Animal Welfare Professionals

Updated 9/29/25 at 4:43 pm - Recording now available to watch on-demand!

Enter here for a chance to win the September Community Conversations giveaway after watching live or on-demand.

Please note: All views expressed on these calls are not necessarily endorsed by Maddie’s Fund. 

We hope to see you on the next Maddie's Community Conversation on Monday, September 29, 2025 at 11am PT / 2pm ET  for "Standing Alone, Standing Strong: Navigating Isolation in Animal Welfare," a presentation by Raquel Bernaldo, Veterinary Social Worker for Friends of Alameda Animal Shelter. 

Animal shelter work is often fueled by passion, yet staff and volunteers face high risks of burnout and isolation. Research shows this strain is not caused by the mission or the animals we care for, but by structural challenges-underfunding, bureaucracy, and weak systems that leave people feeling overwhelmed and alone.

This presentation explores how collaboration, environment, and intentional support can disrupt these patterns. Drawing on veterinary social work findings and real examples from Alameda Animal Shelter, we will look at how unlikely partnerships-such as between a veterinary social worker, front desk staff, and thrift store manager-unlocked hidden capacity and expanded community services. We will also reflect on the role of physical space, from high-stress shelter environments to calmer settings like the thrift store, in shaping staff well-being, communication, and connection.

Together, these lessons highlight how shifting from isolation to connection strengthens not only staff well-being but also the mission of keeping animals and families together.

This session is especially relevant for anyone interested in social work - but everyone is welcome!

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Burnout in shelters often comes from underfunding, bureaucracy, and unclear structures rather than the mission itself.
• Collaboration across roles and departments reduces isolation and unlocks hidden capacity to better support people and animals.
• Finding space-whether that's stepping outside, pausing in the cat room, or working in a calmer environment-creates room to breathe, reflect, and reconnect."

Don't forget! $10,000 in grants each month! Maddie's Fund will be giving away up to $10,000 in grants each month! You can enter for a chance to win each time you attend a call or watch it on demand during the month by completing the monthly giveaway drawing entry form. 

Register for Community Conversations hosted via Zoom. If you have not re-registered for the new season, please do so today. 

🧠 Got Topic or Speaker Suggestions?
We want to hear your ideas! If there's a topic you're curious about or a speaker you'd love to hear from, please share your suggestions with us on our Community Conversations Suggestions thread. 

Looking forward to being in community with you! 

#EducationandTraining
#OrganizationalManagement
#PeopleManagement(includingVolunteerIntegration)
#PetSupportServices*

------------------------------
Sheila Kouhkan
Senior Education Specialist
Maddie's Fund
CA
------------------------------

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

Thank you for the great presentation! I absolutely feel understood. I love animals and love being able to help them and our community. I definitely experience isolation on the job and try to close that gap as much as possible by connecting with other team members and if time allows it, work to train dogs to get them adoption ready. Working out of a completely separate office now, across town has enhanced the isolation, making it more difficult to do those team collaborations. I still encourage team members to reach out to discuss their difficulties because I don't want them to burn out. 

-------------------------------------------

Thanks for your share! Sounds like you're really tuned in to where the pockets of isolation happen across the board and that you prioritize connecting. They're lucky to have you!

------------------------------
Raquel Bernaldo
Veterinary social worker
Friends of alameda animal shelter
CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-29-2025 11:57 AM
From: Anonymous Member
Subject: Community Conversations - 09/29/2025 - Standing Alone, Standing Strong: Navigating Isolation in Animal Welfare

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

Thank you for the great presentation! I absolutely feel understood. I love animals and love being able to help them and our community. I definitely experience isolation on the job and try to close that gap as much as possible by connecting with other team members and if time allows it, work to train dogs to get them adoption ready. Working out of a completely separate office now, across town has enhanced the isolation, making it more difficult to do those team collaborations. I still encourage team members to reach out to discuss their difficulties because I don't want them to burn out. 

Loved today's presentation so much. Has anyone built a system to send a personalized thank you email or certificate when a volunteer reaches a new hour milestone? If so, how do you track hours? What are the milestone hour limits you have chosen to recognize? Like so many of you, we have dedicated individuals who show up every day all week long and do so much for our organization. Tracking the time they devote to helping the animals and our organization is vital to our success in being able to keep the doors open. 

We are also thinking about identifying 2-3 volunteers who would be willing to organize social gatherings, both on-site and off-site, for casual mingling. This could include things like coffee and cat socializing hours, dog walks, or happy hours. Have any of you had success with this and how often have you scheduled these across the year?

