Demystifying Fundraising

Learn how to build and maintain a viable and successful fundraising (major gifts) program.

Stacy Rogers, Best Friends Animal Society

Building a Foster Program 101

Starting a foster program can be a daunting task but through this session, we will learn how to break it down into obtainable goals to get this program up and running.

Liz Stamper, Best Friends Animal Society

There Ought to be a Law! (or an Ordinance): How to Talk to Local Officials

Politics is NOT a spectator sport. This interactive session will teach you the basics on how to reach, persuade, and relate to elected officials. We'll use real life examples on how to approach an issue from a variety of viewpoints. Lobbying isn't only necessary , it can be fun!

Ledy VanKavage, Best Friends Animal Society

Roundtable

Roundtable discussion.

Best Friends Animal Society

Evening Networking

The Coalition wants to get to know you! Join us for informal networking and grab a bite if you wish! (Food and drink not included.)

Shakespeare’s Pizza

3911 Peachtree Drive

Columbia, MO 65203

Welcome to the 2021 Midwest Animal Sheltering Conference!

Social Media for Animal Rescue Organizations

What does each social media platform provide and how to work with the algorithm to get content in front of more people. In 2021, what trends and tools provide the most return and reach more followers.

Jacqueline Kelleher, Helen Woodward Animal Center

Beat Writers Block with These Outcome Ideas!

Walk away from this presentation with a giant list of ideas to promote adoption and foster in order to move your long stay or most at risk pets out of the shelter!

Sarah Aguilar, Austin Pets Alive!

The Most Common Behavioral Myths That Can Lead to Pet Relinquishment

Attendees will learn about some of the more common myths that get people in trouble with their pets will be reviewed including misunderstandings about dominance, socialization and how animals learn. Attendees will learn how these misunderstandings can contribute to pet relinquishment and how to educate pet owners regarding prevention of certain behavior problems.

Dr. Valarie Tynes, Ceva Animal Health

*CE approved by the Missouri Veterinary Medical Board

Lunch and Exhibit Hall

Complete the Passport in your welcome bag to be entered in a raffle to win prizes! Winners announced during lunch on Sunday!

The Business of Saving Lives

Focus on running your facility as a business and the future of animal welfare.

Michael Arms, Helen Woodward Animal Center

Learning to Trust: Breaking Barriers and Super Charging Adoptions

Are your adoption policies in place because that’s the way you’ve always done things? Do they exist because of one incident many years ago? We’ll examine why barriers exist, why they need to be a thing of the past, and how to move towards open, conversational adoptions.

Stacy Rogers, Best Friends Animal Society

De-escalating Ringworm

Ringworm is the most superficial of conditions but shelter staff live in fear of it because it increases length of stay, and, in some shelters, even leads to euthanasia. In this session, learn more about ringworm so you can de-escalate concerns of staff and adopters and put ringworm in its place as the minor annoyance that it is.

Dr. Heather Kennedy, Kansas City Pet Project

*CE approved by the Missouri Veterinary Medical Board

Human Animal Support Services

In this session, you will learn about the shift happening in animal welfare from Animal Services to Human Animal Support Services (HASS). By engaging the community and embracing the 11 elements of HASS, more families can stay together while keeping animals out of shelters. You will learn steps your organization can take to implement Human Animal Support Services programs in your community.

Jamie Case, American Pets Alive!

EMERGENCY! Using Foster Care as a Lifeline During Crises

Natural disasters, population crises, outbreaks of contagious illness and other emergencies can spread an organization’s resources thin and put pets at risk. Whether your organization is having the crisis or helping another that is, emergency foster care programs can increase your capacity, save lives and ease strain on staff and volunteers during troubled times. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to get pets into foster homes quickly and safely in order to free up space. You'll get all the tools you need to rally the community, recruit foster caregivers and create and run your program.

Kelly Duer, Maddie’s Fund

Kitten Diarrhea: a rational approach

Kitten diarrhea is one of the most common concerns for foster caregivers. In this session, we’ll review the most recent research into the possible causes of kitten diarrhea as well as best treatments, and we’ll also discuss the rationale for and benefits of recommendations that are widely shared on the internet.

Dr. Heather Kennedy, Kansas City Pet Project

*CE approved by the Missouri Veterinary Medical Board

Evening Networking

Join the Missouri Coalition of Animal Care Organizations for an evening of networking in the Stoney Creek Conference Center lobby! Don’t forget to complete your Passport before the raffle on Sunday!

Revolutionizing Data Entry to Transform Operations

We know data-driven decision-making is advantageous, but efficient data entry is equally important. Time and energy are finite resources we must carefully manage. When choosing between devoting time and resources to animal care versus a seemingly mundane task like entering data, the choice seems obvious. However, modernizing our data entry methods and prioritizing real-time data entry creates efficiencies that allow organizations to spend more time caring for animals and increase organizational success. Learn how technology, such as automation, can improve animal care, increase customer satisfaction, reduce your expenses, make a lifesaving impact, and more. In this challenging era of pandemic and economic uncertainty - efficiency matters more than ever.

