Stray Pets in Need Training Portal - Adoption Counseling
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Welcome to the SPIN training portal for adoption counseling. Thank you for helping our cats and the people who love them!
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Contains 4 Component(s), Includes Credits
Successfully navigate the adoption process, including adoption counseling for pets with medical and behavioral conditions
The adoption process is the final step in finding new homes for shelter pets. It begins with getting to know the pet, writing a narrative and posting photos/video, continues to making a match with a potential adopter, and ends with sending the pet home with an adopter and providing support.
This course provides guidance for navigating the adoption process, with an emphasis on adoption counseling. The course demonstrates the general adoption counseling process and then dives into adoption counseling for pets with behavior or medical conditions. Text content is supported by videos, infographics and exercises. All videos are shareable and all infographics are available for download so you can use them in training.This course is eligible for 2.0 hours of credit from the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (AAWA) and the National Animal Care & Control Association (NACA).
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Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits
Learn practical tools to assess and respond to feline communication using Fear Free's Fear, Anxiety, and Stress scale.
This course is part of Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection, monthly webcasts about pet behavior - supporting pets in our community and animal shelters.
This session provides practical tools to assess and respond to feline communication using Fear Free's Fear, Anxiety, and Stress scale. Through interactive exercises and video demonstrations, attendees will gain the confidence to advocate for the cats in their care, promoting better welfare and adoption outcomes.
Presenter: Tabitha Kucera, Elite Fear Free and Low-Stress Handling Certified Registered Veterinary Technician, Veterinary Technician Specialist (Behavior), Certified Cat Behavior Consultant, and Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner. She is also the creator of Chirrups and Chatter Cat and Dog Behavior Consulting and Training.
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...
kewords Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection, Tabitha Kucera, feline communication, feline behavior
Tabitha Kucera
VT, CCBC, KPA-CTP, Owner, Chirrups and Chatter
Chirrups and Chatter
Tabitha Kucera is an Elite Fear Free and Low-Stress Handling Certified Registered Veterinary Technician, Veterinary Technician Specialist (Behavior), Certified Cat Behavior Consultant, and Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner.
She is the owner of Chirrups and Chatter Cat and Dog Behavior Consulting and Training and serves as the animal behavior technician at The Gentle Vet in Ohio. Tabitha lectures nationally and internationally, helping audiences build stronger connections with animals through a deeper understanding of behavior.
Tabitha has held leadership roles with the Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians, the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, and the Pet Professional Guild's Cat Committee. She also served as a behavior consultant and mentor for the Cat Pawsitive Pro program for six years.
In addition, Tabitha works closely with animal welfare and veterinary organizations, including veterinary hospitals and animal shelters, to develop and implement training and behavior programs. She is a Fear Free certified speaker and coach, a Fear Free Practice Certification Consultant, and the host of the podcast Tails from a Vet Tech. -
Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits
Through video examples, you’ll learn how to thoughtfully and confidently approach cats in different settings — from cages to carriers. Gain practical tools to reduce stress, improve adoption readiness, and advocate effectively for the cats in your care.
This course is part of Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection, monthly webcasts about pet behavior - supporting pets in our community and animal shelters.
Building on Cracking the Cat Code, this session explores how to apply the Considerate Approach when working with cats in shelter environments. Through video examples, you’ll learn how to thoughtfully and confidently approach cats in different settings — from cages to carriers. Gain practical tools to reduce stress, improve adoption readiness, and advocate effectively for the cats in your care.
Speaker: Tabitha Kucera, Elite Fear Free and Low-Stress Handling Certified Registered Veterinary Technician, Veterinary Technician Specialist (Behavior), Certified Cat Behavior Consultant, and Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner. She is the founder of Chirrups and Chatter Cat and Dog Behavior Consulting and Training
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, Tabitha Kucera, cat behavior, Considerate Approach, shelter cats
Tabitha Kucera
VT, CCBC, KPA-CTP, Owner, Chirrups and Chatter
Chirrups and Chatter
Tabitha Kucera is an Elite Fear Free and Low-Stress Handling Certified Registered Veterinary Technician, Veterinary Technician Specialist (Behavior), Certified Cat Behavior Consultant, and Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner.
She is the owner of Chirrups and Chatter Cat and Dog Behavior Consulting and Training and serves as the animal behavior technician at The Gentle Vet in Ohio. Tabitha lectures nationally and internationally, helping audiences build stronger connections with animals through a deeper understanding of behavior.
Tabitha has held leadership roles with the Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians, the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, and the Pet Professional Guild's Cat Committee. She also served as a behavior consultant and mentor for the Cat Pawsitive Pro program for six years.
In addition, Tabitha works closely with animal welfare and veterinary organizations, including veterinary hospitals and animal shelters, to develop and implement training and behavior programs. She is a Fear Free certified speaker and coach, a Fear Free Practice Certification Consultant, and the host of the podcast Tails from a Vet Tech. -
Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits
Move cats through your system efficiently and into adoptive homes
This course focuses on the efficient flow of cats through your organization and into adoptive homes. Students who complete this course will be able to create an open adoption philosophy for their organization and implement critical cat adoption process improvements. This course is authored by Monica Tarant, Chief Innovation Officer: Feline Lifesaving at Cincinnati Animal CARE with The Joanie Bernard Foundation.
