WELFARE - Annual Cornell Maddie's Shelter Medicine Conference

(aspcapro.com)

The 14th annual ASPCA Cornell Maddie's® Shelter Medicine Conference, will take place at Cornell University July 28th through 30th.

The two and a half day, four-track event provides high-quality education for animal shelter and spay & neuter professionals to improve quality of care for animals.

The four tracks are targeted at different professionals in the animal field - veterinarians, veterinary technicians, management, and staff and volunteers.

41 workshops and three special sessions - including a mock trial - will be part of the 2017 event.

Workshop topics include:

• Behavioral pharmacology
• Orthopedic surgery in a shelter setting
• Animal cruelty law (mock trial on cruelty investigation)
• Animal fighting
• Equine welfare
• Basic care of wildlife
• Basic care of reptiles
• Infectious disease outbreak
• Social media and marketing
• Humane education programs and camps
• Burnout in the animal shelter
• Customer service for social change.

Attendees interested in continuing education credits will be happy to know the entire program has been pre-approved for Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) and New York State Education Department (NYSED) continuing education credits.

Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) continuing education credits are pending.

Visit the ASPCA Professional website to learn more and to register.

WELFARE - Developing Great Foster Programs, Webinars

Foster programs have grown and evolved over the years - beginning as an option to relieve the pressure on overflowing shelters, to an opportunity to address behaviour and training issues, to organizations that are foster-only and have no facility.

Now, fostering has become vital to the success of animal welfare and rescue organizations and an essential component of their business.

ASPCA Professional offers a variety of webinars to help organizations build and maximize their foster program.

Foster Programs: Animal Selection & Family Recruitment covers:

• Recruiting foster families
• Choosing the best animals for foster care
• Assigning animals to foster homes
• Paperwork and systems to track animals
• Scheduling foster recheck appointments
• Sending supplies to foster animals
• Retention and engagement of foster volunteers.

Part two of the series, Making Your Foster Program Thrive: Preventing Mt. Kitten, has representatives from Charleston Animal Society explain what they offer fosters including:

• Education
• Supplies
• Training and foster care manuals (sample manuals will be provided)
• Veterinary care, including spay/neuter surgery and emergency care
• Spay/neuter events, including a pre-kitten season event
• Promotions and marketing support.

Organizations that adopt through their foster homes may be interested in the Foster-based Adoptions webinar.

Since 1998, Seattle Animal Shelter has mobilized and empowered a team of foster parents to adopt animals directly from their homes.

In the webinar their experts discuss how to:

• Set up a foster program structure
• Use volunteer case managers
• Select animals for foster
• Run a foster-based adoption process.

WELFARE - Top Webinars of 2016 from ASPCApro

(ASPCApro.org)

ASPCApro’s mission is to provide tools and resources for animal welfare professionals and volunteers at public and private agencies and rescue groups, as well as veterinarians, law enforcement and emergency responders.

They just released a list of their top five webinars of 2016 which cover a variety of topics including dog behaviour, transport best practices and conversation-based adoptions.

If you didn’t see them when they were first broadcast, don’t worry. They are still available on the ASPCApro website.

1 Building Resilience in Dogs

Canine behaviorist Patricia McConnell offers practical and science-based ways to help dogs develop resilience—the process of adapting well in the face of adversity or stress—no matter what they have been through in the past.

2 Introduction to Transportation Best Practices

The first in a seven part series based on The Society of Animal Welfare Administrators’ Best Practices for Companion Animal Transport Programs.

3 Social Change 201

Amy Mills digs into what social change is and how to apply the philosophy and practices of social change to solve some of the complex challenges faced in animal welfare.

4 Conversational Adoption Counseling

How to establish trust, exchange important information and create an experience that is enjoyable for the adopter, resulting in positive word of mouth and longtime support.

5 Maximizing Offsite Cat Adoption Success

Learn about the critical aspects of offsite cat adoption center management, including animal selection and preparation, cage enrichment, same-day adoption processing and paperwork.

BEHAVIOUR - Multi-Dog Households: Setting Adopters up for Success

Adding a dog to a household that already has a resident canine can be a challenge.

