In 2023, animal shelters and rescues in the United States faced a third consecutive year of high intake with adoption rates unable to keep pace. The resulting crisis is mounting, with organizations across the country over capacity and under stress. Join us to analyze key data insights, challenges, and successes from 2023, then peek into what Shelter Animals Count (SAC) has planned for 2024.

SAC experts Samantha Hill, Director of Data and Technology, and Emily Tolliver, Director of Communications, will offer an exclusive opportunity to stay ahead in the constantly evolving landscape of animal welfare.

WEBSITE LINK:  https://learning.theaawa.org/p/2-28-24

The nationwide shortage of veterinarians disproportionately affects the work of animal welfare and animal care & control agencies.

Recognizing that we need to understand how the access to care crisis impacts our profession, The Association and The Program for Pet Health Equity at the University of Tennessee recently fielded a national survey to gain insights. Hundreds of organizations participated in the study which was comprised of questions related to personnel, budgets, and medical programs.

We need to understand the breadth and depth of these challenges so we can work toward solutions.  During this webinar, the study’s principal investigator and The Association’s CEO will share our findings.

WEBSITE LINK:  https://learning.theaawa.org/p/4-10-24

It is commonplace among those who provide foster care for animals to have a recurring conversation with those who do not. Upon hearing that one is an animal foster parent a frequent response is, “Oh, I could never do that. I would not be able to give the animal up.” But this is precisely what those caring for animal fosters are called to do. The ability of animal shelters and rescues to provide critical care through foster homes depends on volunteers who willingly and temporarily take animals into their homes and lives. Studies of foster volunteers has indicated that they find taking care of animals with medical, and particularly behavioral, issue to be stressful. And, volunteers that do not feel that their shelter is providing them sufficient emotional support are more likely to think about quitting. Given these two realities it becomes important for shelter staff to understand the emotional aspects of providing foster care and to identify ways to better support volunteers so that they are satisfied and more likely to continue to provide this service.

The presentation addresses these issues with the following learning objectives:

• What is the nature of attachment (human-animal bond) between volunteers and their foster animals?
• What emotions do volunteers experience when their fosters leave their care?
• What coping and resilience strategies appear to reduce the stress of providing foster care?
• How can animal shelters help foster volunteers cope with the stress inherent to fostering?

This webinar has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by the National Animal Care & Control Association. It has also been submitted for approval for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize the Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) approval.

If you have questions you’d like our presenter to answer, submit your questions or comments on this discussion thread: https://forum.maddiesfund.org/discussion/webcast-on-january-11-2024-maddies-insights-foster-care-and-the-human-animal-bond

About the Presenter
Dr. Laura Reese is a professor in the School of Planning, Design, and Construction at Michigan State University.  Her research focuses on issues of animal welfare policy and shelter management.  She wrote the book, Strategies for Successful Animal Shelters, and has published numerous articles on local animal ordinances, dog bite risks, animal cruelty, compassion fatigue, animal foster programs, and animal shelter volunteer satisfaction.  She is the president of Professional Animal Welfare Services which provides consulting services to animal shelters and rescues and founded The Un-Shelter a foster-based rescue in Michigan.  Dr. Reese also volunteers in and provides foster care for local animal shelters in the Charleston, SC area.

WEBSITE LINK:  http://maddies.fund/MIwebcasts

Housing is a necessity that impacts all families in the United States, and believe it or not – it also profoundly affects animal shelters. Join us for a webinar on the state of housing and the history of housing justice advocacy efforts in the U.S. (and why animal welfare advocates should care). Lauren Loney, Staff Attorney & Policy Specialist for HASS, will share highlights from the HASS shelter intake reasons database, which details more than 20,000 housing-related intakes across the country. Joining Lauren is Megan Collop (MSW, LCSW), Manager of Client Support Services for Colorado Legal Services, and Christina Rosales, Housing and Land Justice Director for PowerSwitch Action. Megan is a licensed clinical social worker with a master’s in social work and an Animal Assisted Social Work certificate. Christina holds a master’s in social work and has dedicated her career to advocating for equitable housing. These impressive panelists will discuss why our approach to the pets and housing crisis must go beyond pet inclusivity, be intersectional, and align with broader tenants’ rights and housing justice movements; they will also provide resources for how to do it. Vincent Medley, Maddie’s® Director of Human Animal Support Services, will moderate.

Register below and join us live on Thursday, January 11 at 5 p.m. CT. After the live event, a recording will be distributed to all registrants within 3 business days.

WEBSITE LINK:  https://zoom.us/webinar/register/2616740581796/WN_-AIP-PlOQt-geuDOGubKoA

Euthanasia is an experience, not a procedure or event. The experience of the loss of an animal companion, no matter how dignified, well-planned, and peaceful, initiates a physiological, cognitive, and emotional process which is unique to the individual. This program explores the experience of loss not only for the human “pet parent,” but also for the other animals who shared in the life of the deceased. Humans and animals have parallel emotional circuitry built into the limbic system of the brain. There is much about the emotional experience of loss that we have in common with our animal companions. Listeners will be challenged to imagine foreign perspectives and re-think the human-animal bond, anthropomorphism, and mortality itself.

This webinar will equip you with skills to:

• Challenge assumptions about patients, clients, and the end of life
• Become comfortable allowing animals to show their emotional needs
• Engage better with clients, patients, and colleagues

WEBSITE LINK:  https://www.blackdvmnetwork.com/event-details/grief-loss-in-veterinary-medicine

Learn about all the ways in which DPFL Playgroups are transforming shelters all across the country! This webinar (formerly offered in three parts) will cover the Why, the What, and the How of playgroups.

Attendees will be introduced to dynamic video examples and impactful data and experiences from some of the over 350 shelters who have embraced the power of letting shelter dogs play!

This is a 3-hour presentation with Q&A at intervals throughout. This webinar will not be recorded.

This course has been pre-approved for 3 continuing education unit (CEU) credits for Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (AAWA) and by the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP).

WEBSITE LINK:  https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ie4fO2XQQcmgY_2MQnbwnA#/registration