Note: The contents of this course are nearly identical to those in the course Feline Lifesaving: Adoption. If you have taken that course, you do not need to take this one.
This class has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement.
barriers, application, foster, special needs, marketing
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Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits
How we talk about cats can influence public attitudes and behavior, so it is important to consider the words, images and stories we use - particularly when we are trying to change the way the public views and responds to our work.
How we talk about cats can influence public attitudes and behavior, so it is important to consider the words, images and stories we use - particularly when we are trying to change the way the public views and responds to our work.
Does the term “feral” hamper efforts to gain public support for community cat programs? How might your fundraising appeals accidentally create backlash against those same programs? In this fast-paced and thought-provoking webinar from Million Cat Challenge, we’ll see how we often talk about cats may actually be bad for them and make our work harder. We'll have time after the webinar for discussion and figuring this out together. Plus, there may be bingo.
Presenters:
Danielle Bays, Senior Analyst, Cat Protection & Policy, The Humane Society of the United States
Monica Frenden-Tarant, Maddie's Director of Feline Lifesaving, American Pets Alive!
Julie Levy, Co-Founder, Million Cat Challenge, Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program at University of Florida
keywords
community cats, Million Cat Challenge, Animal & Population Management, marketing, Keep companion animals in their homes and neighborhoods, Rehome Pets Without the Shelter System, foster care, maximize in care welfare, optimize foster care
Dr. Julie Levy (Moderator)
VM, PhD, DACVIM, DABVP, Fran Marino Endowed Distinguished Professor of Shelter Medicine, University of Florida
Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program at UF
Dr. Julie Levy is the Fran Marino Endowed Distinguished Professor of Shelter Medicine Education at the University of Florida, where she focuses on the health and welfare of animals in shelters, feline infectious diseases, and humane alternatives for cat population control. She founded Operation Catnip, a community cat trap-neuter-return program that has spayed, neutered, and vaccinated more than 80,000 cats in Gainesville since 1998. A decade later, she joined Dr. Cynda Crawford to launch Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at the College of Veterinary Medicine. This educational and discovery initiative has a global impact on the care of homeless animals and served as the academic home for development of the Fear Free Shelters program. She later teamed up with Dr. Kate Hurley to start the Million Cat Challenge, a shelter-based campaign that saved more than 5 million cats in shelters across North America and then Maddie’s Million Pet Challenge to create transformative “communities of practice” that deliver access to care through humane community-centric programming—inside and outside of the shelter—to achieve the right outcome for every pet.
Monica Tarant
Chief Innovation Officer
Give Them Ten Movement
Monica Tarant is the Chief Innovation Officer with the Give Them Ten Movement and is helping create cat caring communities across the country.
A decade before anyone had heard of such a thing, she cut her teeth founding a trap-neuter-return organization in rural Illinois and pioneered one of the nation's first and largest working cat programs. In 2012, her move to Texas helped Austin achieve a citywide 98% live release rate for cats. Monica then spent years as an instructor for the Maddie’s Fund Lifesaving Academy, teaching shelters best practices and innovative programs, advancing research in shelter medicine, and progressing public policy as a City of Austin Animal Advisory Commissioner.
Monica is a frequent speaker and advisor on creative solutions for every cat, progressive community cat programming, transformative shelter leadership, and creating strategic visions for impactful, sustainable organizations.Danielle Jo Bays
Senior Analyst, Cat Protection & Policy
The Humane Society of the United States
Danielle Jo Bays is the senior analyst for cat protection and policy at the Humane Society of the United States, with more than 20 years of experience advocating for various animals. Danielle began her journey to professional cat lady by conducting trap-neuter-return in her own backyard. Now she works with animal shelters, cat advocates, policymakers, and other stakeholders to broaden support for and increase the impact of community cat programs nationwide. She is a co-author of The Return-to-Field Handbook, which recently won a Muse Medallion from the Cat Writers Association. Just prior to joining the HSUS in 2015, she spent 5 years building a pro-active community cat program in Washington DC and has TNRd more cats than she can count. Danielle holds a B.S. in Animal Science from Cornell University and a M.S. in Animals and Public Policy from Tufts University. She lives with five cats and a catio in Washington, DC.
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Contains 5 Component(s), Includes Credits
Streamline pathway planning to find the best available outcome for every cat and kitten
This course equips animal shelter professionals with the tools to implement or enhance pathway planning for cats and kittens, streamlining their journey to the best possible outcome. The course presents research-backed strategies to reduce length of stay, decrease intake and ensure positive outcomes for all cats. The superhighway model enhances community cat programs and increases lifesaving capabilities, but also includes flexible "offramps" for unique cases, ensuring that every cat—whether a friendly community cat or a litter of neonates—receives the most appropriate care. Participants will learn to confidently navigate challenging decisions with ease, using this model to efficiently manage every cat's pathway to the best available outcome.
This course is approved for 1.0 hours of credit from the Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) program of the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) through 9/2/27.
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