Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection

5/25/23 HASS Job-Alike:  L.E.G.S. Models in Shelters

Guest Speaker: Angie Cook

The animal welfare world has undergone drastic changes in a very short period of time. These monumental shifts have changed the face of how and why we do what we do in sheltering and the Industry finds itself constantly scrambling to keep up with new paradigms and best practices for them. Family Dog Mediation utilizing Learning, Environment, Genetics and Self (L.E.G.S.) has been a vehicle by which we are navigating the very dynamic dog behavior industry and all of the twists and turns we are experiencing as new science emerges almost daily rendering years of philosophy incomplete or obsolete.   We can and have applied the same Family Dog Mediation, L.E.G.S. Model to Sheltering and Rescue with positive results for the dogs in the system as well as the people caring for them. By accounting for Learning, Environment, Genetics and Self, we can learn more about the dogs in our care, equip them with specific and productive enrichment and environments, as well as assess what outcome would be best suited to that specific dog. We can better communicate with the public and adopters about the dogs they hope to welcome into their homes and set them up for success. We can support our staff and volunteers and streamline processes to hopefully make things simpler and less overwhelming. This presentation will outline the basics of the L.E.G.S. Model and give actionable steps to get the ball rolling.