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Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits
How animal shelters can shift from a kennel-centric medical model to a foster-centric clinic that effectively supports animals living in foster homes.
This course is part of Maddie's Monthly Foster Connection, monthly webcasts about foster care - supporting pets in our community and animal shelters.
In this discussion, we will review how animal shelters can shift from a kennel-centric medical model to a foster-centric clinic that effectively supports animals living in foster homes. As more shelters place 50% or more of animals in foster care, clinics must adapt their infrastructure, staffing, communication, and workflows to serve both people and pets. The discussion emphasizes guiding principles such as prioritizing quality of life, valuing foster caregivers as essential partners, transparency in decision-making, and treating foster care as a core organizational function.
Presenter: Jordana Moerbe, Director of Lifesaving Partnerships and Medical Care at Austin Pets Alive!
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.
Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: http://maddies.fund/FosterConnectionApril2026
Keywords Maddie's Monthly Foster Connection, foster care-givers, foster support, Jordana Moerbe, Austin Pets Alive!
Joanna Moerbe
Director of Lifesaving Partnerships and Medical Care
Austin Pets Alive!
Jordana brings more than 19 years of experience in animal welfare and is a founding staff member of Austin Pets Alive!. During her tenure, she created the Medical Triage and Wellness Clinic, which has grown into the largest foster-centric medical clinic in the country, treating more than 7,500 medical cases annually.
In 2017, Jordana expanded her work nationally, specializing in shelter clinic management, disease management, and outbreak response. She has partnered with shelters and rescues across the country to improve medical practices, increase live outcomes, and enhance operational efficiency through innovative programming and practical solutions. She also served as an instructor for the American Pets Alive! Maddie’s Medical Program, developing both in-person trainings and online coursework.
Currently, Jordana is the Director of Lifesaving Partnerships and Medical Care at Austin Pets Alive!, where she oversees both the Medical Program and the Austin Pets Alive! Transport Program. Her passion lies in outside-the-box problem-solving and equipping people with realistic tools and strategies to tackle complex industry challenges.
Jordana lives just outside Austin, Texas, with her husband, daughter, five dogs, three barn cats, and a variety of farm animals.-
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Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits
How to guide adopters through private rehoming when appropriate, the questions they ask before accepting a behaviorally complex return, and how they incorporate professional assessments into their decision-making.
This course is part of Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection, monthly webcasts about pet behavior - supporting pets in our community and animal shelters.
This webinar is for anyone working in or around animals in shelters.
Navigating dog adoption returns can be a complex and difficult issue, especially when a dog exhibits unsafe behaviors in their home. For Stacy Price, Chief Operating Officer at One Tail at a Time, her organization has developed a system that does everything possible to support and respect people and pets during these circumstances.
While our goal is always to keep adopted animals in homes, there are times when a return is requested, and the shelter environment may not be in the dog's best interest-or safe for staff and volunteers. Stacy will walk through how to guide adopters through private rehoming when appropriate, the questions they ask before accepting a behaviorally complex return, and how they incorporate professional assessments into their decision-making. The session will also cover how they provide compassionate support and clear guidance when behavioral euthanasia is the most humane option.
Speaker:
Stacy Price, Chief Operating Officer at One Tail at a TimeThis 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.
Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, access the resources, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/BehaviorConnectionMarch2026
keywords Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection, Stacy Price, One Tail at a Time, dog adoption, rehoming
Stacy Price
Operations Director
One Tail at a Time
Stacy Price has over 15 years of animal welfare experience, starting her career studying techniques to prevent stress behaviors in zoo animals. Her focus was forever changed in 2009 when she adopted an overlooked senior white shepherd from a county shelter. With Vlad as her inspiration, Stacy has spent the last 10 years in leadership positions at various open intake and managed admission facilities before landing the job as One Tail at a Time's Operations Director. When she’s not working, you can likely find Stacy at home with her five cats, three dogs, rabbit, horse and incredibly tolerant husband.
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Contains 5 Component(s), Includes CreditsRACE CE
How early-life stress such as inadequate nutrition, maternal separation, unreliable access to shelter, threats/abuse, and disease affects rescue kittens' behavior and health.
Maddie's® Insights are monthly webcasts with practical tips based on current research to help pets and people.