Whether you work for an animal welfare organization, rescue, bylaw enforcement agency, or pet store that sells or adopts rescue animals, it’s important to

help families create a compatible and peaceful relationship between resident dogs.

The last thing you want is for a dog to be returned because they just don’t get along.

Multi-Dog Households: From First Date to After the Honeymoon, a webinar by Patricia McConnell, talks about:

• How initial dog-dog introductions can set the stage – for better or worse – for the rest of the relationship.
• Whether the shelter is or isn’t the ideal place for new or resident dogs to meet.
• Practical ways to help adopters conduct safe, humane and informative introductions on their own.
• The evolution of a new social structure – milestones, setbacks and how to help adopters navigate through transition periods.
• What potential problem situations adopters need to be aware of, such as high arousal areas like doorways, dinner time and managing resources.
• When to say when – how to determine when a canine relationship isn’t in the best interest of either the dogs or the family.
  
  

Free and 90 minutes long, the webinar is available through the ASPCA Professional website.

Patricia McConnell, Ph.D., a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB), author and radio host, will leave you with an enhanced understanding of how to set dogs and people up for success and how to become an advocate and supporter to your adopters.

This webinar recording has been approved by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) and International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) for continuing education credits.

WELFARE - Montreal SPCA Fights City Breed Ban

This week Montreal city council passed a bylaw banning pit bull type dogs and digital media has erupted with outrage.

Breed specific legislation (BSL) is a controversial topic with passionate opinions on both sides.

The Montreal SPCA had threatened to tear up its contract for animal control services in Montreal if a breed ban went ahead.

They have taken their opposition to the new bylaw a step further - the SPCA filed for a judicial review and a stay of the bylaw in Quebec Superior Court on Wednesday.

"What we're asking as a first step is a judge from Quebec Superior Court suspend the application of the sections of the bylaw that deal with 'pit bull-type dogs' in order to eventually have these sections be eventually declared illegal, null and without effect,"  Alanna Devine, director of animal advocacy for the Montreal SPCA told the Canadian Press.

Devine said her organization supports measures to reduce serious dog bites, but doesn't think a breed ban will be effective.

The Montreal SPCA takes about 2,000 dogs into the city shelters it runs every year. Among them, she says, about a third, or 700, meet the bylaw's very broad standard as pit bulls or mixed with pit bulls or having characteristics of a pit bull type dog.

"Based on the way legislation is drafted, they can't be adopted," Devine told the Dodo.

All these animals, good-tempered or not, will have to be euthanized under the new legislation.

The Montreal bylaw was enacted in response to the fatal mauling of Christiane Vadnais several months ago.

After the vote was passed by a 37-23 margin, Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre told reporters, "My duty as mayor of Montreal is making sure I am working for all Montrealers. And I am there to make sure they feel safe and that they are safe."

The dog that attacked Vadnais was initially identified by police and media as a pit bull, but the dog’s breed is in question because he was registered as a boxer and police admit they are not experts in dog identification.

Critics of the bill claim it was enacted based on emotion and fear rather than science.

Ewa Demianowicz, a spokesperson for the Canadian branch of Humane Society International, told the Montreal Gazette in the last 30 years in Quebec, five other people have been killed by dogs, and all five cases involved dogs from the husky family.

The Quebec Order of Veterinarians has a lodged a formal complaint against the ban, saying its members have the right to choose whether they want to euthanize a dog.

The American SPCA (ASPCA) has even released a statement condemning Montreal’s bylaw.

“Studies have concluded that dog-breed identifications based on looks alone are completely unreliable—and the confusion only grows when dealing with mixed breeds, which is a fatal flaw in BSL,” the ASPCA wrote.

They went on to say that with the growing realization that more progressive, well-rounded “dangerous dog laws” that address individual animals and owners are more effective public policy than blanket breed bans, the trend in recent years has been for BSL to be repealed.

Other professional organizations such as the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers all agree that BSL does not work.

The new Montreal bylaw will come into effect next week, apply to all 19 boroughs and define pit bulls as:

• Staffordshire bull terriers
• American pit bull terriers
• American Staffordshire terriers
• Any mix with these breeds
• Any dog that presents characteristics of one of those breeds.

