Global Animal Issues Sessions

Most organizations have no trouble describing what they do each day, how busy they are, and how much work needs to get done. However, few organizations can answer the question of why their organization exists in the first place, or why their work matters to the rest of the world.   A strong mission statement will answer the question of why an organization exists. Without a strong mission statement, most organizations lack direction and a long-range vision; everyone stays busy and works hard, but they never seem to get anywhere.  Explore the value of a strong mission statement and learn how to create one for your organization.

This presentation, geared toward leadership in animal welfare, will focus on organizational tools and strategies for incorporating a strong work-life balance culture and building an emotionally resilient organization. Many animal?welfare staff have had to transition to working from home, coping with the stress of the pandemic, and supporting family members and friends. Even as operations start up again, there will be collective stress and trauma to navigate.?We?ll?reflect on productive strategies implemented by organizations during crisis and how those can help lead us to a more supportive and sustainable culture.?

This session will discuss how available data that you collect can be used to develop spay/neuter and rabies control programs that aim for impactful outcomes. Evidence-based spay/neuter and rabies control programs increase your accountability and can inform all aspects of your program, including scale and duration.

Años de prueba y error nos han demostrado que, sin la participación de la comunidad, los programas corren el riesgo de tener una vida útil más corta y menos efectiva. ¿Cómo podemos asegurarnos que nuestros esfuerzos aborden las necesidades de cada comunidad, alcancen los objetivos del programa, y mejoren el bienestar de la población de perros y gatos? Este taller presentará nuestro trabajo en Chile y Bolivia y describirá las formas en las que la comunidad se ha convertido en la clave para un programa más eficaz.

Efforts to improve the health and well-being of animals in a community are stronger and more sustainable when community members are engaged. But building real participation, buy-in and ownership of projects is not easy. When community members are afraid or frustrated by dogs and cats, when factions divide communities or when access to resources are scarce, engagement can become increasingly complex. In this workshop, we will explore innovative and ethical ways to increase engagement in communities and how you can authentically engage people in developing and implementing successful projects/programs. This session will include an exploration of the social science behind community engagement, examples of successful community projects, and tips for strategies and activities you can employ in your work. 

En Chile, los perros y gatos que deambulan libremente y sin supervisión son un gran problema. Desde el 2017 existe la ley 21.020 de tenencia responsable de mascotas y animales de compañía, conocida también como la ley Cholito. Junto a la ley, se creó el Plan Nacional Mascota Protegida el cual dispone de fondos concursables para los municipios y ONG´s para realizar esterilizaciones, atención veterinaria, rescates, adiestramientos, asesorías jurídicas y educación, entre otros. Durante esta charla, presentaremos algunos puntos clave del programa de educación Mascotas Saludables de la ONG GAAP, dirigido a niños/as entre 7 y 12 años, y compartiremos algunos resultados preliminares de nuestras evaluaciones. Por último, discutiremos la necesidad de un programa nacional de educación en tenencia responsable para la formación de tutores/as comprometidos con la tenencia responsable y el bienestar animal.

Hear about an innovative spay/neuter/vaccination program that focuses on serving homeless pet owners and targets dogs and cats who, otherwise, would miss out on the spay/neuter services. By rallying the support of netizens in the city, PAWS is able to shine a light on the plight of homeless pet owners. 

Dentro de los procesos de rescate de animales, se deben contemplar todos aquellos profesionales que estén relacionados con procurar el bienestar animal. La relación rescatista-veterinario es fundamental para lograr una recuperación exitosa del animal rescatado. Además, el médico veterinario debe involucrarse en los procesos de judicialización ante un posible acto de crueldad animal generando diagnósticos y dictámenes y cuando es necesario, testificando ante las autoridades competentes.

Animal Medical Center-Spay/Neuter Awareness Program (AMC-SNAP) Center is the first awareness training and professional mass sterilization center in Egypt. This session will present the challenges AMC-SNAP faces in a country that doesn?t have animal protection legislation. It will cover how the organization learned to prioritize its objectives, be more realistic managing limited resources and gain public and government engagement. The South Sinai pilot project, the first successful collaboration between the AMC-SNAP Center, community members and the government, which resulted in the sterilization and vaccination of over 70% of the street animal population in two major cities in 2021, will be presented as a case study.

Many of us are involved in the rescue or rehoming of animals. However, the number of animals in need often exceeds our resources and it can be hard to admit when we have reached our capacity. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected this equation in both positive and negative ways. We have a responsibility to ensure a good quality of life to animals in our care, but how do we do this? This workshop will look at determining capacity, providing care and enrichment, disease management, successful adoption and making the difficult decision to euthanize. Attendees will come away with the tools needed to assess and improve quality of life for animals in their care. 

Animals are the silent victims of domestic violence; they are often overlooked and suffer at the hands of their abuser. Learn why victims stay with their abusers, why children who live in a household with violence often abuse animals, and why law enforcement should take animal cruelty seriously. This session will offer insight into domestic violence and ?The Link? between animal cruelty and human violence, as well as guidance on working with veterinarian provide evidence of abuse.