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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Webinar – 11/16/21 – Cock-a-doodle-DO IT! How to Save Former Fighting Roosters – HASS

Virtual

HASS Presents: Hear from Maddie’s® American Pets Alive! Director Kristen Hassen about her experience helping former fighting roosters over the past five years. This webcast is designed for animal control, animal sheltering, and rescue professionals and participants will learn the proven steps to saving and rehoming former fighting roosters and will learn from real-life case studies.

Free

Webinar – 12/16/21 – Coming Together to Accomplish More: Coalition Building for Animal Care Organizations – HASS

Virtual

HASS Presents: Katherine Shenar, executive vice president for The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement, and Shelly Moore, President and CEO for Humane Society of Charlotte, North Carolina, will teach you how to identify common ground and put aside differences to accomplish more collectively than your organization could individually.

Free

Town Hall – 2/9/23 – Sharing Stories, Shaping the Future: A HASS Town Hall – HASS

Virtual

HASS Presents: Join us for a thought-provoking live discussion where we will delve into the past, present, and future of the Human Animal Support Services project. Hear from Vincent Medley, Maddie's® Director of Human Animal Support Services, joined by leaders of our HASS pilot shelters who will share their experiences in HASS pilot shelters and their insights into the evolution of HASS.

Free

Webinar – 3/28/23 – Supporting Both Ends of the Leash: What Community Support Looks Like in a HASS Pilot Shelter – HASS

Virtual

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.

Free

Webinar – 2/29/24 – Beyond the Save Rate: Integrating People into the Sheltering Equation – HASS

Virtual

HASS Presents: Having a 90% or higher save rate has become the gold standard for measuring the success or failure of an animal shelter or rescue, and it will continue to be an important metric. The problem is that the save rate focuses only on a singular point in a complex societal issue. Join Dr. Ellen Jefferson and Cole Wakefield, Executive Director of The Good Shepherd Humane Society, for what is sure to be a lively discussion.

Free

Webinar – 3/14/24 – Breaking Down Barriers: Insights into the HASS Competitive Pet Placement Project – HASS

Virtual

HASS Presents: Over the last several months, HASS collaborated with a selection of HASS pilot shelters to identify any lingering shelter operation barriers to positive adoption outcomes as part of a formal Competitive Pet Placement (CPP) project. Join Kate McHugh-Westfall, Embedded Data and Implementation Coordinator, for an overview of this impactful project, including how preliminary foot traffic data informed barrier-busting solutions.

Free

Webinar – 5/21/24 – Saving Lives: Mindfulness in Animal Welfare – HASS

Virtual

HASS Presents: Join panelists Dr. Jyothi V. Robertson, Founder of JVR Strategies & Journey You Own along with José Ocaño, Founder & CEO of Hatching, to discuss the importance of mindfulness in animal welfare and best practices the industry can implement today to support the people who save pets.

Free

Webinar – 8/6/24 – Not Enough Adopters, or Not Enough Adoptions: Foot Traffic Tracking May Tell You It’s the Latter – HASS

Virtual

HASS Presents: Join Amanda Foster, Assistant Director of Research & Data for HASS, as well as Heidi Martson, PetSmart Charities Director of Pet Placement Initiatives, to discuss how five different shelters began implementing people-centric best practices to better understand the WHY behind their adoption conversion rate, and provide you with the tangible tools and initiatives organizations can use today to aid in increasing adoptions.

Free

Webinar – 1/9/25 – 2025: Overcoming Sheltering Setbacks – HASS

Virtual

HASS Presents: In this webinar, Lee Ann Shenefiel, program director for the Hays County Pet Resource Center, will share proven research, programming and free resources for your organization to unite with HASS in changing animal welfare industry setbacks to successes. Those who register for the live event will also receive information on registering for the office hours as well, and we encourage you to share the link directly with your staff!

Free

Webinar – 3/13/25 – Lost Pets, Found Faster: How to Improve Reunification Efforts at Intake – HASS

Virtual

HASS Presents: Join us March 13th at 1pm/CST as Ashley Shrewsbury, Pet Reunification Specialist at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control as well as Gina Botticello, Community Partnerships and Programs Manager at PASCO County Animal Services, discuss insights into making reunification faster, easier, and more effective. Register today to be part of the solution!

Free

Webinar – 4/10/25 – From Pickup to Prevention: How Field Services Can Keep Pets Home – HASS

Virtual

HASS Presents: In honor of ACO Appreciation Month and to continue our conversation on lost pet reunification, HASS welcomes you to join Jace Huggins, VP & Chief of Humane Law Enforcement at San Diego Humane Society and Mike Wheeler, Director of Cabot Animal Support Services, as they discuss how to unite with your local animal control team to support less lost pet intake and more keeping families together.

Free

Webinar – 4/29/25 – Part II: Triage that Transforms Intake – HASS

Virtual

HASS Presents: et's explore Intake Triage strategies that help manage lost pet intake and streamline your intake process as a whole! Amanda Foster, HASS Programs Director, and Nichole Hazard, HASS Associate Director of Marketing & Communications, will discuss easy ways to better understand the "why" behind animals entering the shelter and the best practices for communicating effectively with your community.

Free

Webinar – 6/12/25 – Not Strays, Just Found a Street Away – HASS

Virtual

HASS Presents: In the United States, the majority of pets enter animal shelters as lost pets, making supporting this population the most significant opportunity for lifesaving and community engagement. In this webinar, Ali Triplett, Community Support Manager for LifeLine Animal Project, and Jenifer Reed, HASS Senior Education Specialist, will present data-backed solutions based on community behavior trends to help your organization reunite more lost pets with their owners and reduce shelter overcrowding.

Free