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Welcome to the ShelterMedPortal,

Your Gateway to Professional Growth in Animal Sheltering!

Free #ThankstoMaddie and the Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge.

Shelter Learniverse Has a New Home

At the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program, we’re dedicated to supporting you in your work within the animal sheltering industry. As part of the Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge, we proudly re-introduce the Shelter Learniverse in its new home – www.shelterlearniverse.com.

Explore our new home and discover how we can assist you in your work and career.

Shelter Care Specialist Certification

The Koret Shelter Medicine Program recognizes the profound Access to Care challenges faced by animal shelters across the nation. To bridge this gap, we are excited to introduce our new certification program aimed at elevating the expertise and readiness of frontline shelter team members. Our Shelter Care Specialist Certification Program is designed to address the challenges associated with access to care in shelters by empowering shelter staff with comprehensive training that extends to medical care, best practices in shelter operations, animal shelter population management, and behavior, training and enrichment for animals in shelters.

Introducing our Shelter Care Specialist Certification Program: a game-changing professional development program for shelter team members. Elevate your professional skills and credentials, positioning yourself for a fulfilling career in animal welfare. Learn more now!

Self-Paced, On-Demand Learning

Learn what you want, where you want, when you want.  Check out our bite-sized, self-paced, on-demand learning options to help you level up in your current job and prepare for future opportunities in the animal welfare industry. Dive in now!

Shelter Industry Events Calendar

Go to the animal sheltering's most-used calendar of upcoming in-person and online events from across the industry.

Shelter Medicine Resource Library

Visit sheltermedicine.com's resource library for answers to your shelter medicine questions.

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Sheltermedicine.com

Visit sheltermedicine.com for more information about the programs and services offered by the Koret Shelter Medicine Program at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

Recently Announced Upcoming Industry Events

Part 2: Triage That Informs Intake webinar

Webinar – 4/29/25 – Part II: Triage that Transforms Intake – HASS

HASS Presents: et’s explore Intake Triage strategies that help manage lost pet intake and streamline your intake process as a whole! Amanda Foster, HASS Programs Director, and Nichole Hazard, HASS Associate Director of Marketing & Communications, will discuss easy ways to better understand the “why” behind animals entering the shelter and the best practices for communicating effectively with your community.

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Gatekeeping Care: The Intersection of Spay/Neuter and the Myth of "Responsible Pet Ownership"

Webinar – 5/20/25 – Gatekeeping Care: The Intersection of Spay/Neuter and the Myth of “Responsible Pet Ownership” – MCVMA

MCVMA Presents: Join MCVMA and shelter medicine professionals for an open panel discussion on the recently released WSAVA guidelines on pet sterilization and the broader, ongoing debate around spay/neuter practices. We’ll explore the implications of these guidelines for access to care, equity in veterinary medicine, and how structural bias shapes the way we define and approach “responsible pet ownership.” This conversation aims to bring diverse perspectives to a complex issue impacting communities, veterinarians, and the animals we serve.

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Maddie's Monthly Foster Connection

Online Event – 5/1/25 – Maddie’s Monthly Foster Connection: Pawsitively Clean: Foster Home Sanitation Tips with Dr. Chumkee Aziz – Maddie’s Fund

Maddie’s Fund Presents: From kids to grandparents, and even resident pets, there can be a lot of interaction going on in foster homes. So, how do we keep these environments safe and healthy for our foster animals? In this webinar, we’ll explore practical, safe, and effective sanitation tips tailored to foster homes. By the end, you’ll know even more than you already do about creating and maintaining clean, nurturing spaces that support your foster animals’ recovery and wellbeing.

Read More »

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Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to receive a list of upcoming webinars, new Shelter Learniverse courses, and blog posts worth your valuable time. You'll also receive occasional emails from Maddie's Million Pet Challenge. If you're interested in receiving additional details about new Shelter Learniverse courses and certification program, be sure to check the boxes at the bottom!

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