See you at the Best Friends Conference
The Individual Animal
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E15 | Lisa Gunter- Week long fosters, short-term outings, labeling dogs and more
The Individual Animal
Dr. Lisa Gunter, an assistant professor at Virginia Tech, discusses her journey into animal welfare research, including her work on breed labels, fostering, and field trips for shelter dogs. She shares insights on the impact of these programs and the importance of individualized care for shelter animals. Dr. Lisa Gunter discusses her work at Virginia Tech, including a hybrid fostering program for dogs and a shelter training program for students. She also shares insights into a collaborative study on post-adoption outcomes for dogs with biting behavior. Dr. Gunter emphasizes the importance of...
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E14 | Kate Hartlund - Milwaukee Area Domestic Animals Control
The Individual Animal
In this conversation, Nikki and Kate discuss their experiences in animal welfare and their work at different shelters. They talk about their past internships, the challenges of working in animal shelters, and the importance of community engagement. Kate shares her role as the volunteer and community engagement coordinator at MADACC and the various initiatives she has implemented to increase adoptions and engage with the community. They also discuss the difficulties of the current dog overpopulation crisis and the need for innovative adoption programs Show Notes: Training...
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E13 | Mike Kaviani - Impact on Dogs in a Stressful Environment
The Individual Animal
Mike shares his journey in animal welfare, starting as a kennel attendant and working his way up to becoming the Chief Operating Officer of Brandywine Valley SPCA. He emphasizes the importance of advocating for oneself and taking opportunities to learn and grow in the field. Mike discusses the impact of the stressful shelter environment on dogs' behavior and highlights the need for social interaction, exercise, and mental stimulation.
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Join us at the HSUS Animal Sheltering EXPO!
The Individual Animal
Hi everyone, there won't be a full episode this week. However, if you're going to the HSUS Expo, we'd love it if you could visit our table and say hello to Ashley and Nikki! We have a bunch of fantastic resources to share, as well as some cool giveaways.
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E12 | Jessica Hekman DVM, PhD - The Functional Dog Collaborative
The Individual Animal
In this conversation, Jessica Hekman, DVM, PhD discusses the work of the Functional Dog Collaborative (FDC) and the need to improve dog breeding practices in North America. She highlights the issues with current breeding practices, including the prevalence of large-scale commercial kennels. Jessica emphasizes the importance of moving the needle towards responsible breeding practices and reducing the number of dogs ending up in shelters. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the concept of heritability and its implications for selective breeding. In this conversation, Jessica Hekman...
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E11 | Amy Marder - Tailoring Behavior Observations to Individual Dogs
The Individual Animal
In this conversation, veterinarian and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Amy Marder discusses the importance of recognizing that every dog is an individual and that behavior evaluations should be tailored to each dog's unique needs. She emphasizes the need for guidelines and observational methods to understand a dog's behavior and provide appropriate support. The conversation also touches on the stress levels in shelters, the benefits of foster homes, and the importance of considering a dog's behavior in their previous home when making adoption decisions. Shelter Medicine Courses - ...
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E10 | Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter OH - Playgroups with Amanda & Mindy
The Individual Animal
Join us this week as we chat with Amanda Kopec and Mindy Naticchioni from Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter and discuss the positive impacts playgroups have had on their organization. Instagram Facebook Tik tok Website The stats for Cuyahoga County we mention in the episode are: Dynamic Stats: Cuyahoga County Shelter Director reported stats since Playgroup implementation: • 176% increase in volunteer hours • 62% decrease in bites • 20% decrease in LOS = average of 4.2 days/dog • 20% increase in adoption rate • 3.8% decrease in Returned Adoptions
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E9 | Chrissy Blake - Old Dominion Humane Society - Removing Labels and Other Program
The Individual Animal
Join us this week as we review the outcome of reintroducing breed labels to our online listings. Additionally, we have the opportunity to speak with Chrissy Blake, the Director of the , in Fredrickburgh VA, and discuss her shelters experiences with removal labels and other exciting projects she is involved in.
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E8 | Marketing for Animal Shelters with Caitlin Quinn
The Individual Animal
Learn valuable marketing tips and tricks for animal shelters on this week's episode, featuring the special guest, Caitlin Quinn. Some links based on our convo: Top 5 Animal Shelteing Organization to Follow: HeARTs Speak is launching some learn-at-your-own pace courses this spring so keep an eye out for those and, in the meantime, they are always adding more tools to the Marketing Resource Center.
info_outlineFor this episode of the Individual Animal, we spoke with Dr. Kelsea Brown from the National Canine Research Council. Kelsea recently relocated to Chicago and what she encountered while looking for housing surprised us.
First, she had some rules:
- Unless a place specifically said “no pets,” she applied, even if it said there were breed restrictions.
- She had her facts about canine science and behavior ready.
- She emphasized that she was a responsible dog owner and that she would continue to take responsibility for her pets.
Kelsea has two dogs and two cats, and her many people perceive her dogs to be “pit bull” dogs. But Kelsea and her husband have never had their dogs’ DNA tested. They just consider them dogs. They didn’t consider breed restrictions because they don’t know their dogs’ heritage and they don’t need to know that to know that they are great pets.
We can’t dismiss the fact that Kelsea’s experience comes from a place of privilege and we get into more of that in the podcast episode.
But there is something to be said for the action plan she had and the approach to working with others that she took - in fact, that last part is key. Kelsea said multiple times that she approached the process with the assumption that people are reasonable, so that if she reasonably explained the facts and explained that she was a responsible dog owner that her chances of getting an apartment she liked were pretty good.
Listen to the episode to find out how it all turned out. And tune in next week where we dig deeper into this issue with Shannon Glenn from My Pit Bull Is Family.