This course helps animal welfare staff and volunteers create adoption marketing that increases placements through deeper connection with their community. We'll focus on positive framing, understanding the difference between marketing and adoption counseling, and practical skills you can use immediately. 

Students learn to write bios focused on compatibility, improve their visual storytelling, and develop marketing strategies that reach beyond the usual animal welfare bubble. You’ll practice strategies like translating guilt messaging into positive framing and turning insider jargon into language audiences understand.

Each week we'll build part of a practical Adoption Marketing Toolkit including bio templates, response guides, photo resources, and social media frameworks. Throughout, we'll address the connection between marketing and operations (because even great marketing won't succeed without the support of the big-picture policies and procedures!).

(5) 75-minute classes over 6 weeks, estimated time commitment of 10 hours for coursework and classes

Instructor: Caitlin Quinn, Adjunct Instructor at the University of Florida and communications & customer-experience consultant for animal welfare organizations

When? 

• SECTION 1:  Zoom classes will be held Wednesdays 3:30 PM-4:45 PM (Pacific) / 6:30 PM-7:45 PM (Eastern) on 3/11, 3/18, 3/25, 4/1, and 4/15. No class on 4/8.

OR

• SECTION 2:  Zoom classes will be held Thursdays 3:00 PM-4:15 PM (Pacific) / 6:00 PM-7:15 PM (Eastern) on 3/12, 3/19, 3/26, 4/2, and 4/16. No class on 4/9.

Who should apply?  Any animal welfare professional responsible for creating content that promotes pets for adoption, including but not limited to:

• Marketing and communications staff
• Executive & leadership staff
• Adoption, foster & volunteer coordinators
• Volunteers & Board members
• Fosters

Content is practical, immediately applicable, and designed for organizations of any size or budget. No prior marketing experience is required.

Neonatal kittens are the most vulnerable—and most euthanized—animals in shelters nationwide. This course empowers shelters and rescues of all sizes to build sustainable, high-impact neonatal programs grounded in the principles of Shelter Medicine and High-Quality, High-Volume (HQHV) kitten care.

Modeled after the success of National Kitten College, this four-session series provides a step-by-step guide to launching or strengthening a Kitten College–style program tailored to your organization. Participants will learn how to design foster-based systems, implement evidence-based protocols, train and support staff and foster caregivers, and build the partnerships and data infrastructure needed for long-term success.

A defining feature of this course is that every participant becomes part of the National Kitten College movement. Graduates receive a customizable Kitten College logo and framework, allowing them to build and brand a program that best fits their community while remaining connected to a national network of kitten lifesavers. Participants may choose to establish their own nationally recognized Kitten College, join the National Kitten College network as a partner site, or adapt the model to strengthen existing efforts.

Whether you are starting from scratch or scaling an established program, this course equips you with the tools, community, and national alignment needed to save more lives through innovation, collaboration, and compassion.

This course is eligible for 2.0 credit hours toward the AAVSB's (American Association of Veterinary State Boards) Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) program.

(4) 60-minute Zoom classes over 4-weeks, estimated time commitment of 10 hours for coursework and classes.

Instructor: Marnie Russ, Founder & Executive Director, National Kitten College

When? 

• SECTION 1:  Zoom classes will be held Mondays 3:00 PM-4:00 PM (Pacific) / 6:00 PM-7:00 PM (Eastern) on 3/9, 3/16, 3/23, and 3/30 

OR

• SECTION 2:  Zoom classes will be held Thursdays 1:00 PM-2:00 PM (Pacific) / 4:00 PM-5:00 PM (Eastern) on 3/12, 3/19, 3/26, and 4/2

Who should apply?  Shelter directors, program coordinators, veterinary staff, and foster program managers

Shelter programming for cats is radically changing every day! Learn how it’s evolved and how to create or grow coordinated programs that result in increased feline lifesaving. 

In this advanced-level instructor-led course, students will explore why cat services need reformation and how to lead their organization through challenges. Students will learn how to implement essential cat programs, lead staff and volunteers, engage their community, and be as effective as possible with limited resources. 

Course content includes: Handling Fractious and Feral Cats, Shelter-Neuter-Return and Community Cat Management, Intake Decisions for Cats, FIV, FeLV, Ringworm, Panleukopenia, Behavior Programs, Conflict Resolution, Adoptions, Matchmaking, Working Cat Programs, and more.

