In case you missed National Chocolate Cake Day last week, we have one more excellent reason to indulge: Today the Koret Shelter Medicine Program turns 20! Twenty years ago, Dr. Kate Hurley started her internship in Shelter Medicine at UC Davis, the very first residency program aimed at improving the quality of life for animals in shelters through health and behavior studies, education of veterinary professionals and veterinary service to shelters.
Since then, Shelter Medicine has grown into a popular specialty recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association—nationwide, applicants for the Class of 2020 reported Shelter Medicine as the second most common area of interest, second only to private practice. Dr. Hurley and KSMP Outreach Veterinarian Dr. Cindy Karsten are among the rising number of veterinarians boarded in Shelter Medicine by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners.
The UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program, led by Dr. Hurley, has become one of the most widely-recognized Shelter Medicine programs in the world. In the past two decades, KSMP has transformed how shelters are built, how they respond to disease outbreaks and how they operate, guiding organizations big and small, municipal and private to find a better balance between intake, capacity for humane care and positive outcomes.
Shelter Medicine has come a long way! We’re celebrating a few of our recent milestones and we hope you’ll celebrate with us:
Next-Generation HQHVSN
2014: Through its student surgery program, KSMP has trained over 250 students in high quality, high volume spay/neuter surgery through our partnership with Yolo Animal Services. Since 2017, the students have performed over 4,500 surgeries.
10,0000 Portals and Counting
2016: We joined the world’s largest manufacturer of shelter housing, Shor-Line, to promote portals and their benefits. Over 10,000 portals have been installed in shelters, many of which were gifted by the KSMP/Million Cat Challenge through our annual “Portalmania” campaign. Need some help installing portals at your shelter? Check out our new course!
C4C Goes Nationwide
2017: KSMP published an analysis of our sheltering model, Capacity for Care (C4C), marking the first time a specific shelter management model was scientifically linked to decreased euthanasia, improved health of shelter animals and increased live release and adoptions. Today, the components of the model are recognized as sheltering best practices, and C4C has been adopted by hundreds of North American shelters.
Bootcamps Are Born
2018: KSMP offers self-paced virtual training modules for shelter leaders on the go, and more intense, transformative 6-week “bootcamp” sessions that include live presentations, check-ins, office hours and facility assessments for shelters in need of a deeper dive. Our 5th Bootcamp kicks off in March!
ShelterMedPortal Debuts
2020: We built the ShelterMedPortal, our online learning community where peers can meet, engage, connect, share and learn, and we’re excited to keep growing this space and all that it offers. Invite your shelter team to join the SMP if they’re not members already—it’s free!
3 Million Cats Saved
2021: Just last month The Million Cat Challenge, a partnership of KSMP, Maddie’s Fund and Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida, commemorated 3 million cats saved in five years—exceeding its initial lifesaving goal by 2 million!
Let’s all raise a slice of cake to the history—and future—of the KSMP and Shelter Medicine! And if you’re still looking for that perfect on-theme cat- or dog-shaped cake recipe, here are a few ideas.
