Working in animal welfare is rewarding, but it can also be emotionally taxing, filled with endless highs and lows. Most of us are pretty good at learning the practical and professional skills needed to work in this field and deal with its challenges. Many of us, however, continue to struggle with incorporating those harder-to-define but equally important skills that help us acknowledge and work through our emotions in healthy ways. This session will highlight the concept of courageous conversations with the goal of providing animal welfare staff and volunteers with the tools they need to navigate an emotionally complex working environment.

This webinar is part of the Fall 2022 Webinar Series. Each webinar is pre-recorded and registering by October 12 gets you first access delivered directly to your inbox on the webinar date. Register for all five webinars or choose only the ones relevant to you.

Presenter: Laura Maloney – Principal, Adisa

WEBSITE LINK:  https://network.bestfriends.org/education/2022-fall-webinar-series-registration

Disease prevention in the shelter setting is vital to lifesaving, and infectious disease does not have to be inevitable in animal shelters. In this webinar, you’ll learn the basics of infectious disease, like how diseases spread between animals and how to manage shelter populations to prevent disease. We’ll also cover strategies to reduce and prevent infectious disease including vaccination guidelines, sanitation protocols, and biosecurity recommendations. A brief overview of specific diseases of most concern in the shelter setting will be given (feline upper respiratory disease, canine infectious respiratory disease, ringworm, canine parvovirus, feline panleukopenia, and canine distemper).

This webinar is part of the Fall 2022 Webinar Series. Each webinar is pre-recorded and registering by October 12 gets you first access delivered directly to your inbox on the webinar date. Register for all five webinars or choose only the ones relevant to you.

Presenter: Dr. Erin Katribe, DVM, MS – Medical Director, Best Friends Animal Society

WEBSITE LINK:  https://network.bestfriends.org/education/2022-fall-webinar-series-registration

Developing and implementing a marketing strategy is an essential part of any organization’s success, but creating a thoughtful, cohesive marketing plan often eludes nonprofits. While strategic planning can feel overwhelming, there are some very simple techniques and tips you can use to map out an effective plan and create some marketing magic. In this session, we’ll discuss how to identify your organization’s marketing assets and how to incorporate your board and volunteers into marketing efforts. Plus, we’ll walk through some exercises to help you focus your time, ideas and budget to increase engagement and donations.

This webinar is part of the Fall 2022 Webinar Series. Each webinar is pre-recorded and registering by October 12 gets you first access delivered directly to your inbox on the webinar date. Register for all five webinars or choose only the ones relevant to you.

Presenter: Nicole Krug – Founder & Digital Marketing Strategist, Social Light

WEBSITE LINK:  https://network.bestfriends.org/education/2022-fall-webinar-series-registration

During this webinar you’ll learn how to be a better advocate for dogs in your shelter, decrease length of stay, and create more positive outcomes – all by documenting dog behavior. Our experts will share common challenges of sharing and documenting dog behavior in the shelter setting. We’ll also discuss what barriers we might be creating and how to use objective and factual language when speaking with potential adopters and fosters.

This webinar is part of the Fall 2022 Webinar Series. Each webinar is pre-recorded and registering by October 12 gets you first access delivered directly to your inbox on the webinar date. Register for all five webinars or choose only the ones relevant to you.

Presenters:

• Tierney Sain – National Mentorship Program Specialist, Best Friends Animal Society
• Jess Cieplinski – Dogtown Pathway Planner, Best Friends Animal Society

Moderator:

• Kimberly Elman – National Mentorship Program Manager, Best Friends Animal Society

WEBSITE LINK:  https://network.bestfriends.org/education/2022-fall-webinar-series-registration

The Shelter Cat Behavior Mentorship is now open for enrollment! This is an on-demand course, with your choice of weekly Zoom meetings Tuesdays at 7 PM or Wednesday at 10 AM, with discussion group in between. You have a year to complete the course, and are welcome to use the webinars for staff training. We will cover all aspects of shelter cat behavior, from intake to assessment, to post-adoption support. With the help of your peers from all over the world, we will explore the latest science and best practices in building your shelter behavior programming to meet and exceed industry standards, and to give every cat in your care the best chance at a great life.

This 13-week deep dive into all things shelter cat behavior helps you create behavior SOP’s for every part of the sheltering process. Weekly live zoom meetings and a discussion board for homework will help you make changes and save cats!

When does the course begin?
The course opens and first meetings are October 11th, 2022.e, with the option to go month by month afterward.