(4) 90-minute  Zoom classes over 4-weeks, estimated time commitment of 20 hours for coursework and classes.

Instructor: Monica Tarant, Chief Innovation Officer, Give Them Ten 

When? Zoom classes will be held Wednesdays 12:00 PM-1:30 PM (Pacific) / 3:00 PM-4:30 PM (Eastern) on 3/11, 3/18, 3/25, and 4/1

Who should apply? For shelter-based organization directors, managers or coordinators who are empowered to make changes and launch new initiatives in their organizations. Representatives of organizations with physical facilities will get the most from this offering.

This course is designed to teach shelter and rescue professionals to identify common behavior problems in shelter dogs and help you place those animals in foster homes. Taking on a dog that presents with concerning behaviors can be a daunting task for a foster caregiver, especially those that are new to fostering. Training shelter staff and volunteers to assist and support foster dogs during their stay not only empowers foster caregivers to take on more cases, but also increases positive outcomes for dogs that present with behavior concerns.

During the live sessions, students will get an in-depth look at case studies, hone their behavior observation skills, learn more about balancing risk and quality of life, break down protocols step by step, as well as look at the subtleties and nuances of big behaviors. At the end of this course, students will use their new skills to develop foster protocols catered to their own organizations.

This course has been pre-approved for 4.0 continuing education units for trainers in the knowledge area from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT).

(6) 90-minute Zoom classes over 7-weeks, estimated time commitment of 16 hours for coursework and classes.

Instructor: Samantha Wolfman, KPA CTP, CPDT-KA, Owner & Head Trainer, Wolf.Man Dog Training & Consulting, and Foster and Transport Coordinator, Animal Welfare League of Arlington

When?  

• SECTION 1: Zoom classes will be held Fridays 11:00 AM-12:30 PM (Pacific) / 2:00 PM-3:30 PM (Eastern) on 3/13, 3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/17, and 4/24. No class on 4/10.

OR

• SECTION 2:  Zoom classes will be held Fridays 1:00 PM-2:30 PM (Pacific) / 4:00 PM-5:30 PM (Eastern) on 3/13, 3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/17, and 4/24. No class on 4/10.

Who should apply? Anyone who handles animals, including directors, managers, coordinators, and volunteers is encouraged to apply. This class is best suited to organizations that have an established dog foster program and are looking to expand their reach with behavior animals.

For as long as anyone can remember, rural communities have struggled to effectively support animal welfare and human well-being connected to it. They often find themselves trapped in reactive cycles that overwhelm limited resources and rarely leave room for prevention or long-term change. They are running hard just to stay in place while the root causes of suffering remain largely untouched. 

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Across the country, small communities are learning a new way of thinking, enabling them to provide impactful, sustainable services and support to the people and pets in their area. Instead of reacting to crisis after crisis, these communities are stepping back and looking inward. These groups are examining how policies and assumptions shape behavior and outcomes. They are asking different questions: “Where are animals really coming from?”, “What barriers push people toward surrender or abandonment?”, “Are some of our policies actually making things worse?”

By understanding our work as a system in itself and as part of a larger system, rather than as an isolated collection of programs, these communities are finding leverage points that don’t require more money, more staff, fancy facilities, or perfect conditions. Small changes, applied in the right places, are reducing intake, improving outcomes, and uplifting entire communities. 

This course, built on the foundation of Fundamentals of Rural Sheltering, explores that shift. During this course, rural animal welfare leaders will learn how to design services that work with human behavior instead of against it, how to move from punishment to support, and how to build humane, effective systems that reflect the realities of rural life. Leaders will graduate the course with an understanding of how to develop approaches that are right-sized, practical, and durable for their communities. 

(6) 75-minute classes over 7 weeks, estimated time commitment of 11 hours for coursework and classes.

Instructor: Cole Wakefield, Executive Director, Good Shepherd Humane Society

When? Zoom classes will be held Thursdays 1:00 PM-2:15 PM (Pacific) / 4:00 PM-5:15 PM (Eastern) on 3/12, 3/19, 3/26, 4/2, 4/16, and 4/23. No class the week of 4/6-4/10.

