The Business of Saving Lives - Session descriptions
Saturday 10 a.m. Opening Keynote - Dr. Sheila Segurson on Cat Behavior
Dr. Segurson will discuss kitten development and normal cat behavior, tips/tricks for training, cat behavior modification, and intercat aggression (two cats within same household).
Medical/Clinical
Sunday 9:20 a.m. Blending Ancient Healing Methods with Current Medical Therapies: A New Approach to Wellness
In his lecture Dr Piaseczny will explore the nature and basic concepts of holistic veterinary medicine. He will share his experience of Traditional Chinese Medical Theory, and the use of acupuncture, herbals, and diet therapy in resolving chronic disease patterns in companion animals. Dr Piaseczny will explain the effect of various foods, nutritional supplements, pharmaceuticals, and vaccinations on animal body, and answer questions about natural (raw, ancestral) diet as a tool in promoting wellbeing of his patients.
Sunday 10:45 a.m. Vaccination Protocols: importance and differences in shelters, rescues and foster homes
A well-designed vaccine program can save lives and is an important tool in our efforts to keep pets healthy. Strategies for vaccination in a shelter and other high-turnover small animal groups, such as rescues and foster homes housing more than 5 animals at a time, are different from those for privately owned pets. The risk that dogs and cats in these environments will be exposed to disease is often high, and the consequences of infection may be severe for the affected animal, other animals in the environment and the people caring for them.
In this lecture Dr. Kommedal will discuss the different vaccines available, what is necessary and what is optional, recommended vaccination protocols for pets in shelters, rescues and foster homes, and when, how often & why to vaccinate kittens and puppies.
Sunday 1 p.m.
Getting Rescued Animals to Safety - SAFELY!
Dr. Delany will present on guidelines for intake protocols, housing and transportation of shelter animals going to foster homes or rescue to help ensure that the animals stay healthy on their way to rescue and forever homes.
Programs/Volunteers
Sunday 9:20 a.m.
Animal Assisted Activities - Why do it and Tips to Make Your Program Work
Panel discussion and Q&A about the benefits of animal assisted activity (to your community and your animal welfare organization), how to get a group started, challenges and tips for success. Attendees will leave with a packet of information that includes: examples of forms used, different animal qualifying requirements (behavior assessment), and a summary of steps one organization (ARF) took to get their group started in 2002.
Sunday 10:45 a.m.
All Ears Reading Reading with animals is a great way for children to improve their reading skills. Rick Martin and Dr. Rick Timmins will introduce a new study to assess the impacts of the All Ears Reading experience and reading with animals on reading skills, self-esteem, and empathy of elementary-aged youth from diverse backgrounds in low-performing schools. Joelle Aquirre, ARF’s People Connect Manager will discuss the impact of this project on animal welfare organizations as well as present practical tools to implement a reading program in your organization. Attendees will each receive a copy of Banjo Gets a B-A-T-H, ARF’s new book kit developed in collaboration with Target®, and Purina.
Sunday 1 p.m.
Creating / Improving a Volunteer Program without Enough Time or Resources
Organizations need volunteers because they don't have enough time or resources; however, a successful volunteer program can require a large amount of both. What is an organization to do? This workshop will address this tricky problem - how to recruit, train, and maintain volunteers in an organization that is underfunded and understaffed. We will discuss easy to use and inexpensive tools and techniques for volunteer management that will make your volunteer program more effective and efficient. The goal of the workshop will be to make sure that every participant leaves the session with several tips that they feel confident they can successfully implement in their organization.
Business
Sunday 9:20 a.m. Maximizing your Board
Board members are critical to a nonprofit's success, yet all too often we don’t fully tap into their skills and leadership qualities. How do you find, deploy and motivate good board members? What’s the role of board members in leading your organization? In this interactive workshop for both board members and staff, Mariana Moore will show you how to maximize your organization’s most important asset – your board. We will talk about the board/executive director relationship and the "F-word" – fundraising! – and delve into your most pressing real-life board questions. Participants will leave with a helpful resource packet including a board self-assessment tool, annual board commitment form and other tools to guide your board to maximum effectiveness.
Sunday 10:45 a.m. Disaster Planning for Your Shelter - Have You Thought About...? Don’t Let a Disaster Flood Your Shelter, Be Prepared!
During a disaster, natural or man-made, your shelter can easily become overwhelmed. By having your own emergency response plan in place, you can prevent your shelter, staff and resources from becoming flooded. A little pre-planning can go a long way in helping to make your response, whether it be evacuating or accepting a large number of animals from other affected shelters, the most effective and efficient it can be.
Sunday 1 p.m. Sheltering 2015 Saving Them All by 2015
Saving all of our shelter's healthy and treatable dogs and cats by 2015 is not only possible, it's probable, claims Maddie's Fund President Rich Avanzino. In this workshop, Rich provides the facts and figures behind his claims, and offers practical "how to" ideas for shelters to start saving all of the healthy and treatable pets in their own communities right away.