What topics are covered?
Module 1: ASV Guidelines, The Five Domains and Capacity for Care
Module 2: The Biology, Reproduction, and Genetics of Cats
Module 3: Intake and Assessment
Module 4: Cat Body Language and Handling
Module 5: The 3 Ps! Policy, Procedure, and Protocol
Module 6: Enrichment and Co-Housing
Module 7: Working With Volunteers, Fosters – also, Kittens!
Module 8: Daily Rounds and Working and Medical Staff
Module 9: Most Common Behavior Issues In Cats
Module 10: More Behavior Problems and Treatment
Module 11: Community Cats, Working Cats, and TNR
Module 12: Criteria Setting, Euthanasia, Compassion Fatigue
Module 13: Adoption and Post-Adoption Support

Is this a live course?
The answer is yes & no! You have your choice of one of two meeting times weekly via zoom (Tuesdays at 7pm EST and Wednesday at 10am EST). For those who cannot make those live meetings, they will be recorded for viewing later. New modules are released on Mondays.

What if I cannot complete the course in 13 weeks?
No need to worry! You have up to a year to complete the course, with the option to go month by month afterward.

WEBSITE LINK:  https://trish-s-school-bcb6.thinkific.com/courses/shelter-cat-behavior-mentorship

Humans can sometimes come off as untrustworthy of dogs. People may lure dogs in close with a treat and then suddenly reach toward or grab them. In shelters, people walk by, stare at the dogs, and then continue walking by. But dogs? Dogs don’t lie to their dog friends. If you’re out in the play yard and your new best dog friend tells you the humans are OK, you might just believe them. And if humans approaching the front of your kennel means you’re about to go to playgroup or on a group walk, you may start thinking humans are OK too. Learn the many ways dogs can help other dogs, in and outside of the shelter environment. In this webinar, you will learn about social learning, dog play dynamics, and how to manage playgroups in shelters.

These webinars are suitable for veterinary professionals, animal trainers, animal behaviorists, shelter and rescue staff and volunteers, and anyone with an interest in evidence-based behavior intervention.

Here is the list of webinar dates, topics, and times:

• October 1, 2022: Behavior Assessments for Shelter Dogs, 11am to 12:30pm EST
• November 5, 2022: Play is Magic!, 11am to 12:30pm EST
• December 3, 2022: Conversation-Based Adoptions, 11am to 12:30pm EST

This is an online event. The Zoom link will be emailed a few days before the event.

“Doors” open at 10:30am EDT, each day. Feel free to log in and wait in our “waiting room” via Zoom.

These webinars will be recorded. Anyone who purchases a Single Webinar or Webinar Package will receive a recording(s) within 2 weeks after the event date(s). You can view the webinar even if you cannot join us on the event date. These webinars will not be available for purchase after the series is complete.

Cancellation policy: No refunds

CEUs will be granted to those who purchase a ticket for the Live Webinar, even if they cannot join us on the date of the event. CEUs will not be made available to those who purchase the recording after the event date.

CEUs granted:

• CPDT – 1.5 per webinar
• IAABC -1.5 per webinar
• KPA – 1.5 per webinar
• PPAB – 1.5 per webinar

Registration:

• Single Webinar: $45 per webinar (purchase the ticket before the event date)
• Three-Part Webinar Package: $99 total (If you missed one of the parts as a live event, you will receive a link to the recording(s) as long as you purchase a ticket for the three-part package.)
• Shelter/Rescue Discount 3-Part Webinar Package: $79 total ( This package is for the shelter/rescue community. If you missed one of the parts as a live event, you will receive a link to the recording(s) as long as you purchase a ticket for the three-part package.)

When purchasing a ticket, you will have the choice of choosing a single webinar by date or the 3-part package. Please make sure to refer back to this description when choosing the webinar topic you are interested in if you do not want to purchase the 3-part package. The tickets are listed by date and NOT by topic.

About Trish McMillan:

Trish McMillan holds a master of science degree in animal behavior and is a certified professional dog trainer. She worked for the ASPCA for nearly eight years, first as director of animal behavior at their NYC shelter, and then with the field team, helping assess and rehabilitate dogs from cruelty cases, dogfighting, and hoarding situations.

Trish owns McMillan Animal Behavior in North Carolina, where she lives in a tiny house on her farm, Pibble Hill. Trish currently shares her life with 25 animals of five species.

Trish’s professional work includes training and behavior modification work with dogs, cats, and horses. She speaks and consults nationally and internationally on animal sheltering issues, dog, cat, and horse behavior, dog aggression, and defensive handling. She also runs a popular online shelter dog behavior mentorship and other courses through the Shelter Behavior Hub, and is one of the founders of the behavioral euthanasia grief support group, “Losing Lulu.”

