I Work in Animal Welfare
Facebook Groups
Webinars, Towns Halls & Zoom Calls
- You’re invited: Weekly Zoom call to talk about emerging issues, get advice and hear updates.
- Who: Animal shelter professionals at every level, paid or unpaid
- When: Monday mornings (starting this Monday and continuing once a week) at 7 a.m. PST/10 a.m. EST
- Where: Maddie’s Fund Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/607482466
- Why: Because talking helps us come up with brilliant ideas, feel more supported and less isolated, gives us information about things that are working, and helps us deal with the emerging waves of crises that are part of our daily lives.
NOTE: Calendar invites will NOT be sent. Take the zoom link and put it in your own calendar for every Monday at 7 a.m. PST for the next two months. That way, you’ll always remember!
- MA Animal Welfare Calls – document includes: speaker information, agendas and links to recordings of previous calls
- Join Zoom Meeting
- https://zoom.us/j/4548256521
- Meeting ID: 454 825 6521
- Dial by your location
- +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
- Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/aJdijB3X5
COVID-19 Info for Animal Welfare Workers
- Sign up for this daily digest for animal welfare professionals. National animal welfare non-profits, veterinary shelter medicine programs, and the National Animal Control Association have committed to compiling and sharing accurate, timely COVID-19 information through this daily digest, rather than burdening your already-too-full email in-box.
- American Pets Alive! – COVID-19 Animal Shelter Preparedness Guide
- Association for Animal Welfare Advancement – 5 Things Animal Shelters And Rescues Can Do Together To Minimize Shelter Intake And Maximize Lifesaving Due to COVID-19
- Best Friends – COVID-19 Resources for Animal Shelters and Rescue Groups
- Humane Society of the United States – COVID-19 Shelter Toolkit
- Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program – Important COVID-19 information for animal shelters
- UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program – Animal Services’ Role in COVID-19 Support
- Maddie’s Fund – COVID-19 and Emergency Foster Care Resources
- Emergency Fostering Information – Canine Science Collaboratory & Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare Lab at Virginia Tech has been studying foster care programs. In response to COVID 19, they’ve launched a new EMERGENCY FOSTERING project. With expertise gained from implementing over 60 short-term fostering programs across the country, they’ll help you fast-track an emergency fostering program & better the lives of dogs at your shelter right now! Join now.
- American Pets Alive! Blog Post – Shelters Have Emptied Their Kennels, So Now What?
- UC Davis + University of Wisconsin-Madison Shelter Medicine – Sample protocol for shelter intake of pets from households where humans with coronavirus are present
- NACA Statement on Removing Pets from Homes of Residents that are or Suspected to be Infected With COVID-19
- The North American COVID-19 Communication Task Force, a collaboration of animal welfare organizations across the U.S and Canada, has created accurate and shareable infographics for you to use when messaging a variety of audiences—the pet parents in your community, shelter staff, law enforcement, and your foster families. Use as is or have your in-house design team tweak them to make them your own.
- Association for Animal Welfare Advancement – Shelter Medicine experts Dr. Sandra Newbury and Dr. Julie Levy explain why spay/neuter is considered an elective procedure and the multiple reasons why these surgeries should be suspended during COVID-19. Watch the video here (~12 minutes long)
- Listen to a recorded webinar regarding spay/neuter in the COVID Era which discusses the latest national guidance on the role of spay/neuter during the pandemic and how programs are navigating these unprecedented times. Presenters are: Dr. Julie Levy, Fran Marino Endowed Professor of Shelter Medicine Education, Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at UF; Aimee St. Arnaud, Director of National Veterinary Programs, Best Friends Animal Society; Sharon Harvey, President and CEO, Cleveland Animal Protective League; Dr. Staci Cannon, Medical Director, Nashville Animal Care and Control
- Recording: An Emergency Contraception Option for Cats During Covid-19 Delayed Surgery Maddie’s Fund bought together experts to discuss the short-term use of a non-surgical method of contraception for cats available from veterinary compounding pharmacies now. Watch the recording>> then read the Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs statement about this approach.
- Spay/Neuter & Wellness Clinic Preparedness Resources
- The guide is a collaborative effort led by shelter and S/N professionals representing different aspects of veterinary clinic operations. It is intended to help clinic leadership formulate the safest and most reasonable approaches to operating S/N and wellness clinics, and maintain lifesaving functions.
Maddie’s Fund – COVID-19 Spay/neuter and Vaccine Clinic Preparedness Guide
Assistance
- The Massachusetts Nonprofit Network’s COVID-19 page features a section dedicated to state unemployment insurance flexibility.
- The Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance has created a page with information re: unemployment assistance and COVID-19, including a COVID-19 handbook.
- The Governor signed a bill to eliminate the one-week waiting period for unemployment insurance.
- To help with increased demand, the Department of Labor will hold virtual town hall meetings to take people through the process of filing successful unemployment claims and to answer questions.
- Studentaid.gov – Federal government student aid page, “Coronavirus and Forbearance Info for Students, Borrowers, and Parents
- Forbes provided an analysis of what borrowers should know re: student loan relief and provides contact information for federal student loan servicers.”
- Navient (servicer) overview of relief available
- Fed Loan Servicing overview of relief available
Private
- Forbes has compiled a list of banks offering mortgage relief to customers. Be sure to reach out directly to your mortgage provider prior to taking any action.
Federal
- Limited relief for single family homeowners with FHA-insured mortgages – the federal government has provided immediate foreclosure and eviction moratorium for this category of homeowners only.
- The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which oversees Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan banks, is providing payment forbearance to borrowers impacted by the coronavirus for up to 12 months due to hardship.
- Forbes article with an overview of housing relief which the outlet has committed to updating.
- Consumer financial protection bureau – “Protect yourself financially from the impact of the coronavirus” includes resources to assist if you have trouble paying bills, suffer a loss of income, or are targeted by a scammer.
Self-Care
- Coping with Stress During COVID-19: Self Care from the Association of Animal Welfare Advancement
- Tired of COVID-19? It’s fatiguing. (Watch the video here) – Hilary Hager and Lindsay Hamrick of The Humane Society of the United States offer recommendations for leaders to help support their teams through the uncertainty of COVID-19.
- Jessica Dolce – Practice Compassionate Badassery – Jessica has a fantastic resources page as well as a year-long, online resilience-building educational program created specifically for animal welfare organizations.