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

Sign up to receive our weekly industry events newsletter

Webinar – 2/11/25 – How Much Do You Know About Bird Flu? – Maddie’s Fund

Virtual

Maddie's Fund Presents: During this webcast, Drs. Cynda Crawford and @Julie Levy will talk about risk factors for H5N1 avian influenza infection of cats in outdoor and indoor settings; risk mitigation measures for shelters, TNR clinics, and community clinics; and what to do if you suspect a cat might be infected.

Free

Webinar – 2/11/25 – When Cursing Isn’t Enough: Understanding Compassion Fatigue and Stress for Animal Welfare Professionals – NACA/Justice Clearinghouse

Virtual

NACA/Justice Clearinghouse Present: This webinar takes a direct look at the emotional and complex aspects of emotional fatigue and stress for animal care, control, and welfare workers and volunteers. It explores how the emotional impact directly affects us as well as how we can turn it into job satisfaction, thereby improving the lives of animals as well as ourselves. Learn how the joys and pains of the job often parallel each other.

Free

Online Meeting – Mondays – Weekly Community Conversations #ThanksToMaddie – Maddie’s Fund

Virtual

Maddie's Fund Presents: Join us each Monday at 11am PT/2pm ET to receive support and learn about innovative ideas other organizations across the country are seeing success with. If you registered prior to May 2024 or are new to these meetings, please use this link to register:
https://maddies.fund/CommunityConvoRegistration2024

Free

Webinar – 2/6/25 – Puppy Socialization or Infectious Disease Prevention: Can’t We Have Both? – Fear Free

Virtual

Fear Free and Elanco Present: Puppies are like sponges, learning how to navigate the world. Unfortunately, as they transition from maternal to vaccine-acquired immunity, they can also “soak up” life-threatening infectious diseases. Join Dr. Meghan Herron, DVM, DACVB, FFCP-V, and Dr. Jason Stull, VMD, MPVM, PhD, DACVPM, on Thursday, February 6, at 8 p.m. ET, for a review of key concepts and practical step-by-step recommendations for safe and effective puppy socialization.

Free

Webinar – 2/6/25 – From Data to Dollars: Making Your Municipal Shelter’s Case for Funding – Best Friends

Virtual

Best Friends Presents: Shelter leaders know a budget cut can be the difference between life and death for the animals in their care. In this webinar, we’ll help you navigate these challenges with the tools and knowledge to make a data-driven case for your funding. Using data from shelter management software, Census reports, Shelter Pet Data Alliance, and more, you can present a compelling, fact-based argument for keeping or even increasing the budget you need to continue your lifesaving work.

Free

Online Event – 2/6/25 – Maddie’s Monthly Foster Connection: Protecting Pups – A Shelter Vet’s Guide to Common Infectious Disease – Maddie’s Fund

Virtual

Maddie's Fund Presents: ​​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.

Free

Online Event – 2/4/25 – All Call: Why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Still Matters – California for All Animals

Virtual

California for All Animals Presents: In animal welfare, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are not just ideals—they are essential components of impactful and sustainable change. However, enacting change is not always easy. Join Jasmin Robinson to explore three strategies to address diversity, equity, and inclusion in the animal welfare profession and discover how prioritizing DEI can strengthen our collective mission to improve the lives of animals and the communities that care for them.

Free

Online Meeting – Mondays – Weekly Community Conversations #ThanksToMaddie – Maddie’s Fund

Virtual

Maddie's Fund Presents: Join us each Monday at 11am PT/2pm ET to receive support and learn about innovative ideas other organizations across the country are seeing success with. If you registered prior to May 2024 or are new to these meetings, please use this link to register:
https://maddies.fund/CommunityConvoRegistration2024

Free

Online Event – 1/29/25 – Insights on the Consequences of America’s Affordable Housing Crisis on People, Pets, and Animal Shelters – IHAC

Virtual

IHAC Presents: This presentation will share a brief history of how we arrived at today's housing crisis, the local, state, and federal policy changes supported by our research, and provide the audience with an exciting peek at upcoming research in collaboration with the City of Denver to implement and assess a pilot pet deposit assistance program. Join us to learn about trends in pet relinquishment due to housing issues, policy solutions, and programmatic tools that may be most useful to mitigate the flow of beloved pets into animal shelters.

Free

Online Meeting – Mondays – Weekly Community Conversations #ThanksToMaddie – Maddie’s Fund

Virtual

Maddie's Fund Presents: Discover how fostering collaboration, navigating conflict with a transformational justice lens, and rooting into your values can help align your work, not only with the needs of the communities most impacted, but also with the needs of your staff on the ground-- particularly those whose identities mirror the communities you work within. Whether you're rethinking decision-making models, deepening your commitment to equity, or addressing internal conflict, this session will showcase Freedom Verses' tools and approaches to help your organization create lasting change while staying true to its values.

Free

Online Conference – 1/25/25 and 1/26/25 – Online Cat Conference – Community Cats Podcast (fee applies)

Virtual

Community Cats Podcast Presents (fee applies): Take part in two days filled with cat-centric content, speakers from a wide variety of animal welfare roles share their perspectives on the field, providing valuable insights to help you or your organization create a more humane world for community cats.

$50 – $75

Online Conference – 1/25/25 and 1/26/25 – Online Cat Conference – Community Cats Podcast (fee applies)

Virtual

Community Cats Podcast Presents (fee applies): Take part in two days filled with cat-centric content, speakers from a wide variety of animal welfare roles share their perspectives on the field, providing valuable insights to help you or your organization create a more humane world for community cats.

$50 – $75

Online Seminar – 1/21/25 and 1/23/25 – New Laws for 2025 – CVMA (fee applies)

Virtual

CVMA Presents (fee applies for non-members): With several new laws taking effect in 2025, it is important for veterinary practices to have a clear view of the legal landscape to ensure continuing compliance. This talk will cover new and important laws that all employers and employees should be aware of moving forward.

Free – $120

Webinar – 1/23/25 – Shelter & Rescue – A Training and Development Framework For Staff and Volunteers with Petra Edwards – PPG (fee applies)

Virtual

PPG Presents (fee applies): This comprehensive and holistic approach to training and development was introduced at the RSPCA South Australia with a new training and safety program – PAWS Training. This presentation explores the development, rollout, and overall outcomes of the PAWS program, including challenges faced, improvements made, and benefits to animals in care. We will also discuss the core transferable components for other organisations whose core business is working with large numbers of animals and people.

$20 – $30

Online Event – 1/23/25 – Maddie’s Monthly Behavior Connection: Decoding Behavior Certifications – Maddie’s Fund

Virtual

Maddie's Fund Presents: 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.

Free