WEBSITE LINK:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/trish-mcmillan-webinars-shelter-behavior-assessment-play-adoption-tickets-415410232187

We want to find the best possible homes for the dogs in our care, but we also don’t want our adopters to feel like we think they’re criminals. How do we walk this fine line? Conversation-based adoptions! Instead of having people fill out an invasive application, and looking for reasons to say “no,” what if we simplified the form, started with “yes” and simply let people know what it would take to live with the dog they’re interested in? If you help make adoption matches for a rescue or a shelter, or just occasionally rescue animals privately, learn the modern way to make great matches happen!

These webinars are suitable for veterinary professionals, animal trainers, animal behaviorists, shelter and rescue staff and volunteers, and anyone with an interest in evidence-based behavior intervention.

Here is the list of webinar dates, topics, and times:

• October 1, 2022: Behavior Assessments for Shelter Dogs, 11am to 12:30pm EST
• November 5, 2022: Play is Magic!, 11am to 12:30pm EST
• December 3, 2022: Conversation-Based Adoptions, 11am to 12:30pm EST

This is an online event. The Zoom link will be emailed a few days before the event.

“Doors” open at 10:30am EDT, each day. Feel free to log in and wait in our “waiting room” via Zoom.

These webinars will be recorded. Anyone who purchases a Single Webinar or Webinar Package will receive a recording(s) within 2 weeks after the event date(s). You can view the webinar even if you cannot join us on the event date. These webinars will not be available for purchase after the series is complete.

Cancellation policy: No refunds

CEUs will be granted to those who purchase a ticket for the Live Webinar, even if they cannot join us on the date of the event. CEUs will not be made available to those who purchase the recording after the event date.

CEUs granted:

• CPDT – 1.5 per webinar
• IAABC -1.5 per webinar
• KPA – 1.5 per webinar
• PPAB – 1.5 per webinar

Registration:

• Single Webinar: $45 per webinar (purchase the ticket before the event date)
• Three-Part Webinar Package: $99 total (If you missed one of the parts as a live event, you will receive a link to the recording(s) as long as you purchase a ticket for the three-part package.)
• Shelter/Rescue Discount 3-Part Webinar Package: $79 total ( This package is for the shelter/rescue community. If you missed one of the parts as a live event, you will receive a link to the recording(s) as long as you purchase a ticket for the three-part package.)

When purchasing a ticket, you will have the choice of choosing a single webinar by date or the 3-part package. Please make sure to refer back to this description when choosing the webinar topic you are interested in if you do not want to purchase the 3-part package. The tickets are listed by date and NOT by topic.

About Trish McMillan:

Trish McMillan holds a master of science degree in animal behavior and is a certified professional dog trainer. She worked for the ASPCA for nearly eight years, first as director of animal behavior at their NYC shelter, and then with the field team, helping assess and rehabilitate dogs from cruelty cases, dogfighting, and hoarding situations.

Trish owns McMillan Animal Behavior in North Carolina, where she lives in a tiny house on her farm, Pibble Hill. Trish currently shares her life with 25 animals of five species.

Trish’s professional work includes training and behavior modification work with dogs, cats, and horses. She speaks and consults nationally and internationally on animal sheltering issues, dog, cat, and horse behavior, dog aggression, and defensive handling. She also runs a popular online shelter dog behavior mentorship and other courses through the Shelter Behavior Hub, and is one of the founders of the behavioral euthanasia grief support group, “Losing Lulu.”

WEBSITE LINK:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/trish-mcmillan-webinars-shelter-behavior-assessment-play-adoption-tickets-415410232187

One of the most important work of shelters these days is serving local communities by engaging in life-saving, humane—and legal—community cat programs (CCP) for outdoor-living cats. If you want to know about the issues, and how to do CCPs right, join us for a walk through the challenges, particulars, and legalities of community cats in California, prepared by the San Francisco SPCA’s Shelter PALS (Shelter Policy and Legal Services) program.

When it comes to community cats in California, the sheltering industry is much stronger together. Standardizing CCP operations across the state will help people, animals, and local governments, so that we can lift up communities who do not yet have them, avoid problems in communities who already have CCPs, and best position the movement to defend CCPs against any challenges.

In this 90-minute webinar, attendees will learn the factual and legal basics of community cats, how to support those programs with local ordinances, and also how to sign up your shelter for free legal support to set up or shore up the CCP in your own community.

WEBSITE LINK:  https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_FybtwW4QRaimLr-QGdM5Pw