Across species, early-life stressors, such as inadequate nutrition, maternal separation, unreliable access to shelter, threats/abuse, and disease, profoundly affect brain development and behavior. Research has shown these stressors can impair cognitive, emotional, and social functions as well as alter the body's stress response systems, particularly the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In kittens specifically, early nutritional stress and maternal separation have been linked to learning deficits, abnormal fear responses, increased aggression, and altered play behavior.
At the end of this webinar, you will :
- be able to identify several different examples of early life stressors
- understand why hair cortisol concentration (HCC) may be useful to measure
- be able to provide potential reasons for high and low HCC
- understand why relative telomere length (RTL) is measured
- be able to provide potential causes for shortened telomeres
- be able to provide examples of how early life stressors were associated with the behaviours that rescue kittens displayed during testingPresenter:
Jennifer Vernick, DVM, Behavioural Medicine Resident at Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEIThis webinar has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (CAWA) and by the National Animal Care & Control Association (NACA). It has also been approval for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval until 2/23/2028. Complete the quiz to earn a certificate of attendance to use for CAWA and NACA.
Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/InsightsMarch2026
keywords Maddie's Insights, rescue kittens, kitten behavior, kitten health, Jennifer VernickJennifer Vernick, DVM
Behavioural Medicine Resident
Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI
Jennifer Vernick, DVM is a Behavioral Medicine Resident at Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI. Jennifer has eight years of diverse veterinary experience spanning emergency medicine, primary care, and large animal practice, combined with a dedication to client education and compassionate, kind, evidence-based patient care. She specializes in behavioral medicine and clinical research, focusing on early-life stressors and anxiety-based pathologies in puppies and kittens. Currently, she is completing a dual residency in Behavioral Medicine (ACVB-approved) and PhD in Animal Behaviour at the Atlantic Veterinary College under the mentorship of Dr. Karen Overall. Her proven expertise in clinical case management, psychopharmacology, and translating research findings into evidence-based treatment protocols is evident a numerous peer-reviewed veterinary journals.
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Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits
This presentation focuses on two of the highest risk animal groups in your shelter and how to make them a core part of your foster program: dogs with extended lengths of stay and neonatal kittens.
This course is part of Maddie's Monthly Foster Connection, monthly webcasts about foster care - supporting pets in our community and animal shelters.
Fostering is a critical lifesaving pathway for most municipal shelters, but too often at-risk populations are overlooked in favor of highly adoptable animals. This presentation will focus on two of the highest risk animal groups in your shelter and how to make them a focus of your foster program: dogs with extended lengths of stay and neonatal kittens.
Short term fosters, or "Foster Field Trips" as they are known, help dogs by giving them a psychological reset from the shelter with minimal effort from foster families. Foster Field Trips help you set up these high-risk dogs for success in two major ways - they help improve kennel presentation and overall behavior upon their return to the shelter as well as provide your team with valuable personality insights that matter to potential adopters.
Empowering your community to foster kittens before they even enter your shelter can not only increase your capacity for care, but also set these kittens up for the best shot at a healthy life. For the kittens already in your shelter, overcoming the barrier of "I've never fostered kittens before!" is often the first and only step you'll need towards increasing your live release rate within this population.
Presenter: Ryan Miller, Grants Manager, The Animal Foundation
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.
Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions:
Keywords Maddie's Monthly Foster Connection, foster care-givers, foster support, Ryan Miller, The Animal FoundationRyan Miller
Grants Manager
The Animal Foundation
Ryan Miller is currently the Grants Manager for The Animal Foundation, and has been with the company for nearly six years. He graduated from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln in 2010 with a degree in Mathematics and further pursued Master’s coursework in Industrial Engineering with an emphasis in Project Management.
He has an educational and professional background in project management, financial forecasting, program development, and operational auditing. He refined these skills in large-scale retailers and technological law firms, gaining experience and has since carried this knowledge over into the nonprofit sector.
He left the for-profit corporate world in 2019 to pursue his lifelong passion in animal welfare. Starting in the animal admissions department and working his way through multiple areas including foster, community outreach, and accounting, he ultimately ended up in the Development department. In his current role, he works heavily with nearly all departments within the shelter, helping to create or enhance programs with funding, planning, and implementation.
In his off time, he enjoys hiking desert trails of the Mojave Desert, training his AmStaff soul dog, and reading fantasy novels.-
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Contains 3 Component(s), Includes CreditsNew!
