​​This presentation equips foster caregivers and adopters with essential knowledge about common infectious diseases in dogs, with a focus on practical tips for prevention and management. Covering topics like parasites, distemper, parvo, leptospirosis, canine infectious respiratory disease complex, rabies, heartworm, and tick-borne diseases, attendees will learn what each disease is, how it spreads, and whether it poses a risk to humans. We’ll discuss key signs to watch for, the severity and prognosis of each disease, and steps to prevent infection in pets and their human families.

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

Guest Speaker: Jacklyn Ellis

Despite our best efforts, the shelter can be a stressful place for cats. Some cats love humans but the separation from what is familiar coupled with exposure to a new and scary environment can cause them to shut down. Others may be poorly socialized and need assistance to form a positive association with humans. It is our duty to help them have the best possible well-being while in our care, and human-animal interaction as enrichment can play an important role in that. But how to bridge that gap from fear to friendship can be confusing/frustrating – some efforts can seem to do more harm than good. It can be difficult to know what approach to use, how to guide staff and volunteers on how to use it, and to know if your efforts are really helping. This webinar will guide attendees on a formal program for gaining the trust of the more fearful cats in your care, and a method for tracking their progress and welfare so that case managers can know when to implement additional interventions.

About the speaker: Jacklyn Ellis is board certified by the Animal Behavior Society as a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, is Certified in Shelter Behavior – Cat by the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and is the Director of Behavior at Toronto Humane Society. She earned her PhD in Animal Welfare at the Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, where she conducted research on methods for reducing stress in shelter cats. Her work has been published widely in peer reviewed journals and she has presented at many national and international conferences, particularly on feline stress and elimination behavior. She has recently authored two chapters for a new edition of the leading textbook on the behavior and welfare of shelter animals.

Join us on the fourth Thursday of every month as we talk about dog and cat behavior – supporting pets in our community and animal shelters. Each month, we hear from speakers about topics of interest to our group, such as behavior medications, modifying animal behavior, assessing and improving animal welfare, and how organizations successfully provide behavior support to dogs and cats.

Who should join: Animal welfare staff and volunteers who are interested in dog and cat behavior, and everyone who works to keep pets out of shelters and in homes.

You only need to register once for all meetings: https://maddies.fund/MonthlyBehaviorRegistration

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 Behavior Connection group on Maddie’s Pet Forum – https://maddies.fund/monthlybehaviorconnectionMPF

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/MonthlyBehaviorRegistration

Guest Speaker: Dorothy Baisly

Alphabet soup! The behavior and training world is full of letters and it can be very confusing to navigate. Which letters mean what and how do you know as a behavior professional which certifications you should pursue. Even harder for shelter leadership is knowing who to hire to best serve the animals in your care.

Meet with Dot Baisly, the Executive Director of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) for a discussion on deciphering all those letters and learn about the IAABC’s certifications, particularly the shelter behavior certifications. These certs are the only ones in the animal behavior industry that are specific to the needs of shelters and their animals. Dot will review the steps to becoming certified and be available after for a discussion and answer questions anyone may have about certifications and IAABC specifically.

About Maddie’s Monthly Behavior Connection: Join us on the fourth Thursday of every month as we talk about dog and cat behavior – supporting pets in our community and animal shelters. Each month, we hear from speakers about topics of interest to our group, such as behavior medications, modifying animal behavior, assessing and improving animal welfare, and how organizations successfully provide behavior support to dogs and cats.

Who should join: Animal welfare staff and volunteers who are interested in dog and cat behavior, and everyone who works to keep pets out of shelters and in homes.

You only need to register once for all meetings: https://maddies.fund/MonthlyBehaviorRegistration

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 Behavior Connection group on Maddie’s Pet Forum – https://maddies.fund/monthlybehaviorconnectionMPF

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/MonthlyBehaviorRegistration