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Community Conversations - 12/8/2025 - Evolving in Shelter Work: From Shelter Medicine to Shelter Outreach

  • 1.  Community Conversations - 12/8/2025 - Evolving in Shelter Work: From Shelter Medicine to Shelter Outreach

    Posted 22 days ago

    Updated 12/8/25 at 3:07 pm - Recording now available to watch on-demand!

    Enter here for a chance to win the December 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, December 8, 2025 at 11am PT / 2pm ET  for "Evolving in Shelter Work: From Shelter Medicine to Shelter Outreach" a conversation with @Ehani Hunter, Shelter Outreach Veterinary Assistant for San Diego Humane Society.  

    This session shares the perspective of a Veterinary Assistant transitioning from shelter medicine to shelter outreach and explores how both roles work together to strengthen animal welfare. Drawing from hands-on experience in a high-volume shelter environment, the presentation highlights the medical skills, adaptability, and teamwork developed in daily practice and how these translate into effective, community-centered outreach. Attendees will gain insight into resource limitations, collaborative problem-solving, and the importance of supporting shelters through shared knowledge and partnership. This session aims to inspire and inform by showing how integrated approaches create more sustainable, compassionate outcomes for animals and people.


    This session is especially relevant for adoptions and foster staff and volunteers, return to home and intake prevention staff, veterinary professionals (vets, techs, support staff), behavior staff and volunteers, field services/animal control officers, marketing and communications staff, and grant writers/fundraisers  - but all are welcome! 

    🔑 Key Takeaways:

    • Collaboration matters. Working together helps find solutions.
    • Share experiences to highlight the realities of shelter work and promote positive perceptions of shelters.
    • Everyone can make a difference. Start somewhere and find your role.

    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! 


    #AccesstoCare
    #Diversity,Equity,InclusionandJustice
    #EducationandTraining
    #Medicine,SurgeryandSterilization

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



  • 2.  RE: Community Conversations - 12/8/2025 - Evolving in Shelter Work: From Shelter Medicine to Shelter Outreach

    Posted 21 days ago

    This looks like a solid session, especially for anyone who has bounced between medical work and outreach. I've seen how different the day to day feels in each area and how much smoother things run when both sides actually talk to each other. You get fewer misunderstandings about capacity, better decisions about which animals need priority, and more realistic expectations for what outreach can handle in the field.

    The focus on collaboration hits home because most of the headaches I've watched in shelters came from teams working in their own corners. When people share what's happening on the ground, everything from intake prevention to follow up care gets a little easier.



    ------------------------------
    Daniel Burr
    Operations Manager
    Little Ones
    MA
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Community Conversations - 12/8/2025 - Evolving in Shelter Work: From Shelter Medicine to Shelter Outreach

    Posted 16 days ago

    Well said! We all slip into autopilot sometimes, and it's easy to forget that our work directly impacts other teams. That's why learning how to collaborate is so important for keeping everything running smoothly!



    ------------------------------
    Ehani Hunter
    Shelter Outreach Veterinary Assistant
    San Diego Humane Society
    CA
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Community Conversations - 12/8/2025 - Evolving in Shelter Work: From Shelter Medicine to Shelter Outreach

    Posted 16 days ago

    Thanks to our speaker, @Ehani Hunter - and everyone who joined us today! 

    We would love to hear from you in response to today's reflection question: How might stepping outside your comfort zone lead to personal growth and broader impact?



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

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Community Conversations - 12/8/2025 - Evolving in Shelter Work: From Shelter Medicine to Shelter Outreach

    Posted 16 days ago

    Grateful for the opportunity to share my experience with everyone!

    Stepping out of my comfort zone has helped me better understand the challenges within the sheltering system and has motivated me to remain in this field. I'm committed to collaborating with others to strengthen our system and confront these challenges together.