------------------------------
Patti Denny
BCAR Volunteer
Big Canoe Animal Rescue
------------------------------

Volunteers are unpaid staff. I love personalized recognition!

------------------------------
Raquel Bernaldo
Veterinary social worker
Friends of alameda animal shelter
CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-29-2025 12:54 PM
From: Patti Denny
Subject: Community Conversations - 09/29/2025 - Standing Alone, Standing Strong: Navigating Isolation in Animal Welfare

Loved today's presentation so much. Has anyone built a system to send a personalized thank you email or certificate when a volunteer reaches a new hour milestone? If so, how do you track hours? What are the milestone hour limits you have chosen to recognize? Like so many of you, we have dedicated individuals who show up every day all week long and do so much for our organization. Tracking the time they devote to helping the animals and our organization is vital to our success in being able to keep the doors open. 

We are also thinking about identifying 2-3 volunteers who would be willing to organize social gatherings, both on-site and off-site, for casual mingling. This could include things like coffee and cat socializing hours, dog walks, or happy hours. Have any of you had success with this and how often have you scheduled these across the year?

------------------------------
Patti Denny
BCAR Volunteer
Big Canoe Animal Rescue
------------------------------

Thanks to our speaker, @Raquel Bernaldo - and everyone who joined us today! 

We would love to hear from you in response to today's reflection question: Where in your work do you see isolation showing up-and what small act of collaboration could begin to turn that into connection?

------------------------------
Sheila Kouhkan
Senior Education Specialist
Maddie's Fund
CA
------------------------------

Isolation shows up when it feels like I'm carrying the demands of my role alone and when I do not have space to tune in to my own fatigue or limits . A small act of collaboration, like tabling side by side with The Thrift Store manager-turns that into connection and new capacity!

------------------------------
Raquel Bernaldo
Veterinary social worker
Friends of alameda animal shelter
CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-29-2025 01:29 PM
From: Sheila Kouhkan
Subject: Community Conversations - 09/29/2025 - Standing Alone, Standing Strong: Navigating Isolation in Animal Welfare

Thanks to our speaker, @Raquel Bernaldo - and everyone who joined us today! 

We would love to hear from you in response to today's reflection question: Where in your work do you see isolation showing up-and what small act of collaboration could begin to turn that into connection?

------------------------------
Sheila Kouhkan
Senior Education Specialist
Maddie's Fund
CA
------------------------------

For our organization, isolation seems to appear when the busyness overtakes the entire team either due to a large number of animals coming in that need care, a crisis situation with the facility or when volunteers feel they are not being heard and retreat to their silos, burrowing in to just stay in their lane. I've noticed since joining BCAR that everyone is a good human being, doing the best they can do and everyone saying they don't have time to slow down to collaborate - which typically isn't the case as far as time, but no one has taken the initiative to MAKE or PRIORITIZE the time to build the cohesiveness of the team, feeding a culture of isolation and "we've just always done it that way" ideals. 

We have a small group of people coming together within the organization to begin prioritizing a calendar of inexpensive culture building opportunities in the next month - as simple as recognizing volunteer birthdays, to having a pizza lunch together or slowing down for coffee at the dog park while socializing the dogs. Part of the effort will include short surveys of volunteers to use as pulse checks and to gather their ideas for ways we can improve. Slowly but surely it will come together. 🐾💖

------------------------------
Patti Denny
BCAR Volunteer
Big Canoe Animal Rescue
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-29-2025 01:29 PM
From: Sheila Kouhkan
Subject: Community Conversations - 09/29/2025 - Standing Alone, Standing Strong: Navigating Isolation in Animal Welfare

Thanks to our speaker, @Raquel Bernaldo - and everyone who joined us today! 

We would love to hear from you in response to today's reflection question: Where in your work do you see isolation showing up-and what small act of collaboration could begin to turn that into connection?

------------------------------
Sheila Kouhkan
Senior Education Specialist
Maddie's Fund
CA
------------------------------

As a new board member (4 months in), I've noticed that I sometimes feel out of the loop on events and initiatives. This isn't unusual-I've seen it in my corporate career-but it's something important to address. Long-standing teams often fall into the habit of assuming everyone has the same information or comfort level, which can unintentionally lead to isolation.

