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Getting Them Home, Keeping Them Home..….

This year we will concentrate on the largest population of incoming animals to any pound and shelter in Australia – those that are lost and stray. Research show that 86% of dog intake is through strays, with a 46% reclaim rate

(Marston et al 2004). Stray cats made up 81% of the total cat intake with a dismal less than 1% being reclaimed

(Marston et al 2009). This category of animals far outweighs those that are surrendered by owners and yet it is an

area that has not been in the spotlight for research and development. If we can implement strategies targeting both stray and surrendered cats and dogs we will be reducing the work load significantly.

How do lost pets behave? What are the barriers to lost pets returning to their original home? How can we keep peo-

ple and their pets together? What capacity is needed to be built in the community to reduce intake at pounds and

shelters of lost and surrendered pets? These, and many more questions relating to community welfare, animal welfare, and responsible pet ownership will be discussed at this event. Industry and sector leaders from Australia and overseas

will lead sessions to explore innovative solutions to guide Australia’s approach to the management of companion ani-

mals now and into the future while providing insights on how the challenges are being met elsewhere.

The diversity of the speakers and their topics makes for a highly engaging program . . . there truly is something for

everyone.

In the coming weeks new speakers and topics will be announced, so stay tuned and make sure you are registered for

this unique, must attend event.

Click on the speakers name for further information and abstracts.

Program introduction

Day one Workshops - Tuesday 12 September 2017

9.00 am - 4.00 pm WS1 Shelter Animal Behaviour

Workshop - Pre-Surrender to Post-

Adoption: The Role of Behavior

Katenna Jones (Principal, Jones Animal

Behavior)

9.00 am - 4:00 pm WS2 Shelter Medicine Workshop -Setting

yourself (and them) up for success:

Foundational practices that lead to

positive outcomes in pounds and

shelters

Dr Aleisha Swartz (Outreach

Veterinarian, University of Wisconsin

Shelter Medicine Program)

9:00 am - 4:00 pm WS3 Social Change Workshop -

Responsible Pet Ownership in Action:

Transforming Communities Through

Social Change

Myles Chadwick (Vice President, Emanci-

pet New School)

9:00 am - 4:00 pm WS4 Animal Management Workshop -

Tear down the walls: Identifying and

removing barriers to owner reunion

Brigid Wasson (President, Missing Pets

Partnership)

4:00 pm - 8:00 pm Registrations open

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Day one Summit - Wednesday 13 September 2017

7:30 am - 5:30 pm Registration & exhibition open

8:00 am - 8:30 am Official opening

Welcome Ceremony

8:30 am - 9:00 am Keynote Address

Dr Anne Fawcett

9:00 am - 9:45 am Shut up and serve: How I learned to stop judging and start

serving

Myles Chadwick (Vice President, Emancipet New School)

9:45 am - 10:05 am Learning from Lena Freedom Bousbury (SAFE WA)

10:05 am - 10:10 am Question time

10:10 am - 10:30 am Morning tea

10:30 am - 11:15 am Lost and never found: The behaviors of pets and people that

hinder owner reunion

Brigid Wasson (President, Missing Pets Partnership)

11:15 am - 11:35 am Ace Ventura, Pet Detective – It’s Not Just Hollywood

Fiction!

Megan Denize (Certified Pet Detective & Founder, Inspector

Spot)

11:35 am - 12:05 pm Companion animals in the 21st century James Pirnay (Head of Community Engagement, FOUR PAWS

Companion Animals Programme)

12:05 pm - 12:15 pm Question time

12:15 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch

1:00 pm - 1:25 pm Halting parvovirus outbreaks in Australian cats Dr Mark Kelman on behalf of Professor Vanessa Barrs

(Professor of Feline Medicine and Infectious Diseases,

University of Sydney)

1:25 pm - 2:10 pm In shelter response to panleukopaenia/parvovirus Dr Aleisha Swartz (Outreach Veterinarian,

University of Wisconsin Shelter Medicine Program)

2:10 pm - 2:35 pm How to stop canine parvovirus from preventing us getting

them home

Dr Mark Kelman (Kelman Scientific)

2:35 pm - 3:00 pm Barriers to reclaim Melanie Isaacs (Director, Team Dog)

3:00 pm - 3:10 pm Question time

3:10 pm - 3:30 pm Afternoon tea

3:30 pm - 3:55 pm Maneki Neko Cat Rescue - Going out of business! Samantha McKernan (Founder, Maneki Neko Cat Rescue)

3:55 pm - 4:40 pm Quick and Dirty: Easy Bmod for shelters Katenna Jones (Principle, Jones Animal Behavior)

4:40 pm - 5: 00 pm The use of behavioural assessments in shelter environments

to recognise behavioural problems and adoption suitability

of dogs.

Liam Clay (PhD Candidate, University of Queensland)

5:00 pm - 5:30 pm In-shelter behaviour assessments: If temperament tests are

out, what do we do now?

