The Shelter Consultation Mentorship Program is conducted in two phases. Training begins with the Foundational Course, in which mentees complete an online self-study program, required readings, and the Fear Free Shelter Program.
By the end of the of this self-study course, you will have a fundamental knowledge of the following key topics:
- Introduction to animal welfare consultations
- Key research before on-site visit
- Community programs and the link to shelter success
- Community cat management programs
- Intake policies and managed admissions
- Population management
- Live outcome programs
- On-site consultation overview
- Community messaging
- Recommendations and reports
- Follow-up post consultation
- The Fear Free Shelter Program
After completing this Foundational Course, if you believe you are a good candidate, you may apply for our Phase 2: Advanced Course, where you can participate in an on-site shelter consultation.
There are 4 parts to the Foundational Course:
Part 1: Complete
- Online courses you’ll need to complete to fulfill the requirements of the Foundational Course (6.5 hours).
- We included Additional Resources you are welcome to review if you have the time or would like more information. These are not required.
Part 2: Watch
- Videos (online) you’ll need to watch to fulfill the requirements of the Foundational Course (14 min).
Part 3: Read
- You’ll need to read The Best Practice Playbook for Animal Shelters along with some downloadable documents and guides to fulfill the requirements of the Foundational Course.
Part 4: Research
- Research a shelter by reviewing their website, Facebook page, and online news reports. You’ll also review local municipal code(s) and state statutes regarding the regulatory environment in which the shelter operates.
Foundational Course
1. Complete
- Shelter Consultation Mentorship Course (2.5 hours, free)
- Note that Maddie’s University works most optimally in the Chrome browser; some versions of IE are not supported. Please contact Maddie’s University support if you encounter any issues with accessing or completing your learning.
- This course has been approved for 2.5 hours of continuing education (CE) credit until 02/20/2026 in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval.
- This course has been approved for 2.5 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) CE credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA).
- Note that Maddie’s University works most optimally in the Chrome browser; some versions of IE are not supported. Please contact Maddie’s University support if you encounter any issues with accessing or completing your learning.
- Fear Free Shelters Program (4 modules, 45 minutes per module, 3 hours total, free)
- The goal of this program is to improve the experiences of animals by educating shelter, rescue, and animal welfare employees and volunteers about their emotional needs. The program will empower you to apply key strategies and techniques designed to reduce the negative emotional states that are commonly experienced by shelter and rescue animals—including fear, anxiety, stress (FAS), and frustration—and increase their enrichment opportunities. This program is suitable for every individual involved in the care and oversight of shelter and rescue animals.
- Completion of the Fear Free Shelters Program will earn 5 credits of RACE-approved CEs
- The goal of this program is to improve the experiences of animals by educating shelter, rescue, and animal welfare employees and volunteers about their emotional needs. The program will empower you to apply key strategies and techniques designed to reduce the negative emotional states that are commonly experienced by shelter and rescue animals—including fear, anxiety, stress (FAS), and frustration—and increase their enrichment opportunities. This program is suitable for every individual involved in the care and oversight of shelter and rescue animals.
- Big Dog Master Class: Big Dogs – The Tough Stuff (2 sessions; 65 min total)
- Behavioral decline, often caused by the stress of shelter confinement, leads to sheltered dogs being slated for euthanasia when no immediate outcome options are available. These factors can lead to shelter workers and volunteers feeling helpless and demoralized like there is just no answer. Luckily, there are things you can do to save big dogs, even in the hardest of circumstances.
- Session 1: Managing Big Dog Space Crises with Clare Callison (27 min)
- Session 2: Lifesaving Protocol for At-Risk Dogs with Kristen Hassen (36 min)
- This course has been approved for 1 hour of CE credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval through 03/05/26.
- This course has been approved for 1 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) continuing education (CE) credit by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and for 1 National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA) continuing education (CE) credit.
- Behavioral decline, often caused by the stress of shelter confinement, leads to sheltered dogs being slated for euthanasia when no immediate outcome options are available. These factors can lead to shelter workers and volunteers feeling helpless and demoralized like there is just no answer. Luckily, there are things you can do to save big dogs, even in the hardest of circumstances.
Additional Resources (not required, but highly recommended if you have time and like what you’ve learned so far):
Big Dog Master Class (full, on-demand courses, 7 remaining modules, free)
All 7 modules have been approved for 1 hour of CE credit each in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval through 03/05/26, and have been approved for 1 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) continuing education (CE) credit each by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement, and for 1 National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA) continuing education (CE) credit each.
If you’d rather choose individual courses, the links are below:
- Big Dog Master Class: A New Look at 50 Years of Data About Behavioral Incompatibilities and Dog Relinquishment to Shelters (49 min, free)
- A review of research into reasons owners surrender dogs, with the surprising finding that behavior concerns were not a primary risk factor for owner surrender.
- Big Dog Master Class: The Big Picture – Building Better Dog Management Programs (60 min, 2 sessions, free)
- 2 great short sessions – “The Data Is In – What’s Happening and What’s Coming Next” with Steve Zeidman AND “The Five Elements of Great Shelter Dog Management” with Kristen Hassen.
