Animal Welfare Professionals

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  • 1.  Community Conversations - 10/3/22 - Listening to Hear: Removing Hidden Barriers and Offering Grace

    Posted 09-30-2022 10:12 AM
    Updated 10/3/22 at 3:36pm - Recording is now available to watch on-demand! Complete this entry form to enter to win a grant for the month of October.
    Note: Views expressed on Maddie’s® Community Conversations are not endorsed by Maddie’s Fund.

    We hope you will join us on Monday, October 3rd at 11am PT/2pm ET for our next Community Conversations call

    We will be announcing the winners of the September grant giveaway so be sure to tune in to see if you've been selected to win! 

    After the $10k giveaway, we will be joined by @Jennifer Toussaint (she/her) Chief Animal Control Officer at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington for a presentation about Removing Hidden Barriers and Offering Grace. As animal welfare professionals we are always looking for ways to improve outcomes. Is it possible that our communication could be getting in our own way? During this session we will discuss how we earn trust and the small mis-steps we may be making when talking with others that have a lasting damaging effect on rapport and undermine our overall mission. We will look at examples in sheltering and field service cases and learn how to apply new approaches that lead to better outcomes for both the people and pets involved, and elevate our own understanding and compassion for our community.

    Register here for our Monday Community Conversations: https://maddies.fund/CommunityConversationsRegistration

    Upcoming Community Conversations Call Schedule

    • October 10: No call for Indigenous Peoples' Day
    • October 17: Interdisciplinary Collaboration for Animals in Emergency Management Response
    • October 24: Leading and Lagging Data Indicators
    • October 31: Volunteer Engagement


    #OrganizationalManagement
    #PeopleManagement(includingVolunteerIntegration)
    #PetSupportServices*

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    Maddie's Pet Forum Admin
    Maddie's Fund
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  • 2.  RE: Community Conversations - 10/3/22 - Listening to Hear: Removing Hidden Barriers and Offering Grace

    Posted 10-03-2022 03:36 PM
      |   view attached
    Thanks to the 230+ people who joined us live for today's call!  The recording is now available to watch on-demand and to share with other members of your team: https://youtu.be/fQO_Du0n2H4

    Below you will find a recap of the call including national updates, resources and attached is a copy of @Jennifer Toussaint (she/her)'s incredible presentation. Don't forget to enter to win a grant for the month of October each time you attend or watch on-demand by completing this entry form: https://www.maddiesfund.org/weekly-community-conversations-oct22-giveaway.htm

    Agenda
    • Welcome: Shannon Roebuck, Director for Strategic Initiatives, The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement https://theaawa.org/ and Charlotte Otero, Community Strategist, Maddie's Fund
    • Special guest Jennifer Touissant, Chief Animal Control Officer, Animal Welfare League of Arlington https://www.awla.org/person/jennifer-toussaint-2/
    • Question of the Day: What's something on your desk, a nearby wall, or out the window that cheers you up during the day?
    • Congratulations to the September Winners of the Maddie's Fund Monthly Grants: 2 Winners of $5,000!
    • No call next week 10/10 for Indigenous People's Day – watch a rebroadcast of the August 22 meeting Animal Wellness Programs on Tribal Lands with Glenda S. Davis, Founder & President, Animal Rez-Q Inc., and Sheila K. Iyengar - Founder and Executive Director, Nagi Foundation. A link to the recording will be sent via email to all who are registered on this call.

    National Updates

    Session Information & Resources
    Highlights From the Chat
    • "This is a really incredible and valuable presentation that I'm going to ask my entire team to watch on demand" - Emily Klehm
    • "Jennifer, You are exceptionally well trained and cross trained to serve humans and animals well. Kudos to you and good for Arlington. Wow!" - Lisa Pearce
    • Ellen Rawlins asked during the call how others handle hoarding cases and if they allow the hoarder to keep one or more of their pets. Responses from the chat:
      • "Very much depends on the situation. It's all about following up with hoarders to ensure they continue to succeed" - Ashley Rodriguez
      • "We moved to a place where we would negotiate which pets they wanted to keep and then ensure those remaining were spayed/neutered." - Kathy Duncan
      • "Pima County Arizona - regularly cooperates with hoarders and may leave a handful of pets as part of the agreement" - Sarah Aguilar
      • "We have asked the judge to let them keep 1-2 animals and give us access to do wellness checks on those animals. So, keeping 1-2 gets us in the door for rechecks and make sure they are not collecting again" - T Fischer
      • "In Massachusetts, these situations I have been involved with we have allowed up to 4 cats and 1-2 dogs of course sterilized. The pet owners have become our best advocates for the non-profit.... Again it is best to keep a relationship going- I used to bring pet food and provide vet support for the pets too.  I have found the exhausting part is that sometimes the services for the person are lacking and that is hard on the animal welfare staff." - Stacey LeBaron
      • "At both of the shelters I've worked at, most always let the animal owner keep one or more animals." - Phil Zimmerman
      • "We will often let them keep a few but we will spay/neuter them so that we can prevent the issue from happening again" - Ryane Cox
      • "ditto -- allowing them to keep an animal can help them heal; can be a reason for reminding them to keep up the progress..gives a chance to recheck.." - Nancy McKenney
    • "I would like to acknowledge the animal rescue efforts currently occurring in the southeast region of the US due to Hurricane Ian. So many animal rescue groups, organizations, and individuals who are working hard to help those animals in need." - Sandi Hengle


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    Charlotte Otero
    Community Strategist at Maddie's Fund
    she/her
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  • 3.  RE: Community Conversations - 10/3/22 - Listening to Hear: Removing Hidden Barriers and Offering Grace

    Posted 10-03-2022 03:45 PM
    This makes me so happy! I wish our internet hadn't been down this afternoon to be able to have heard that live. The weekly chats have been so important to myself, as I am a new director. Once, again, thank you from the bottom of my heart!  -Elise

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    Elise Blue
    NEMO Humane Society
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  • 4.  RE: Community Conversations - 10/3/22 - Listening to Hear: Removing Hidden Barriers and Offering Grace

    Posted 10-04-2022 07:27 AM
    Lakeshore Animal Friends is an all-volunteer home based rescue and a grant of this amount is a huge benefit to our rescue.  We've just been able to partner with a veterinarian to bring a low-cost spay/neuter clinic for felines to our underserved area here in mid-west Michigan.  This will help save so many lives!  We are grateful.  Finding the resources offered using on-demand is amazing.

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    Annette Montminy
    President and Treasurer
    Lakeshore Animal Friends
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  • 5.  RE: Community Conversations - 10/3/22 - Listening to Hear: Removing Hidden Barriers and Offering Grace

    Posted 10-04-2022 08:03 AM
    Congratulations @Annette Montminy and @Elise Blue!!  ​​

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    alison gibson
    Senior Media Specialist
    Maddie's Fund
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  • 6.  RE: Community Conversations - 10/3/22 - Listening to Hear: Removing Hidden Barriers and Offering Grace

    Posted 10-05-2022 08:13 AM
    Thank you so much!

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    Elise Blue
    NEMO Humane Society
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