Anyone who currently owns a dog of those breeds and lives in Montreal will have to acquire a special permit in order to keep their pet by Dec. 31, 2016.

Other components of the bylaw:

• The cost to register a pit bull or other dog deemed dangerous is $150.
• Ownership of pit bulls and other dangerous dogs would be restricted to those 18 and older without criminal history of violence.
• The animals would have to be microchipped and sterilized by Dec. 31, 2019.
• Pit bull type dogs would also have to kept on a halter, muzzle and four foot leash whenever they are off their owner's property.

BEHAVIOUR - Building Resilience in Dogs

(Patricia McConnell, photo by Jeff Miller)

People who adapt well when facing trauma and adversity are considered resilient - and resiliency is a hot topic in human psychology right now.

But have you ever wondered about resilience in dogs?

Dogs are also impacted by trauma and stress and there are science-based methods to help them develop resilience.

The ASPCA Professional is offering a webinar - Building Resilience in Dogs - on Thursday September 15th.

The webinar will provide tools to help dogs who are stressed or traumatized, who have lost their families or homes, or been victims of abuse or neglect.

Patricia McConnell, Ph.D., a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB), author and radio host, will offer practical and science-based ways to help dogs develop resilience, no matter what they have been through in the past.

Professionals, including behaviourists and trainers, and volunteers who work with dogs will benefit from this 60-minute webinar, which has been approved for continuing education credits by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) and International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants (IAABC).

For more information and to register, visit the ASPCA website.

WELFARE - Where are all the Cats?

An encouraging trend for cat lovers indicates that feline populations in shelters have been on the general decline in recent years.

While the trend is apparent in areas in both Canada and the U.S., shelters continue to report there is far more work to be done and some areas continue to face burgeoning cat populations – including the Calgary Humane Society (CHS) in Calgary, Alberta.

“The economy is hitting everybody hard, but in Alberta we are right in that oil and gas bubble where there have been massive layoffs and many people forced to downsize or move (out of province) to find work,” explained Sage Pullen McIntosh, spokesperson for the CHS.

The shelter ran an adoption campaign at the end of June, waiving fees for cats older than seven months to help free up space in their overcrowded cat corridors.

While Pullen McIntosh said that their intake was up 185 cats by June 28 of 2016, compared to intake at the same time in 2015, these numbers were not impacted by the early June Ft. MacMurray wildfire dubbed as ‘The Beast’; the shelter did provide emergency boarding for animals from the northern community hard hit by the raging fire, but has since reunited all animals but one cat with their owners.

From Jan. 1-June 28, 2016, the CHS has admitted 2,770 animals, of which 1690 were cats.

Pullen-McIntosh said the information they have gathered from people who surrender their pets (although stray and abandoned cat intake numbers have also risen) indicate job loss, moving and other effects of a downturn in the economy over the last year or so have been the biggest reasons for giving up their pet.

In other areas, however, the combination of improved adoption programs, public education and prevention campaigns and responsible pet ownership seem to be bringing overall shelter cat numbers down and adoptions up.

“We have definitely seen a steady decrease of cat populations in our shelters over the last few years… But overall reduction really isn’t that drastic. We still have much work to do,” said Mary Lou Leiher, who works as a program manager for Toronto Animal Services and is also the president of the Association of Animal Shelter Administrators of Ontario (AASAO).

The AASAO is a unique organization that is an ‘affiliation of professionals committed to excellence in the management and operation of animal care, control and welfare organizations’.

Leiher credits the general reduction from AASAO member shelters, including the City of Toronto and the Ottawa Humane Society, to a number of factors, such as ongoing public education campaigns; successful prevention programs such as the City of Toronto’s CHIP truck for microchipping, licensing and rabies and the SNYP truck for mobile spaying/neutering programs; improved adoption programs through shelters; and the trendiness of choosing to adopt rather than buy from a breeder.

“Shelters have also changed their adoption practices. We understand it’s better to educate people rather than turn them down…people will just go somewhere else if you won’t work with them and then you’ve lost that connection,” explained Leiher.

“If you don’t like the answer, change the conversation.”

