Gatekeeping Pet Ownership: The Impacts of Adoption Discrimination
Thursday, September 11, 2025 at 12noon Pacific / 2pm Central / 3pm Eastern (1-hour)
Register at: https://maddies.fund/MIwebcastsRegister
The animal welfare field has been discussing low-barrier adoption processes as a best practice for more than a decade, yet recent research by Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity has found that BIPOC families are still more likely than white families to be denied during the adoption process. The findings highlight the critical need to move discussions from "low-barrier adoptions" to "making pet ownership accessible to all."
Attendees will learn about:
• the prevalence and impact of shelter/rescue adoption discrimination in four U.S. cities (Atlanta, Philadelphia, Miami, Minneapolis)
• solutions for increasing access to pet ownership for BIPOC families
Earn continuing education credit from The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement towards 1.0 CAWA CEs. This webinar has also been pre-approved for 1.0 continuing education credits by the National Animal Care & Control Association (NACA). It has also been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval.
Have questions or comments related to this topic? Share your thoughts on the discussion thread:
https://maddies.fund/InsightsAdoptionDiscriminationSept2025
About the speakers:
Sloane Hawes, Chief of Research and Development at Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity
Sloane Hawes, MSW (she/her) is a scholar-activist who uses a community based participatory research approach to develop and evaluate equitable, accessible, and community-led solutions that improve the quality of life for marginalized people and their pets. She has nearly a decade of experience in research, direct care, and advocacy roles that include community organizing, case management for unhoused people, and supporting families in crisis at an open-admission animal shelter. Sloane currently serves as a commissioner for her local housing authority and a house call volunteer for the Colorado non-profit People and Animal Companions Together (PACT). She lives in Colorado with her partner, two young people, an English Mastiff, a Bassett-Corgi, and five chickens.
Celeste Morales, Senior Director of Research and Development at Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity
Celeste Morales (she/her) is a sociologist and scholar-activist committed to pursuing social justice-oriented research related to the intersections of animals, people, and communities. In particular, she is invested in utilizing community-engaged research approaches that elevate community voices and lived experiences. Celeste has been working in the human and animal well-being research space for the past five years. Celeste completed her BA in Sociology in 2017 from the University of British Columbia, and her MA in Sociology from the University of Victoria in 2020. She has worked with the Vancouver Humane Society as Lead Researcher and Program Manager, the Institute for Human Animal Connection at the University of Denver as a Research Associate and currently works at Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity as Senior Director of Research and Development, where she leads multiple community-based research projects.
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