     



    ------------------------------
    Ehani Hunter
    Shelter Outreach Veterinary Assistant
    San Diego Humane Society
    CA
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Community Conversations - 12/8/2025 - Evolving in Shelter Work: From Shelter Medicine to Shelter Outreach

    Posted 16 days ago

    I would like to start by personally "leaning into the uncomfortable" has been a model I have tried to embrace the last few years. In doing so can lead to increased competence, greater adaptability (through decreasing fear, increasing confidence, and creating resiliency), expand your perspective and create new opportunities. Even when there are setbacks are troubles, it is party of the learning and growth that likely will come in handy later down the road and make you even stronger as obstacles in life are inevitable. Very few things in life are permanent, so why not give it a try, you might even surprise yourself! 



    ------------------------------
    Cassie Boyle
    CAP Clinic Supervisor
    St Vincent de Paul
    Phoenix AZ
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Community Conversations - 12/8/2025 - Evolving in Shelter Work: From Shelter Medicine to Shelter Outreach

    Posted 16 days ago

    Hi Cassie,

    I agree! Over the last year, I've also taken this approach, and it's led me to so many new opportunities that have widened my knowledge and boosted my confidence. I'm also big on the "why not give it a try" mentality. If I love it, great; if I don't, on to the next adventure.



    ------------------------------
    Ehani Hunter
    Shelter Outreach Veterinary Assistant
    San Diego Humane Society
    CA
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Community Conversations - 12/8/2025 - Evolving in Shelter Work: From Shelter Medicine to Shelter Outreach

    Posted 16 days ago

    Great session! Thank you. I come from a Mass Communications and Math background and worked in marketing and customer service for nearly 10 years before joining the animal welfare community. In my previous positions, I worked with all types of people and learned to adapt to who I was working with. Coming into the animal welfare community, people were very cold which caught me off guard because everyone I knew, spoke to, or worked with any type of animal were great with other people.  I quickly learned not all animal people are people people. It was an adjustment and I questioned many times if I made the right change, but I love animals and wanted to help my community more. Many years ago, I heard a presentation where they said "Get uncomfortable to get comfortable" and that resonated with me. This helps me grow as I strive to improve myself to help others, I understand that it won't always be easy or "comfortable" but it will help me grow and achieve the things I need to, to later make life/work easier/simpler and comfortable.



    ------------------------------
    Jennifer Vasquez
    Director of Development
    Rio Grande Valley Humane Society
    Harlingen TX
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Community Conversations - 12/8/2025 - Evolving in Shelter Work: From Shelter Medicine to Shelter Outreach

    Posted 15 days ago

    Hi Jennifer!

    I'm so sorry people weren't the friendliest to you when you first came into the field, but I'm really glad you chose to stay. One thing I constantly focus on is "What purpose do I want to serve?" and "What can I get out of this experience?" What I've learned is that every new path, every step outside your comfort zone, is a step toward growth. 



    ------------------------------
    Ehani Hunter
    Shelter Outreach Veterinary Assistant
    San Diego Humane Society
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Community Conversations - 12/8/2025 - Evolving in Shelter Work: From Shelter Medicine to Shelter Outreach

    Posted 16 days ago

    Thanks to the 99+ 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

    • @Debra Olmedo, Director, Patitas y Palabras
    • Sheila Kouhkan, Senior Education Specialist, Maddie's Fund

    Question of the Day: What's something you are looking to finish up this year - either at work or in your home life?

    • "Our impact report" - Christy Schilling
    • "We are working on our transitioning our low-cost spay & neuter clinic to a free-will donation based clinic!" - Meagan Koehler
    • "Management experience" - Elkie Wills
    • "Balance" - Melissa Fitzgerald
    • "Clean up my emails" - Shelley Joaquin
    • "Getting  lockers for our pet retention program for our clients to p/u during non-service hours." - Kaila Rosenberger
    • " Finishing my microbiology course!" - Ehani Hunter
    • " Continue to get as many animals as possible adopted out." - Ernest Hagan
    • "Secure in-kind donors for our upcoming gala." - Rachel Rothman
    • "We've completed a TON of projects over this last year. Near-term we're launching a low-cost community clinic - in the middle of a soft-launch right now - to provide more services to our community to those persons who aren't able to access veterinary services due to cost. Our hope is to both provide necessary preventatives, and then to educate and refer to community GPs as much as possible." - Aaron Walker