Strong organizations counter this by making communication and inclusion a priority. One simple way we might do this is by scheduling regular meet-ups-not only for board business but also for informal, social connection. This helps strengthen relationships, ensure a consistent flow of information, and keep every member fully engaged in our mission. I've initiated more in person meet ups with small groups as well as suggestions for creating more comprehensive and streamlined communications (i.e. a calendar of events as part of our board materials).

------------------------------
Ann McCague
Board Member
Animal Protection Society - Friday Harbor
WA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-29-2025 01:29 PM
From: Sheila Kouhkan
Subject: Community Conversations - 09/29/2025 - Standing Alone, Standing Strong: Navigating Isolation in Animal Welfare

Thanks to our speaker, @Raquel Bernaldo - and everyone who joined us today! 

We would love to hear from you in response to today's reflection question: Where in your work do you see isolation showing up-and what small act of collaboration could begin to turn that into connection?

------------------------------
Sheila Kouhkan
Senior Education Specialist
Maddie's Fund
CA
------------------------------

Unanswered question from the chat: 

" Is the PTSD higher than that of war veterans?" - @Anita Selby

------------------------------
Community Conversations
Community Conversations Committee
Maddie's Fund
CA
------------------------------

Some studies, like Hoy-Gerlach's in 2021, suggest animal shelter workers may face up to five times the rate of PTSD compared to the general population. While based on smaller studies rather than a large national survey, research consistently shows their rates are much higher than average and sometimes comparable to military veterans

------------------------------
Raquel Bernaldo
Veterinary social worker
Friends of alameda animal shelter
CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-29-2025 04:48 PM
From: Community Conversations
Subject: Community Conversations - 09/29/2025 - Standing Alone, Standing Strong: Navigating Isolation in Animal Welfare

Unanswered question from the chat: 

" Is the PTSD higher than that of war veterans?" - @Anita Selby

------------------------------
Community Conversations
Community Conversations Committee
Maddie's Fund
CA
------------------------------

Thanks to the 111+ people and paws who joined us on today's Community Conversations call! The recording is now available to watch on-demand. Below you'll find a recap of today's call and the resources shared. 

Call Recap

Welcome from hosts

• @Amber Eby, Senior Grants Specialist, Maddie's Fund
• Sheila Kouhkan, Senior Education Specialist, Maddie's Fund

Question of the Day: What's your favorite spot in your workplace to catch your breath?

• "my pool" - Amy Joshua
• "My salon is my space!" - LaTonya Smith
• "Walk outside the shelter!" - Lisa Pearce
• "Also my dog's bed with my girl." - Steph Kendrick
• "Our cattery! It a designated area of our shelter, with individual rooms for our cats. You can sit in them and spend time with the cats or outside with them in their designated outdoor space" - Cameo Calderon
• "When I get to step outside with my dogs in the mountain air and just listen to nature." - Patti Denny
• "I am retired and do my NPO work from home. But when I'm at Sol Dog Lodge, I recharge by walking the beautiful undisturbed property behind the building and turnout area. It's a beautiful desert area!!!" - Mary Flores
• "It may sound weird but … the bathroom. It's nice to wash your face and shut the world out for a few minutes to recharge and focus on your own needs." - Brandi Washburn
  
  

National Updates

• From Kristen Petrie of the Community Cat Podcast: Join us for this Saturday's Webinar! Persuading Municipal Officials to Go with TNR Certification Workshop (TNR Program Management Training) Oct 4, 2–3:30PM EDT
  Facing obstacles like feeding bans, resistant shelters, or unsupportive councils? Learn proven strategies to make a persuasive case for TNR, avoid pitfalls, and counter objections. Presented by Neighborhood Cats' Susan Richmond & Bryan Kortis. Registration is just $10. Register today!
• Maddie's Community Conversations Giveaway:  Now you can enter for a chance to win up to  $10,000!  Enter here for a chance to win.  Open to all who are watching live or on-demand! Be sure to enter each week you attend! You must be registered in Maddie's Pet Forum to enter. 
• Maddie's Pet Forum Monthly Giveaway: Maddie's Fund® is giving away a $3,000 grant each month to one lucky Maddie's® Pet Forum member. You'll automatically be entered to win each month when you start a new discussion, reply to a new post.  https://maddies.fund/mpfmonthlygiveaway.
• We would love to hear from you! Have an idea for Maddie's Community Conversations? Interested in hosting? Have a topic or speaker you would like to hear from? Let us know on Maddie's Pet Forum via the Community Conversations Suggestions discussion thread. Or, you can contact us directly by emailing CommunityConversations@maddiesfund.org.
• The celebration continues on Maddie's Pet Forum! In honor of Maddie's Fund's 30th anniversary, we're giving away $1,000 every other month, for engaging on a special anniversary-related post on Maddie's Pet Forum beginning August 1, 2025. Simply comment on this thread during August & September and you will be entered to win. #ThanksToMaddie  