Renee Wolfgramm, Pethealth Inc.

Top 10 Strategies To Set Dogs Up For Success Behaviorally In Foster Care

Equip your team with these simple strategies and tools to share with foster families which will: help with smooth transitions into new environments, manage dog-dog introductions, start our relationships with new dogs on the right paw, and safety and bite prevention. 

Dr. Anna Delabar, Pet Wellness Alliance and Anna Delabar DVM LLC

*CE approved by the Missouri Veterinary Medical Board

What to do about that blue dot: how shelters and rescues can leverage FIV and FeLV testing dilemmas for feline lifesaving

The new information emerging about retroviral prognosis, prevalence, and limitations of diagnostic testing has created opportunities to rethink shelter and rescue policies related to testing and euthanasia for these diseases. We will discuss how medical protocols can reflect these developments for the benefit of cats and the wider community.

Dr. Amie Burling, University of Missouri Shelter Medicine Program

*CE approved by the Missouri Veterinary Medical Board

Access to Veterinary Care: a National Crisis & How AlignCare Can Help in Your Community

Lack of access to veterinary care is a national family crisis, with more than one out of four (28%) families with pets reporting they experienced a barrier to veterinary care, most often due to limited finances. The impacts on pets can be substantial, including prolonged recovery from an illness or injury, premature death, or relinquishment. This results in distress for the family and negatively impacts veterinary professionals, further tasks animal shelters, and presents threats to public health. It is time to stop judging and start helping! Attendees will learn more about this crisis and how they can help in their community.

T' Fisher, AlignCare

Let’s Save Behavior Dogs!

In this session, you’ll learn how to 1 - navigate this bog of emotion, 2- have frank conversations, and 3- earn the support of your staff, volunteers and community, while safely saving more lives. Since my first shelter pull as a rescue partner, I have seen organizations and individuals struggle to be honest and open about the behavioral decisions that were being made behind closed doors. I joined Pima Animal Care when staff were called murderers and helped to navigate the organization to a point where volunteers, rescue partners, and staff worked together to find solutions while increasing safety and elevating life saving.

Sarah Aguilar, Austin Pets Alive

Veterinary Roundtable

Ask our team of skilled veterinarians your burning questions about veterinary protocols, behavioral medicine, and more!

Dr. Amie Burling, Dr. Heather Kennedy, Dr. Valarie Tynes, Dr. Anna Delabar

*CE approved by the Missouri Veterinary Medical Board

Lunch and Exhibit Hall

Last chance to complete your Passport to be entered in the raffle!

Exhibitor Passport Raffle

Understanding the Impact of Legislative Advocacy on your Shelter

Attendees should understand the importance of legislative advocacy, how it affects their organization, how to reach and speak to legislators, and the current state of various pieces of animal welfare legislation in Missouri.

Cody Atkinson, Humane Society of the United States

Helping Pets Means Helping People First: How Lawrence Humane's Crisis Pet Retention Fund Keeps People and Pets Together

This session will describe in detail Lawrence Humane's Crisis Pet Retention Fund, including the following components:

• Impact and outcomes over nine months, such as: Basic, essential veterinary care to 549 animals from 361 households; Helping subsidize the cost of emergency or specialty care at private veterinary clinics for 70 animals from 60 households; Assisting 18 households with 22 pets with pet deposits, pet rent, and pet fees; Providing temporary crisis boarding for 85 animals with a return home rate of 74%; Distributing an average of 1,637 lbs of pet food and 340 lbs of cat litter to 66 households per month.

• Intentionality behind the program design, including meeting people where they’re at, removing as many barriers to assistance as possible, outreach, and accessibility.

• Program implementation without judgment or criminalization of poverty, including organizational culture challenges, moral quandaries, and working with community partners.

• Opportunities for data collection to strengthen shelter operations, more targeted service to the community, and building capacity around diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• Challenges faced, lessons learned, and sustainability moving forward.

Learning objectives include: A new understanding of what “success” looks like when animal shelters work to support the pet owner as the primary aid recipient; Preparation for the kind of challenging staff dynamics that inevitably emerge when a shelter launches such a program; Planning for how animal shelters can work in greater partnership with social service agencies and connect with populations typically under-served by animal welfare.

Elina Alterman, Lawrence Humane Society

Management of heartworm disease in shelter dogs: our current challenges and where to go next

Guidelines and data can help to guide shelter and rescue protocols related to heartworm prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, but controversies remain. Two dose vs. three dose treatment? Is slow kill ever acceptable? Is prevention still working? This session will consider the benefits and risks of common shelter protocols regarding heartworm management and how our approach is evolving.

Dr. Amie Burling, University of Missouri Shelter Medicine Program

*CE approved by the Missouri Veterinary Medical Board