Who Should Apply?  This course is a good fit for:

• Executive directors, shelter managers, and program leaders
• Animal control leadership and supervisors
• Community cat, intake, adoption, or access-to-care program leads
• Rural and under-resourced organizations navigating limited capacity
• Professionals who have completed RS101 or have equivalent experience

Participants will benefit most if they are involved in decision-making, program design, policy development, or community engagement, and are ready to examine not just what they do, but why it works (or doesn’t).

This course is less focused on day-to-day animal handling and more focused on designing systems that support people, pets, and staff.

This course introduces you to the key principles of cooperative care to minimize fear, anxiety and stress, and improve safety for staff and dogs during medical care and day-to-day care in the shelter and other environments, such as foster homes. Cooperative care training originated in zoos and other institutions involved in husbandry of wild animals and is considered standard practice in modern accredited zoos and aquariums worldwide. 

There is often an immediate need for medical handling for dogs upon intake into a shelter. The examples in this course reflect "real world" shelter situations, where dogs who are unfamiliar with cooperative care require immediate treatment. Shelters can use cooperative care to make veterinary care and day-to-day care such as grooming and leashing up for walks go more smoothly for dogs. Cooperative care training teaches the dog to permit handling and medical procedures in small steps through desensitization and counterconditioning, while giving them a choice to opt in or out of a procedure by establishing trained yes and no signals.

After completing this course you will be able to:

• Recognize and respect canine "No" signals for safer handling
• Practice using start/stop buttons, predictor cues and touch gradients
• Increase tolerance for handling, grooming and medical procedures through desensitization and counterconditioning

(4) 75-minute classes over 4 weeks, estimated time commitment of 10 hours for coursework and classes

Instructor: Ferdie Yau, MA, CPDT-KA, FFCT, Humane Society of Westchester and CATCH Canine Trainers Academy

When? Zoom classes will be held Wednesdays 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM (Pacific) / 3:00 PM - 4:15 PM (Eastern) on 3/11, 3/18, 3/25, and 4/1

Who Should Apply? Anyone who handles dogs including directors, managers, volunteers, behavior and training staff, veterinarians, techs, veterinary assistants or anyone who wants to be better at taking care of their own dogs. This class is best suited for people who handle dogs on a daily or semi-daily basis.

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Youth programming is the key to expanding your organization’s community reach and is the proactive solution needed to end overpopulation and animal cruelty. Youth programs are also beneficial in introducing new populations of potential donors, fosters, adopters, and volunteers to your organization, while also generating revenue at the same time.

In this course, Charleston Animal Society’s Humane Education team will collaborate with participants to discover new ways to engage children, identify and overcome roadblocks, and find resources to enhance your current programming. Participants will also engage in discussions on challenging animal welfare philosophies that may hold us back.

The live portion of this course is particularly valuable for those who have a direct interest in, or are currently involved with youth programming. If you are already facilitating humane education programs, we’ll dive into specific games, lessons, and program details. Topics will include safety and liability, marketing, funding opportunities, available resources, incorporating animal ambassadors, measuring your success, and more.

(4) 90-minute Zoom classes over 4-weeks, estimated time commitment of 12 hours for coursework and classes 

Instructors: De Daltorio, Chief Education Officer; Heather Grogan, Director of Humane Education; and Kylie Wiest, Humane Education Manager at Charleston Animal Society 

When? Zoom classes will be held Wednesdays 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM (Pacific) / 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM (Eastern) on 3/11, 3/18, 3/25, and 4/1

Who should apply? For shelter or rescue organizations looking to grow their youth programming. We encourage shelter directors, managers, staff and/or volunteers to apply.

At the heart of this course is the question: Who am I?

For many of us, that question gets lost in responsibility, expectations, and caring for everyone else. Over time, we can begin to feel a little disconnected from ourselves and the people and causes that matter the most to us.

To explore that question, we begin with your story.

A central part of this course is developing your Hatching Story, an exploration of how your experiences shape how you think, respond, and show up in your life and work.

Live Better: The Power of YOU™ is a five week online experience that deepens your relationship with yourself through self compassion, self evaluation, and self accountability. The framework is simple and practical: the more clearly and compassionately you understand yourself, the more grounded and intentional you become in how you live, work, and relate to others.