Presentation: Standing Alone, Standing Strong: Navigating Isolation in Animal Welfare

• Guest Speaker:
  • @Raquel Bernaldo, Veterinary Social Worker,  Friends of Alameda Animal Shelter
• Resources:
  
  • Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes by William Bridges
    
    

Highlights from the Chat

• "I appreciate the framing of all that we hold as shelter workers." - Allison Cardona
• "We had one of our monthly adoption events yesterday and it was great to see fosters and volunteers mixing and mingling and sharing stories - they don't often otherwise get to meet each other in person" - Sarah Meyer
• "Something that has worked well with the leadership team as we meet is being intentional to slow things down and "Spark a Dream". Each team member taking a few quiet moments to reflect on what has gone well so far and naming what is needed if it could be two steps better and what would that look like. Naming the things out loud. Sparking a dream doesn't hold us to making the two steps happen, but dreaming about what if (hope). Usually more than one person in the room is feeling the same way and hearing it said aloud helps people ground the reality. It's also super amazing to see when some of the "next two steps" become integrated into the shelter plan for the future in some cases." - Patti Denny
• "Our group loves the word "bandwidth" so when we're considering taking in a new dog or starting a new project we take a beat to say "do we all have the bandwidth for this" and if we don't we don't do it. We're getting better about saying "no" and reaching out to other rescues for help." - Sarah Meyer
• "Rest is resistance - but important to remember that this especially applies to marginalized folks. In animal welfare, this refers to BIPOC, frontline employees or those who don't hold positional/financial privilege or power. For those who possess power and privilege, resistance = creating an environment where people are safe: financially, physically, psychologically etc." - Nadia Oseguera-Ramon
• "We host tours to the public or private ones for donors. This is a great aspect to use, we show them every wing of the shelter and it helps gives the perspective of how much work and different roles each person has within the shelter! for staff level, when they are hired they must all go through the same basic cross training so we  can all jump in when it comes to helping with the animals if needed. this creates a foundation of equality so we all understand how it feels to be in those positions!" - Cameo Calderon

------------------------------
Sheila Kouhkan
Senior Education Specialist
Maddie's Fund
CA
------------------------------

Thank you, @Nadia Oseguera-Ramon,  for naming this so clearly. You're right. I didn't root the idea in its real origins, which come from Tricia Hersey, a Black author whose work Rest Is Resistance frames rest as a form of resistance through Black liberation, racial justice, and disability justice. That framing is so important, because for people of color our worth is too often tied to productivity, and rest becomes a radical act of reclaiming humanity. In animal welfare, wage gaps often fall along racial lines, and people of color are more likely to be assigned the most physical and dangerous jobs. This produces a kind of isolation within staff and communities that fractures trust and undermines our programs. A DEI audit of an animal welfare association even reported that "management and office roles are almost entirely white; POC are well represented in entry-level roles but are not encouraged to grow and get promoted (AAWA DEI Audit, 2021)."  Rest is not just about recovery, it's about resisting systems that keep communities of color undervalued, overworked, and excluded from power.

------------------------------
Raquel Bernaldo
Veterinary social worker
Friends of alameda animal shelter
CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-29-2025 09:31 PM
From: Sheila Kouhkan
Subject: Community Conversations - 09/29/2025 - Standing Alone, Standing Strong: Navigating Isolation in Animal Welfare

Thanks to the 111+ people and paws who joined us on today's Community Conversations call! The recording is now available to watch on-demand. Below you'll find a recap of today's call and the resources shared. 

Call Recap

Welcome from hosts

• @Amber Eby, Senior Grants Specialist, Maddie's Fund
• Sheila Kouhkan, Senior Education Specialist, Maddie's Fund

Question of the Day: What's your favorite spot in your workplace to catch your breath?