    Grant Giveaway Winners

    • November Maddie's Community Conversations Giveaway Winners of $2,500 each
    • October Maddie's Pet Forum Giveaway Winners of $3,000
    • November Maddie's Pet Forum Giveaway Winners of $3,000
    • November Maddie's Pet Forum 30th anniversary Giveaway Winner of $1,000


    National Updates

    • Registration for Humane Canada's annual conference, the 2026 Summit for Animals, is now open! Early bird registration is open until January 8.  The conference is happening April 19 - 21st and will be in wonderful Whistler, British Columbia! You can register here. 
    • Maddie's Insights webcast this Thursday, December 11, 2025: Exploration of Barriers and Bias During Off-Site Animal Adoption Events with researcher Dr. Lexis Ly. Sign up here. 
    • Registration is now open for The Cat Conference 2026: From Community Cats Central, happening virtually on January 24–25. It's two days packed with expert-led sessions on TNR, feline health, cat rescue, adoption tools, and more - a great opportunity to learn, connect, and up your impact for community cats. Early-bird pricing is available now through December 25 with code TCC26EB for a discount. Hope to see you there 🐾  Register here. 
    • Human Animal Support Services has a toolkit relevant to today's topic:  View the Internal, External, and Collaborative Medical Care Programming toolkit here. 
    • 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 December & January and you will be entered to win. #ThanksToMaddie  


    Presentation: Evolving in Shelter Work- From Shelter Medicine to Shelter Outreach


    Highlights from the Chat

    • "If you've had difficult recruiting Veterinarians to your programs - we finally had success this last year and I'd be happy to share what we did and how we increased interest in shelter vet med. awalker@kshumane.org" - Aaron Walker
    • "Absolutely love this perspective! So few of us get to have experience with multiple shelters, and it's so illuminating." - Jory Jolivet
    • "But it is primarily from corporate owned GPs. I think the issue is that in sheltering we know that there are animals and owners that simply aren't seeking care because they can't afford it." - Aaron Walker
    • "We have 1.4 million people in our region, approximately 1 million stray cats and dogs. Closed school with the vet program is about 8 hours away. Any recommendations to gain assistance? We have 89 active vets in our region. No RVT schools to my knowledge in the area." - Jennifer Vasquez
    • "Approach the community colleges and ask them to start a RVT program." - Donna Miller
    • "Love Sheila's team napping!" - Sara Ventetuolo
    • "Yes! Recruit "people people" for your teams!!! People with backgrounds in retail and restaurants are great for this!!!!" - Amber Eby
    • "I have worked at various shelters.  Had a different vision so started a new rescue with a small group.  We're having a big impact" - Sara Ventetuolo
    • "Try volunteering 1st to see what area fits." - Marion Barbato
    • "I spent 20 years working in museums, then started at a shelter as the front desk person, moved to shelter manager, and now I'm the ED. Just try new things.  🙂" - Mindy Wulf



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

    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Community Conversations - 12/8/2025 - Evolving in Shelter Work: From Shelter Medicine to Shelter Outreach

    Posted 15 days ago

    Thank you so much for that presentation! I am fairly new to the animal rescue community although I've cared for animals my entire life. I am still trying to find my place and my strengths while volunteering. If I just pushed a little outside of my comfort zone I probably could find my place quicker but I am so nervous of stepping on toes or pushing too hard.  



    ------------------------------
    Tanya Dorman
    Volunteer
    Lakeshore Animal Friends
    MI
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: Community Conversations - 12/8/2025 - Evolving in Shelter Work: From Shelter Medicine to Shelter Outreach

    Posted 15 days ago

    Hi Tanya,

    Thank you for watching my presentation, and welcome to the community!

    I completely understand wanting to be cautious to avoid stepping on people's toes; those feelings are common when you're new. However, if you're eager to grow and have shown a desire to get involved and learn more, I hope the people around you encourage and support you to do exactly that.

    Wishing you the best as you continue finding your place in the community!



    ------------------------------
    Ehani Hunter
    Shelter Outreach Veterinary Assistant
    San Diego Humane Society
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


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