Diana Rayment (Behaviour Assessor, Greyhound Adoption

Program & PhD Candidate, Latrobe University )

5.30 pm - 5.45 pm AWLQ - How we got there! Dr Joy Verrinder (Strategic Director, AWLQ) on behalf of the

AWLQ team

5:45 pm - 6:00 pm Question time

6:00pm - 7.30 pm Complimentary Shelter Mate Welcome Cocktail Reception

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Day two Summit - Thursday 14 September 2017

8:00 am - 5:00 pm Registration & exhibition open

8:30 am - 9:15 am Here, Kitty: Five steps shelters can take to increase cat reclaims Brigid Wasson (President, Missing Pets

Partnership)

9:15 am - 9:30 am Search methods used to locate missing cats and locations where

missing cats are found

Dr Jacquie Rand on behalf of Dr Liyan Huang

(University of Queensland )

9:30 am - 9:45 am Trap-neuter-return activities in urban stray cat colonies in

Australia

Dr Jacquie Rand on behalf of Dr Kuan Yew

Tan (University of Queensland)

9:45 am—10:00 am Thinking “outside” of the cat trap! Luis Márquez

10:00 am - 10:10 am Question time

10:10 am - 10:30 am Morning tea

10:30 am - 11:15 am Are your cats second class citizens? Katenna Jones (Principle, Jones Animal

Behavior)

11:15 am - 12:00 pm Saving lives and targeting efforts through data Dr Aleisha Swartz (Outreach Veterinarian,

University of Wisconsin Shelter Medicine

Program)

12:00 pm - 12:15 pm Question time

12:15 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch

1:00 pm - 1:20 pm What Australian Vets are recommending for desexing cats and

dogs

Dr Michael O’Donoghue (Australian Small

Animal Veterinarians)

1:20 pm - 1:35 pm Attitudes and opinions of veterinary teaching staff in Australia

and New Zealand towards early-age gonadectomy.

Dr Alannah Jupe (University of Queensland)

1:35 pm - 1:55 pm Prepubertal desexing Dr Bronwyn Orr (Scientific Officer, RSPCA

Australia)

1:55 pm - 2:10 pm Results of a targeted subsidised desexing program to reduce

euthanasia and increase reclaims at a rural pound

Amanda Melvaine (University of Sydney)

2:10 pm - 3:00 pm Managing cats humanely and scientifically to reduce cats, wildlife

predation and costs

Dr Jacquie Rand (Australian Pet Welfare

Foundation and University of Queensland)

3:00 pm - 3:10 pm Question time

3:10 pm - 3:30 pm Afternoon tea

3:30 pm - 3:50 pm A national strategy to manage cats in New Zealand Barry Helem (Chair, NZCAC)

3:50 pm - 4:10 pm How far have we come at the AWL of SA? Troy Ellis & Aaron Gilson (Animal Welfare

League of South Australia)

4:10 pm - 4:55 pm Making veterinary care affordable & accessible: Why & how Myles Chadwick (Vice President, Emancipet

New School)

4:55 pm - 5:20 pm The Matchmakers Project - Lightening the load for Australia's

animal rescue community

John Bishop (Director, PetRescue)

5:20 pm - 5:30 pm Question time

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Day three Summit - Friday 15 September 2017

8:00 am - 5:00 pm Registration & exhibition open

8:30 am - 9:15 am Lassie, Come home: Five steps shelters can take to increase dog

reclaims

Brigid Wasson (President, Missing Pets

Partnership)

9:15 am - 10:00 am Reduce your relinquishments! Tips for interventions, returns,

and adoption retention

Katenna Jones (Principal, Jones Animal

Behavior)

10:00 am - 10:10 am Question time

10:10 am - 10:30 am Morning tea

10:30 am - 11:15 am Feline Influenza Outbreak in New York City Dr Aleisha Swartz (Outreach Veterinarian,

University of Wisconsin Shelter Medicine

Program)

11:15 am - 11:30 am Characteristics and outcomes of dogs admitted into

Queensland RSPCA shelters

Dr Megan Hemy (University of Queensland)

11:30 am - 11.45 am Surrendered and stray dogs in Australia –estimation of numbers

entering municipal pounds and shelters, and their outcomes.

Dr Diana Chua (University of Queensland)

11:45 am - 12:05 pm Using technology to reunite lost pets with their families – a

three-fold approach

Barry Helem (Chair, NZCAC)

12:05 pm - 12:15 pm Question time

12:15 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch

1:00 pm - 1:30 pm When the going gets tough Dr Joanne Righetti (Principal, Pet Problems

Solved)

1:30 pm - 2:15 pm Everyday Humane Education Katenna Jones (Principle, Jones Animal

Behavior)

2:15 pm - 3:00 pm Animal welfare volunteering - creature comfort or ruff

awakening

Roz Wollmering (Member and Corporate

Relations Manager, Volunteering Victoria)

3:00 pm - 3:10 pm Question time

3:10 pm - 3:30 pm Afternoon tea

3:30 pm - 4:15 pm Customer service for Social Change Myles Chadwick (Vice President, Emancipet

New School)

4:15 pm - 4:45 pm Cats and dogs in Hawaii: Challenges and creative solutions Dr Aleisha Swartz (Outreach Veterinarian,

University of Wisconsin Shelter Medicine

Program)

4:45 pm - 5:00 pm Questions

5:00 pm Conference close

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Day two Workshops - Saturday 16 September 2017

9.00 am - 4:00 pm WS5 Shelter Medicine Workshop - Setting your-

self (and them) up for success- Foundational

practices that lead to positive outcomes in

pounds and shelters (Repeat)

Dr Aleisha Swartz (Outreach

Veterinarian, University of

Wisconsin Shelter Medicine

Program)

9:00 am - 4:00 pm WS6

Social Change Workshop - Responsible Pet

Ownership in Action: Transforming

Communities Through Social Change

(Repeat)

Myles Chadwick (Vice President,

Emancipet New School)

9:00 am - 4:00 pm WS7 Shelter Animal Behaviour

Workshop - Pre-Surrender to Post-Adoption:

The Role of Behavior (Repeat)

Katenna Jones (Principal, Jones

Animal Behavior)

4:00 pm Event close

This event is proudly supported by

Draft correct as at 22/08/17. Please note this program may be amended at any time.

Silver sponsor Bronze sponsors Platinum sponsor

Exhibitors

Lanyard & Welcome Reception sponsors Delegate Bag sponsor Special Supporters