• "my pool" - Amy Joshua
• "My salon is my space!" - LaTonya Smith
• "Walk outside the shelter!" - Lisa Pearce
• "Also my dog's bed with my girl." - Steph Kendrick
• "Our cattery! It a designated area of our shelter, with individual rooms for our cats. You can sit in them and spend time with the cats or outside with them in their designated outdoor space" - Cameo Calderon
• "When I get to step outside with my dogs in the mountain air and just listen to nature." - Patti Denny
• "I am retired and do my NPO work from home. But when I'm at Sol Dog Lodge, I recharge by walking the beautiful undisturbed property behind the building and turnout area. It's a beautiful desert area!!!" - Mary Flores
• "It may sound weird but … the bathroom. It's nice to wash your face and shut the world out for a few minutes to recharge and focus on your own needs." - Brandi Washburn
  
  

National Updates

• From Kristen Petrie of the Community Cat Podcast: Join us for this Saturday's Webinar! Persuading Municipal Officials to Go with TNR Certification Workshop (TNR Program Management Training) Oct 4, 2–3:30PM EDT
  Facing obstacles like feeding bans, resistant shelters, or unsupportive councils? Learn proven strategies to make a persuasive case for TNR, avoid pitfalls, and counter objections. Presented by Neighborhood Cats' Susan Richmond & Bryan Kortis. Registration is just $10. Register today!
• Maddie's Community Conversations Giveaway:  Now you can enter for a chance to win up to  $10,000!  Enter here for a chance to win.  Open to all who are watching live or on-demand! Be sure to enter each week you attend! You must be registered in Maddie's Pet Forum to enter. 
• Maddie's Pet Forum Monthly Giveaway: Maddie's Fund® is giving away a $3,000 grant each month to one lucky Maddie's® Pet Forum member. You'll automatically be entered to win each month when you start a new discussion, reply to a new post.  https://maddies.fund/mpfmonthlygiveaway.
• We would love to hear from you! Have an idea for Maddie's Community Conversations? Interested in hosting? Have a topic or speaker you would like to hear from? Let us know on Maddie's Pet Forum via the Community Conversations Suggestions discussion thread. Or, you can contact us directly by emailing CommunityConversations@maddiesfund.org.
• The celebration continues on Maddie's Pet Forum! In honor of Maddie's Fund's 30th anniversary, we're giving away $1,000 every other month, for engaging on a special anniversary-related post on Maddie's Pet Forum beginning August 1, 2025. Simply comment on this thread during August & September and you will be entered to win. #ThanksToMaddie  

Presentation: Standing Alone, Standing Strong: Navigating Isolation in Animal Welfare

• Guest Speaker:
  • @Raquel Bernaldo, Veterinary Social Worker,  Friends of Alameda Animal Shelter
• Resources:
  
  • Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes by William Bridges
    
    

Highlights from the Chat

• "I appreciate the framing of all that we hold as shelter workers." - Allison Cardona
• "We had one of our monthly adoption events yesterday and it was great to see fosters and volunteers mixing and mingling and sharing stories - they don't often otherwise get to meet each other in person" - Sarah Meyer
• "Something that has worked well with the leadership team as we meet is being intentional to slow things down and "Spark a Dream". Each team member taking a few quiet moments to reflect on what has gone well so far and naming what is needed if it could be two steps better and what would that look like. Naming the things out loud. Sparking a dream doesn't hold us to making the two steps happen, but dreaming about what if (hope). Usually more than one person in the room is feeling the same way and hearing it said aloud helps people ground the reality. It's also super amazing to see when some of the "next two steps" become integrated into the shelter plan for the future in some cases." - Patti Denny
• "Our group loves the word "bandwidth" so when we're considering taking in a new dog or starting a new project we take a beat to say "do we all have the bandwidth for this" and if we don't we don't do it. We're getting better about saying "no" and reaching out to other rescues for help." - Sarah Meyer
• "Rest is resistance - but important to remember that this especially applies to marginalized folks. In animal welfare, this refers to BIPOC, frontline employees or those who don't hold positional/financial privilege or power. For those who possess power and privilege, resistance = creating an environment where people are safe: financially, physically, psychologically etc." - Nadia Oseguera-Ramon
• "We host tours to the public or private ones for donors. This is a great aspect to use, we show them every wing of the shelter and it helps gives the perspective of how much work and different roles each person has within the shelter! for staff level, when they are hired they must all go through the same basic cross training so we  can all jump in when it comes to helping with the animals if needed. this creates a foundation of equality so we all understand how it feels to be in those positions!" - Cameo Calderon

------------------------------
Sheila Kouhkan
Senior Education Specialist
Maddie's Fund
CA
------------------------------

I am so grateful for these conversations! I've learned so much that I can apply to my volunteer work, my professional life, and my personal life. Raquel reminded me of the importance of being still. Thank you! 

------------------------------
Maddie Babel
Volunteer
Bitty Kitty Brigade
MN
------------------------------