These stats of increased adoptions and lowered intake rates of shelter cats are further evidenced by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

According to Dr. Emily Weiss, this notion of ‘changing the conversation’ and working with families and individuals looking to adopt pets, rather than turning away people who may otherwise look to less favourable solutions to obtain a pet (puppy mills) has been key to the overall decrease in areas such as New England.

Weiss made note of the American Pet Product Association’s (APPA) pet owners survey where the data shows some significant changes in where people obtain their cats today compared to ten years ago.

By Lindsay Seewalt

Lindsay is an experienced journalist and mother of three whose heart and home is always open to a four-legged friend. With her Corgi, Angie, as household editor-in-chief, Lindsay gives back to the animal planet through the written word on anything and all ado about pets. She is passionate about topics regarding animal welfare and responsible pet ownership, which she aims to instill in both her readers and children to be compassionate animal lovers who are conscious and considerate that furry friends around the globe deserve a voice.

Alberta Wildfire - What Happens Next for Animals

Since the animal rescue work began in Fort McMurray, the Alberta SPCA’s (ASPCA) reunion centre in Edmonton took in 1,178 animals. 

The last transport of animals arrived at 11:30 p.m. on Monday, May 16 and the reunion centre closed on Thursday, May 19.

As of June 1st, the ASPCA had reunited 910 animals and another 106 were scheduled for pick up by their owners.

So what happens now?

The animals that had been in the care of the ASPCA have been moved to five facilities better suited to long-term housing: the Edmonton Humane Society, the Red Deer and District SPCA, the Calgary Humane Society, the Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society’s shelter in Calgary and Meika’s Bird House in Sherwood Park.

For animals still in Fort McMurray, the Wood Buffalo animal control officers continue to pick up strays and to recheck houses registered as having animals but where none have been found to-date.

The municipality will continue working to reunite the animals now in its shelter with returning residents.

Anyone still trying to locate their pets should check the municipality website “In-Care Gallery” to see if their animal’s photo is there. Included in the gallery are photos of animals that came to the ASPCA without identification or with incorrect owner contact information.

The Fort McMurray SPCA is assisting returning residents who need supplies for their animals. Returning residents are requested to fill out the online form for assistance.

From the beginning the ASPCA recognized that many evacuees would be in situations where they couldn’t take possession of their animals right away, so they helped people find medium-term housing for their animals as needed.

Many animal rescue organizations, as well as numerous individuals across the province, offered foster homes for animal evacuees. In some cases, animals may need to be fostered for extended periods of time as homes and communities are rebuilt.

 

Rocky & Rambo were reunited with an ecstatic owner who'd had the birds for over 30 years.

Human Medications Top List of Toxins Most Commonly Ingested by Pets

According to a recent post by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), about one-quarter of all phone calls to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) are about human medications.

In fact, according to the APCC’s list of toxins most commonly ingested by pets and reported to their control centre in 2015, over-the-counter medications and human prescription medications are at the top - ahead of insecticides, human food and household items.

While some of these medications are used in both animals and people, the effects and doses needed aren't always the same. A pet can easily ingest dropped pills or may be given harmful human medications by an unknowing owner, resulting in illness, or even death, of the pet.

The APCC provided a list of the 10 most common human medication complaints they receive - in order of the number of complaints.

Ibuprofen – (Advil®, Motrin®)

Tramadol – (Ultram®)

Alprazolam – (Xanax®)

Adderall®

Zolpidem – (Ambien®)

Clonazepam – (Klonopin®)

Acetaminophen – (Tylenol®)

Naproxen – (Aleve®, Naprosyn®)

Duloxetine – (Cymbalta®)

Venlafaxine – (Effexor®)

These medications are the most commonly reported to APCC, however there are a large number of other human medicines that can also poison pets.

Pet safety tips include:

• Always keep human medications away from pets unless specifically instructed by a veterinarian to give the medication;
• Do not leave pills sitting on a ounter or any place a pet can get to them;
• Do not leave pill bottles within reach of pets (dogs can chew through a pill bottle very quickly);
• Pick up any dropped medication immediately;
• Always contact a veterinarian if a pet has ingested any medication not prescribed for them;
• Never give any human medication to a pet without first consulting a veterinarian.

Learn more about human medication poison prevention by listening to the APCC podcast.