- Big Dog Master Class: Maximizing Big Dog Foster Impact (47 min, 2 sessions, free)
- 2 great short sessions – “Double Your Big Dog Fosters in 30 Days” and “How to Get Big Dogs Adopted From Foster” with Kelly Duer.
- Big Dog Master Class: Focus on “Long-Stay” Dogs (58 min, 2 sessions, free)
- 2 great short sessions – “Proven Strategies to Help “Long Stay” Dogs Find Homes” with Rachel Jones AND “The “Warehousing” Conundrum and How to Address It” with Kirsten Hassen
- Big Dog Master Class: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Understanding Shelter Dogs (48 min, free)
- Acknowledgement of the role of trauma in animal behavior encourages us to be more understanding and respond more appropriately to undesirable or challenging behaviors that may be caused by trauma. This presentation will discuss practical ways you can prevent trauma and help animals to recover.
- Big Dog Master Class: Gaining Public Support for Saving Big Dogs (50 min, free)
- 2 great short sessions – “Reduce Risk and Improve Public Safety” with Sarah Aguilar AND “Get Your Community On Board with Keeping Big Dogs Out of the Shelter” with Dr. Ellen Jefferson and Bobby Mann
- Big Dog Master Class: Get Dogs Into Great Homes Faster (50 min, free)
- Acknowledgement of the role of trauma in animal behavior encourages us to be more understanding and respond more appropriately to undesirable or challenging behaviors that may be caused by trauma. This presentation will discuss practical ways you can prevent trauma and help animals to recover.
The Four Rights of Animal Sheltering (full, on-demand course, 5 modules, free)
- The Future is Four – Overview of the 4 Rights of Animal Sheltering (48 min, free)
- Within the Four Rights, every element works in concert to support one another: animals and people are treated as individuals, empowering shelter staff to make the best decisions for everyone; community safety net services are in place and flourishing; and humane care within the shelter is provided, with appropriate outcomes for the animals that do come in, allowing shelters to deliver the Right Care, in the Right Place, at the Right Time, and to the Right Outcome.
- This course has been approved for 1 National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA) continuing education (CE) credit, and for 1 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) continuing education (CE) credit by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement, and for 1 hour of CE credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval through 05/24/26.
- The Future is Four: Dive Into the 4 Rights – The Right Care in the Right Place at the Right Time to the Right Outcome (Series, 4 hours, free)
- This short, self-paced course has been approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by National Animal Care and Control Association. This program has also been RACE approved for 4.0 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval through 4/7/27. Upon completing the course and passing the quiz, upload your certificate to https://CEBoker.com. This is the broker used by the AAVSB to track your continuing education credits.
- The Right Place (55 min)
- The Right Time (58 min)
- The Right Care (52 min)
- The Right Outcome (54 min)
- This short, self-paced course has been approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by National Animal Care and Control Association. This program has also been RACE approved for 4.0 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval through 4/7/27. Upon completing the course and passing the quiz, upload your certificate to https://CEBoker.com. This is the broker used by the AAVSB to track your continuing education credits.
If you’d rather choose individual courses, the links are below:
- MMPC Learniverse – The 4 Rights – The Right Place Course (55 min)
- How do you determine the “Right Place” for an animal at risk of entering the shelter? In this course, you will learn the framework that allows you to remove decision fatigue and get animals where they need to be—or help them right where they are.
- MMPC Learniverse – The 4 Rights – The Right Time (58 min)
- MMPC Learniverse – The 4 Rights – The Right Care (52 min)
- MMPC Learniverse – The 4 Rights – The Right Outcome (54 min)
2. Watch
- Community-Centric Model of Animal Services (4 min, free)
- A short explanation of the evolving role of animal shelters, the emerging importance of safety net programs, and help keeping people and pets together.
- The Lifesaving Impact of Community Cat Diversion (10 min, free)
- A quick overview by Cameron Moore presents the benefits and common myths of return to field/community cat programs.
3. Read
- The Best Practice Playbook for Animal Shelters
- Spiral-bound ($40)
- Kindle ($24.99)
- Apple ($24.99)
- The Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ 2016 Veterinary Medical Care Guidelines for Spay-Neuter Programs (free download)
- The Association of Shelter Veterinarians Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters (free download)
- Shelter Snapshot – Questions About Community Cat Programs (free download)
- Pathway Planning for Community Cats (free download)
4. Research a Shelter
- Research a shelter by reviewing their website, Facebook page, and online news reports. You can set up Google alerts to be notified when news about the shelter occurs.
- Review local municipal code(s) and state statutes regarding the regulatory environment in which the shelter operates. Some shelters serve multiple jurisdictions that may have different requirements. Reflect on how the laws facilitate or hinder the shelter best practices. Finding the relevant laws can be a challenge, and not all laws are necessarily indexed in prominent directories.
Thanks to the generosity of Maddie’s Fund, the Maddie’s Million Pet Challenge is offering skilled animal welfare professionals the opportunity for self-study and immersive on-site experience with a consultation team, free of charge.