Ditch outdated traditional assessments and implement an eight-step protocol for assessing dog behavior through everyday interactions
When we assess dogs through everyday interactions, we can gather well-rounded information about the dog's personality, preferences and needs, leading to more informed decisions and better outcomes for the dogs in our care. This course introduces an eight-step protocol for assessing dog behavior through everyday interactions and provides automated forms for collecting behavior information.
This course was authored by Kristen Brown, CPDT-KA, VSA-CDT, Lifesaving Programs Specialist, Lynchburg Humane Society.-
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Contains 3 Component(s), Includes CreditsNew!
Help dogs who arrive at the shelter struggling with fear, anxiety and stress build trust through "Social Time" activities
Some dogs arrive at the shelter struggling to cope with fear, anxiety and stress, and may not be ready to accept handling or leave their kennel for a walk. These dogs may benefit from Social Time: low-pressure, positive interactions that build trust from outside the kennel. The positive association built through Social Time can then serve as the foundation for a trusting relationship that may eventually help the dog accept more handling, go out for walks and cope better with the shelter environment. Through a series of videos, this quick course presents three Social Time activities along with automated forms to help you collect behavioral information.
This course was authored by Kristen Brown, CPDT-KA, VSA-CDT, Lifesaving Programs Specialist, Lynchburg Humane Society.
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Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits
No one wants to experience a serious dog fight, but knowing how to safely and effectively break them up can save lives and prevent injuries.
This course is part of Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection, monthly webcasts about pet behavior - supporting pets in our community and animal shelters.
No one wants to experience a serious dog fight, but knowing how to safely and effectively break them up can save lives and prevent injuries.
One of the most important ways we can meet shelter dogs' needs and reduce behavior problems is to allow our dogs contact and playtime with their own species. Many staff and volunteers are concerned about giving dogs this vital exercise, enrichment, and important natural behavior outlet because of a fear of dog fights. While dog fights can sound scary, most are just "spit and noise" and cause little to no damage, many of us have seen fights that caused more damage, or fights where a person was also injured. Most of the ways we naturally approach breaking up a dog fight can actually make things worse, so teaching people how to break dog fights up efficiently and safely is an important part of onboarding any employees who may supervise dog interactions.
Laurie Lawless (of Shelter Behavior Integrations) and Trish McMillan (of Shelter Behavior Hub) are shelter behavior experts with decades of experience monitoring and facilitating dog play in many different contexts, but especially with shelter dogs. This webinar will review the tools and techniques they believe shelters should have on hand and employees should be taught to use, so that dogs can be cared for more safely, and so that they can have their needs met and behavior improved through social contact with their own kind.This webinar is for anyone working in or around animals in shelters.
Speakers:
Laurie Lawless (Shelter Behavior Integrations)
Trish McMillan (Shelter Behavior Hub)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.
Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, access the resources, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/BehaviorC...
keywords Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection, dog fights, breaking up dog fights, self-care, Laurie Lawless, Trish McMillan
Trish McMillan, MSc
Owner
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, then helping assess and rehabilitate dogs from cruelty cases, dogfighting and hoarding situations, and researching, writing and presenting on animal behavior topics. Sh owns McMillan Animal Behavior in North Carolina, run from her small farm, Pibble Hill. There, she does training and behavior modification work with dogs, cats, and horses. Trish speaks and consults nationally and internationally on animal sheltering issues, dog, cat, and horse behavior, dog aggression, and defensive handling.
When she’s not on the road, Trish shares her life with three horses, two goats, four dogs, way too many chickens, and two cats as well as a rotation of foster animals.Laurie Lawless, CDBC
Founder
Shelter Behavior Integrations
Laurie Lawless, CDBC, is a nationally recognized expert in shelter dog behavior, with over 16 years of in behavior, sheltering, leadership, consulting, and animal cruelty response. Her career was sparked in 2008 when she rescued an 85 lb Boxer named Charlie - his behavioral challenges launched her into the world of professional dog behavior work, and she’s been “blaming Charlie” ever since.
In 2023, Laurie founded Shelter Behavior Integrations to help shelter teams implement behavior-forward practices in ways that are accessible, practical, and deeply impactful. Her passion lies in finding calm within the daily chaos of sheltering by streamlining operations and positive outcomes while improving behavioral support for the animals.
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Contains 6 Component(s), Includes CreditsRACE CE
Learn how to apply the new ASV Humane Rabbit Housing Guidelines in real shelter settings, with practical, budget friendly steps to reduce stress for rabbits and teams while improving everyday care.
