this session.
Learn more about upcoming sessions at https://tinyurl.com/SCS-General

Online Meeting - Mondays - Weekly Community Conversations #ThanksToMaddie - Maddie's Fund
2025-03-03 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
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.
Who Should Join?
Executive directors, animal well-being leaders, shelter workers, pet support professionals, volunteers, rescue organizations and anyone who shares the common goal of preserving the human-animal bond.
Win Ca$h for Attending!
Each month, Maddie’s Fund will be giving away up to $10,000 in grants. You can enter to win each time you attend a call or watch on-demand during the month by completing the giveaway drawing entry forms shared in the chat during the calls.
Register Today
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
All calls are recorded and uploaded to the Community Conversations page on Maddie’s Pet Forum https://forum.maddiesfund.org/communityconversations
Please note: All views expressed on these calls are not necessarily endorsed by Maddie’s Fund.
WEBSITE LINK: https://maddies.fund/CommunityConvo2024Registration

Online Event - 3/4/25 - Camp Maddie: Kitten Edition - Maddie's Fund
2025-03-04 09:00 - 13:00
Prepare for Kitten Season with expert guidance!
​Camp Maddie is back and this time it’s all about the kittens! ​This half-day session​ on Tuesday, March 4, 2025 from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM PT​ is designed to equip participants with essential skills and knowledge to tackle the challenges of the upcoming kitten season, which is expected to be particularly demanding. Most kittens in the US are born to free-roaming community cats. With shelters already stretched thin, this event will provide critical insights from ​industry experts to help organizations scale up their responses to meet the needs of more vulnerable kittens in their communities. Learn from national professionals Dr. Julie Levy, Marnie Russ, Monica Tarant, and Tabitha Kucera.
Topics will include:

The role of community cat programs in saving kittens
Developing kitten foster programs that are effective, safe, and fun
Medical protocols tailored for kitten care in shelters and rescues
Behavior and socialization protocols for raising confident, friendly kittens

Join us for this invaluable opportunity to learn from the best in the field and ensure you are prepared to make a difference in the lives of more kittens this season!
This event includes an opportunity for more time with the presenters at a follow-up live question and answer session on Tuesday, March 18, 2025 at 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM PT. This will provide time for your team to catch up on any sessions they may have missed from the first day, to browse the extensive collection of supporting documents, protocols, and forms, and to bring forward any remaining questions and obstacles encountered in enhancing your kitten programs.
WEBSITE LINK: https://maddies.fund/CampMaddieKittenRegistration

Online Event - 3/4/25 - All Call: Understanding Your Community Part 2 - California for All Animals
2025-03-04 12:00 - 13:00
Now, more than ever, it’s crucial to engage all members of our communities. Starting February 18, Partnering for Pets: A Multicultural Community of Practice, is coming to the All Call to strengthen our capacity to do just that.
Are you passionate about increasing adoptions, foster, return to home, and keeping more pets and people together? Do you want to learn and share practical strategies for building relationships with diverse communities? This community is for you!
March 4 Topic: Understanding Your Community Part 2 with Melissa Gomez, San Francisco SPCA, and Elsa Ramos, Oakland Animal Services. Register to join us.
Join Melissa Gomez (SF SPCA Community Workforce Manager) and Elsa Ramos (Friends of Oakland Animal Services Bilingual Adoption Coordinator) as they share their journey of creating meaningful connections with Latine pet guardians and discover how you can bring these welcoming approaches to your own organization! Learn about successful volunteer translator programs, community ambassador initiatives, and other approaches that have helped community members feel truly welcomed and supported.
You’ll leave with practical ideas for recruiting a talented and diverse team, bridging language barriers, supporting families in a climate of fear and deportation threats, and building lasting relationships that help keep and bring pets and people together.
Through June 3, the All Call will provide a space for learning, sharing, and networking with colleagues dedicated to building stronger connections with all segments of their communities. You’ll hear how California shelters are advancing culturally-responsive programming and building bridges to decrease length of stay and increase positive outcomes for animals, as well as the shelter staff and community members who care for them.
About the All Call
The All Call is a twice-monthly, California community call for animal well-being professionals that occurs on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday. The one-hour call is a dedicated space to share and learn from each other. Popular topics include initiatives that create a more inclusive culture for both staff and community, programs that keep pets with their people, industry trends, research studies, as well as the hard stuff, like what’s not working or what is particularly difficult during times of scarcity. The call is a mix of presentations, storytelling, open discussion, and Q&A time.
The All Call is hosted by California for All team members Allison Cardona, Nadia Oseguera-Ramóna, and Ivy Ruiz, and is enriched by rotating facilitators. You only need to register one time. Calls are sometimes recorded; recap emails with supplemental resources are sent post-call.
Register: https://tinyurl.com/all-call

