MMPC Learniverse - Shelter Med LIVE - You Can Handle It! Humane Techniques & Tools for Shelter Med Procedures (On Demand)
Recorded On: 06/17/2026
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Webinar Overview
Animals’ fear, anxiety, and stress coming into the shelter can turn an exam, vaccinations, or the euthanasia experience into a tense, even traumatic, ordeal for all involved, compromising care, safety, and efficiency. With often little information about an animal’s history and the need to balance safety with population health, solid humane handling techniques and tools are foundational for medical teams.
When that 70-pound dog won’t stop spinning and snapping, or the senior cat wants to lash out from the crate, is your team prepared to respond in a way that won’t cause lasting trauma to the animals or the team? In this episode of Shelter Med LIVE, relief shelter veterinarian Dr. Michelle Gaston and Humane Innovations founder John Peaveler join host Dr. Jenn Bennett to share tips and techniques for humane handling and behavior management in high-stress shelter situations.
Learning Objectives
You'll leave this conversation knowing:
- Techniques for defensive handling/protected contact that may differ from what you were taught in veterinary school
- Equipment and safety tools to help protect staff while minimizing the impact to the animal’s experience
- How the veterinarian’s leadership role impacts shelter handling culture and why strategic support is essential for medical teams
- How investment in proper humane handling training and equipment helps the shelter’s bottom line – it just makes good financial and people sense!
Continuing Education Credits
This webinar has been approved for 1 hour 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).
Keywords
MMPC, Shelter Learniverse, KSMP Shelter Learniverse, shelter medicine, Shelter Med Live, humane handling, low-stress handling, shelter animal behavior, behavior management, humane restraint, veterinary team safety, Fear Free®, staff training
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.
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
Dr. Jennifer Bennett
Director of Shelter Medicine and Access to Care
UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program
Jennifer Bennett joined the Koret Shelter Medicine Program as the new Director of Shelter Medicine Access to Care in late 2024. She is a 2008 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine and soon after she began practicing in her hometown regions of rural Northern California. She spent 5 years in small animal, emergency and farm animal medicine before joining Lake County Animal Care & Control as its first Medical Director in 2013. After realizing the life-saving impact that a shelter veterinarian can have on a community, she has remained dedicated to the field of shelter medicine. She has worked with a wide variety of municipal and private organizations, developing shelter medicine and surgery programs, consulting with humane organizations, participating in community outreach clinics, and working with large-scale humane law enforcement seizures and legal cases. Dr. Bennett most recently served as the Medical Director for the City of Seattle from 2017-2022 and the Chief Veterinary Officer for the Humane Society of Tacoma & Pierce County from 2022-2024. She served on the California HOD, the Washington State VMA, and was WSVMA President from 2021-2022, and has been serving on the AVMA Animal Welfare Committee since 2023. Dr. Bennett is passionate about supporting and mentoring shelter veterinarians and students, creating low barrier access to care programs, and identifying and removing bottlenecks in shelter programs to improve capacity for care.
Dr. Michelle Gaston
MRCVS
Dr. Gaston is a shelter medicine veterinarian dedicated to advancing humane handling practices through low-stress, Fear Free principles. Her areas of focus include pain management, staff mentorship, and empowering animal care teams to build behavior and handling skills that improve both patient welfare and workplace safety. Dr. Gaston believes everyone in the shelter plays a vital role on the behavior team, creating a more compassionate and supportive environment for animals in care.
John Peaveler
Owner and Principal Consultant,
Humane Innovations
John Peaveler is an animal services professional with a passion for helping people do their best work with animals. He began his animal welfare career in Kuwait in 2004 and has since worked on animal shelter, population management, and disaster response programs around the globe, visiting over 45 countries and counting. As the CEO of Humane Innovations, he focuses on professional animal services training, consulting, and equipment sales and development. You can find out more about Humane Innovations by visiting www.humaneinnovations.com
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