Webinar Overview
Domestic rabbits are among the most common small mammals housed in animal shelters, yet until recently, there were no comprehensive, evidence-based guidelines to inform their care and housing. In 2025, the Association of Shelter Veterinarians released the first set of "Guidelines for Humane Rabbit Housing in Animal Shelters", developed by a panel of experts in shelter medicine, behavior, and animal welfare.
This session will introduce veterinarians and veterinary technicians to the principles behind these new guidelines, including the scientific foundation, the process by which recommendations were developed, and the core housing elements shown to reduce stress, improve health, and support positive outcomes for rabbits in shelter care. Presenters will highlight both the practical and welfare-driven aspects of rabbit housing design, with emphasis on considerations unique to rabbits as prey species, such as space allocation, flooring, hiding opportunities, enrichment, and group versus individual housing.
By grounding daily practice in these standards, shelters can provide safer, more effective, and more humane housing environments for rabbits, ultimately improving capacity for care and supporting live outcomes.
Learning Objectives:
- Review the process and rationale behind development of the 2025 ASV Rabbit Housing Guidelines.
- Identify key housing principles that directly impact rabbit health, welfare, and behavior in shelters.
- Discuss practical applications of the guidelines in diverse shelter environments, including considerations for medical, behavioral, and outcome planning.
- Recognize how improved rabbit housing contributes to shelter capacity for care and positive animal welfare outcomes.Continuing Education Credits
This webinar has been approved for 1.5 hours of Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (AAWA) and by the National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA).
This course has been approved for 1.5 hours of RACE continuing education credit until 10/6/27 in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval. Upon completing the course and passing the quiz, upload your certificate to https://CEBroker.com. This is the broker used by the AAVSB to track your continuing education credits.
Keywords
MMPC, Shelter Learniverse, KSMP Shelter Learniverse, shelter medicine, rabbit housing guidelines, shelter rabbit care, humane rabbit housing, rabbits, rabbit welfare, animal shelter rabbits, rabbit enrichment, rabbit stress reduction, capacity for care, ASV rabbit guidelines
Contact
Email us at help@shelterlearniverse.com if you have any questions or concerns about this webinar.
Maddie’s® Pet Forum Discussion Thread
You can also join the discussion about these concepts over on Maddie's Pet Forum in the discussion thread. CLICK HERE
Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge
With the Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge, the Five Key Initiatives of the Million Cat Challenge have expanded to include other species at risk in shelters and evolved into the Four Rights.
Within the Four Rights, every element works in concert to support one another: animals and people are treated as individuals, empowering shelter staff to make the best decisions for everyone; community safety net services are in place and flourishing; and humane care within the shelter is provided, with appropriate outcomes for the animals that do come in, allowing shelters to deliver the Right Care, in the Right Place, at the Right Time, and to the Right Outcome
Learn more about Maddie's® Million Pet Challenge Learniverse. #ThankstoMaddie
Sarah Hicks, DVM
Outreach Veterinarian & Clinical Instructor
University of Wisconsin- Madison , School of Veterinary Medicine- Shelter Medicine Program
Dr. Sarah Hicks, DVM is a shelter medicine veterinarian, educator, and outreach leader currently serving as Outreach Veterinarian and Clinical Instructor with the Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. She brings more than a decade of hands on experience spanning frontline shelter care, medical leadership, and academic teaching, with a career grounded in improving animal welfare through practical, evidence based approaches.
Dr. Hicks previously served as Medical Director and Interim Executive Director at Companion Animal Alliance in Baton Rouge, where she led medical operations while supporting organizational change and community centered care. A graduate of Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, she has also completed the UW and UC Davis Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Fellowship and holds multiple certifications in Fear Free shelter care, workplace wellbeing, racial equity, facilitation, and mental health first aid.
Her professional interests include capacity for care, infectious disease management, kitten and neonatal care, leveraging veterinary resources in shelter settings, and building sustainable systems that support both animals and people. Dr. Hicks is a published author and frequent national speaker, sharing practical strategies with shelter teams across the country on topics ranging from outbreak management to humane housing and community engagement. She is an active member of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians and the American Veterinary Medical Association, and remains deeply passionate about empowering shelter staff with tools that improve outcomes and everyday operations.