This is where the Power of YOU begins.

By the end of this course, you can:

• Develop language and insight from your experiences that help you better understand your reactions, patterns, and decision-making in everyday situations
• Strengthen your ability to pause and respond with choice, especially in moments of stress, uncertainty, or emotional activation
• Develop the foundation of regulated leadership and teamwork

(5) 90-minute  Zoom classes over 6-weeks,  estimated time commitment of 13-16 hours for coursework and classes. 

Instructor:  José Ocaño, Founder & CEO, Hatching LLC

When? Zoom classes will be held Mondays 12:00 PM-1:30 PM (Pacific) / 3:00 PM-4:30 PM (Eastern) on 3/9, 3/16, 3/23, 3/30, and 4/13. No class on 4/6.

Who should apply?  This course is for leaders, helpers, and humans who want to:

• Build a stronger relationship with themselves through compassion, awareness, and honest reflection
• Understand what they truly want, believe, and need so their choices come from clarity and alignment
• Develop grounding practices that support emotional regulation

This course is for anyone who wants to pause, reflect, and choose a more intentional way of showing up in their life and work.

Logistically, managing a shelter clinic can be hard! And while there is a lot of help and support for private practice managers, it doesn’t always translate to shelter medicine. During this course, you will learn to identify key points in your shelter clinic day-to-day operations that can help you streamline processes, create usable and applicable protocols, share solutions to common problems, and create an overall more efficient and effective shelter clinic. Another topic of discussion will be culture. The instructor will share some proven, tangible actions you can take to improve the human connections in your workspace. Set the right example so you can bring the best out in your staff! 

This course is eligible for 4.5 credit hours toward the AAVSB's (American Association of Veterinary State Boards) Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) program.

(4) 90-minute Zoom classes over 4-weeks estimated time commitment of 12 hours for coursework and classes   

Instructor: Jordana Moerbe, Medical Care Director, Austin Pets Alive! & Shelter Support Director, American Pets Alive!

When? Zoom classes will be held Thursdays from 8:00 AM -9:30 AM (Pacific) / 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM (Eastern) on 3/12, 3/19, 3/26, and 4/2

Who should apply? For shelter clinic managers, lead technicians, health supervisors, veterinarians, or other veterinary field staff and volunteers looking to make a difference or start a career in shelter medicine leadership

**Prerequisite: To apply for this course, you must have previously completed the "Live Better: The Power of You" Instructor-Led Course.

In Live Better: The Power of YOU™, you explored your story, your beliefs, your needs, and the practices that help you show up with more compassion, clarity, and intention. You learned ways to regulate yourself, reflect honestly, and choose how you want to live.

Work Better: The Power of US™ takes what you cultivated within and brings it into your work relationships, team dynamics, and workplace culture. We’ll explore how self-understanding and self-compassion can help us lead with more authenticity, integrity, and accountability, while also deepening how we communicate, make decisions, and navigate power and responsibility together.

This work is grounded in the belief that intentional, regulated leaders help create intentional, regulated teams, shaping a healthier employee experience, stronger organizations, and deeper impact in the communities we serve.

By the end of this course, you can:

• Develop awareness of how your actions shape workplace culture, relationships, and team dynamics.
• Strengthen your ability to navigate communication, power, and decision-making with intention, clarity, and care.
• Develop the foundation for regulated, accountable, and collaborative teams that support both people and the work.

(5) 75-minute  Zoom classes over 6-weeks

Instructor:  José Ocaño, Founder & CEO, Hatching LLC

When? Zoom classes will be held Mondays from 4:00 PM-5:15 PM (Pacific) / 7:00 PM-8:15 PM (Eastern) on 3/9, 3/16, 3/23, 3/30 & 4/13. No class on 4/6.

Who should apply?  

Prerequisite: To apply for this course, you must have previously completed the "Live Better: The Power of You" Instructor-Led Course.

This course is for leaders, helpers, and humans who want to:

• Build healthier, more intentional relationships at work
• Strengthen communication, trust, and shared responsibility
• Cultivate workplace cultures rooted in clarity, accountability, and compassion

This course is for anyone who wants to pause, reflect, and choose a more intentional way of showing up in their work.