Ahora, más que nunca, es esencial que todos los miembros de nuestras comunidades participen. A partir del 18 de febrero, Partnering for Pets: A Multicultural Community of Practice (Colaborando para mascotas: Una comunidad de práctica multicultural), llegará a All Call para reforzar nuestra capacidad de hacer precisamente eso.
¿Le apasiona aumentar las adopciones, el cuidado temporal, el regreso a casa y mantener juntos a más mascotas y personas? ¿Quiere aprender y compartir estrategias prácticas para cultivar relaciones con comunidades diversas? ¡Esta comunidad es para ti!
Tema del 4 de marzo: Entendiendo su Comunidad Parte 2 con Melissa Gomez, San Francisco SPCA, y Elsa Ramos, Oakland Animal Services. Regístrese para acompañarnos.
Acompañe a Melissa Gómez (Directora de Personal Comunitario de SF SPCA) y Elsa Ramos (Coordinadora de Adopción de Friends of Oakland Animal Services) en su camino hacia la creación de conexiones profundas con los cuidadores de mascotas latines y descubra cómo puede aplicar estos métodos de hospitalidad a su propia organización. Aprenda sobre programas exitosos de traductores voluntarios, iniciativas de embajadores de la comunidad y otros métodos que han ayudado a los miembros de la comunidad a sentirse verdaderamente bienvenidos y apoyados.
Se llevará ideas prácticas para contratar a un equipo diverso y talentoso, enfrentarse a las barreras lingüísticas, apoyar a las familias en un clima de temor y amenazas de deportación, y establecer relaciones que ayuden a unir y mantener unidas a las mascotas y las personas.
Hasta el 3 de junio, el All Call ofrecerá un espacio para aprender, compartir y establecer contactos con colegas dedicados a construir conexiones más fuertes con todos los segmentos de sus comunidades. Escuchará cómo los refugios de California están avanzando en programas culturalmente responsables y construyendo puentes para reducir la estancia y aumentar los resultados positivos para los animales, y también para el personal del refugio y los miembros de la comunidad que los cuidan.
Acerca de All Call
All Call es una llamada comunitaria que se realiza dos veces al mes para profesionales del bienestar animal en California, los primeros y terceros martes. La llamada de una hora es un espacio dedicado a compartir y aprender unos de otros. Los temas más populares incluyen iniciativas que crean una cultura más inclusiva tanto para el personal como para la comunidad, programas que mantienen a las mascotas con su familia, tendencias de la industria, estudios, y también temas difíciles, como lo que no funciona o lo que es particularmente difícil en tiempos de crisis. La sesión es una mezcla de presentaciones, historias, debate abierto y tiempo para preguntas y respuestas.
All Call está organizada por Allison Cardona, Nadia Oseguera-Ramóna e Ivy Ruiz, miembros del equipo de California For All, y se complementa con facilitadores rotativos. Sólo es necesario inscribirse una vez. En ocasiones, las llamadas se graban; después de la llamada se envían correos electrónicos de resumida con recursos adicionales.
Regístrese: https://tinyurl.com/all-call

Webinar - 3/4/25 - Apartment Living: How To Work Around Challenges of Living with Pets in an Apartment - PPG (fee applies)
2025-03-04 15:30 - 16:30
Are you struggling to share your life with your pets while living in an apartment? Or have you recently relocated your life and family to an apartment and are now experiencing unique challenges with your dog’s behavior?
Like any unique environment, apartment living provides specific training challenges for you and your pet. Sometimes, a short potty break can provide lots of close and intense stimuli that your dog may not be comfortable with. What about internal noises from neighbors, elevators, and many other unpredictable stimuli that impact your dog’s comfort level?
This webinar will cover some essential elements to consider when choosing an apartment. We will also look at some of the protocols and training processes that can be implemented to help your dog comfortably acclimatize to apartment living alongside conditioning programs to help modify problematic behaviors you may be experiencing.
Learning Objectives

Understand what the “nice to haves” are when looking to rent.
Review a list of things you can begin to work on in preparation for moving into an apartment.
Understand the beneficial exercises you can work on to help your dog adjust to stairs, neighbors, elevators, close quarters, and strange people.
Understand and learn some great management activities and routines to help prevent the escalation of problems while you work through a training plan.

Presenter – Yvette Van Veen PCT-A
WEBSITE LINK: https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/webinars-events/webinars/apartment-living-how-to-work-around-challenges-of-living-in-an-apartment-presented-by-yvette-van-veen/

Online Event - 3/6/25 - Maddie's Monthly Foster Connection - Caring for Cats: A Shelter Vet’s Guide to Common Infectious Diseases in Cats - Maddie's Fund
2025-03-06 12:00 - 13:00
This presentation provides foster caregivers and adopters with the tools to recognize, prevent, and manage common infectious diseases in cats. Topics include ringworm, panleukopenia, calicivirus, upper respiratory disease, toxoplasmosis, parasites, FeLV, FIV, and FIP. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of what these diseases are, how they spread, and any risks they may pose to humans. We’ll review symptoms, disease severity, prognosis, and prevention strategies, empowering participants to confidently care for their feline friends.
Guest Speaker: Dr. Rachael Wooten, Medical Director, One Tail at a Time

Dr. Rachael Wooten, a passionate shelter medicine veterinarian with seven years of experience, proudly represents her Black and Puerto Rican heritage. She earned her DVM from Tuskegee University (2017) and after graduation she completed a shelter medicine specialty internship at the University of Illinois CVM. Currently serves as the Medical Director at One Tail at a Time Animal Rescue in Chicago, and has recently completed a Shelter Medicine Fellowship through UW-Madison and UC-Davis.
Dr. Wooten actively advocates for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within the veterinary community. Her commitment to fostering an inclusive environment is underscored by her completion of the CARE REDI certificate and serving on multiple DEI boards, further enriching her ability to make a meaningful impact in the field of animal welfare.
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
