The Association Blog

What happens when you get 545 animal welfare professionals together? Lots of learning, hard questions, and the opportunity to be serenaded by The Association’s Pres & CEO, Jim Tedford…. We’ll be following up with more tips and resources from the sessions, but here are some highlights from Day 2 of Looking Forward: The Future of Animal Welfare.

“Take a Breath…”

“Even take two breaths,” encouraged The JyOba! Project’s Johnny Jenkins after the presentation of the results from this past summer’s survey on the state of DEI in animal welfare. You can read the report here. We’ll be rolling out next steps and training resources in the months to come, but wanted to pass on a tip that Johnny shared when asked how to extend your organization’s reach in the community. “Host a town hall or community meeting,” he says. “It’s a great way to meet folks you’ve never reached before.” You may wish to narrow the meeting to a specific topic—Johnny used pit bulls as an example—and, he adds, don’t forget the refreshments. 

Arizona for the Win

Congratulations to Arizona Humane Society and Maricopa County Animal Care & Control for being named first and second place winners, respectfully, in the 2021 Diane & Bob Hoover Annual Innovation Award. Thank you to Pethealth Inc. for sponsoring the award and promoting innovation in animal welfare.

Learn more about the winners.

The Future of Talent Acquisition & Retention

Just one of many thought-provoking, policy-challenging tips from key note Tom Erb:

Is the language in your job postings employer-centric?
The ideal candidate possesses these qualities…
VS.
Are you looking for the next stage in your career?

Never Have We Ever…

Bragging rights and priceless prizes go to the winners of “Never Have I Ever, Animal Welfare-Style,” sponsored by Merck:

• Anna Payton of Aurora Animal Care & Control won lunch with Jim Tedford in Chicago at our Spring 2022 conference

• Maria Anselmo of Montgomery County Office of Animal Services (MD) won a recording of Jim Tedford singing happy birthday to her next July

More on the Conference

The Future of Animal Welfare: Day 1 Highlights

Top photo: We asked attendees to submit photos of themselves with their conference buddies for the chance to enter a random drawing to win a free year’s membership to The Association. The Day 2 winner is Catherine Daniels, Shelter Manager at Chesapeake Humane Society.