Jonna Swanson, DVM
Shelter Veterinarian
Elk Grove Animal Services
Dr. Jonna Swanson, DVM is a shelter medicine veterinarian with more than 15 years of experience advancing accessible, compassionate veterinary care across animal shelters, community clinics, and international outreach programs. She currently serves as Shelter Veterinarian at Elk Grove Animal Services in California, where she leads medical operations, performs daily surgery including rabbit spay and neuter, and collaborates across departments to improve animal flow and capacity for care. Dr. Swanson previously held leadership roles as Medical Director of Shelter Medicine at Animal Friends in Pittsburgh and Assistant Clinical Professor of Shelter Medicine at the University of Minnesota, where she helped shape shelter medicine curriculum and trained hundreds of veterinary students. A Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Swanson’s career spans high volume spay and neuter, infectious disease management, community cat programs, humane investigations, and global animal welfare work. Her passion centers on improving outcomes for vulnerable animal populations through practical, evidence informed shelter medicine and collaborative team based care.
Zarah Hedge, DVM, MPH, DABVP
Vice President of Shelter Medicine and Chief Medical Officer
San Diego Humane Society
Dr. Hedge, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, DABVP is Vice President of Shelter Medicine and Chief Medical Officer at San Diego Humane Society, where she leads medical operations across a large multi campus system and oversees shelter hospitals, community medicine programs, veterinary education, and outreach initiatives. A board certified specialist in both Shelter Medicine and Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Dr. [Name] brings more than a decade of experience advancing high quality, accessible care for animals and communities through innovative shelter programs, HQHVSN surgery, community cat initiatives, and student training.
She previously served as Assistant Professor of Shelter Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences, where she built an affordable care teaching clinic from the ground up and helped develop graduate shelter medicine training programs. Her career also includes completing one of the first three year shelter medicine residencies in partnership with Oregon Humane Society and Oregon State University, along with extensive work in community based veterinary outreach through organizations such as Rural Area Veterinary Services and the ASPCA.
Dr. Hedge holds a DVM with Honors Distinction, an MPH from the University of Minnesota, and is currently pursuing an MS in Veterinary Forensic Science at the University of Florida. Her professional focus centers on population health, community centered care, education, and building sustainable shelter medicine systems that improve outcomes for animals while supporting the people who care for them.
Mehnaz (Chumkee) Aziz, DVM
Outreach Veterinarian
Koret Shelter Medicine Program, UC Davis
Chumkee obtained her DVM degree at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in 2012. She then completed an internship at the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital in NYC in 2013, which included experience in anti-cruelty work and shelter medicine. Chumkee was a resident at the KSMP from 2013-2016. She headed the Northern Tier Shelter Initiative and served as Senior Director of Shelter Medicine Services at the ASPCA before returning to the KSMP in January, 2022 as an outreach veterinarian.Her current interests include the role of community collaboration in mitigating pet homelessness, proactive shelter population management, and infectious disease prevention in shelters.
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Contains 3 Component(s), Includes CreditsNew!
Learn to identify and articulate your values and align your values with your professional and personal actions
This course is inspired by a thought-provoking live session we held on how our values shape our actions, intentions and motivations. In this course you will learn to identify and articulate your values, see how these values manifest in various areas of your life and align your values with your professional and personal actions. By the end of this course, you will not only recognize the values you hold but also understand how to align them with your daily life and long-term goals, to build congruence and fulfillment.
This course will benefit professionals seeking to understand and align their work with their personal values; individuals in transition, looking to redefine their life and career paths; leaders and managers aiming to foster a value-driven culture in their organizations; and anyone interested in personal development and how values influence life choices and interactions.
This course is the third in a series of five courses that will take a closer look at topics covered in the foundational course, The Journey You Own: Practices for Well-being and Productivity. It is recommended that you enroll in the foundational course before taking courses in the Deeper Dive series, but it is not required. The course is authored by Jyothi V. Robertson, DVM, DABVP (Shelter Medicine) and the Journey You Own team.
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Contains 4 Component(s), Includes CreditsNew!
Identify and distinguish between cruelty and neglect, assess owner intent and capacity, and determine when education, support services or enforcement is the most appropriate course of action
This course equips animal welfare professionals and related stakeholders with the skills to identify and distinguish between cruelty and neglect, assess owner intent and capacity, and determine when education, support services or enforcement is the most appropriate course of action.
By introducing entry-level investigative techniques with a community-centered approach, the course supports ethical, informed and effective decision making that improves animal outcomes while maintaining fairness and professionalism.
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