Evolving in Shelter Work – Maddie’s Community Conversations 12/8/25

This session shares the perspective of a Veterinary Assistant transitioning from shelter medicine to shelter outreach and explores how both roles work together to strengthen animal welfare. Drawing from hands-on experience in a high-volume shelter environment, the presentation highlights the medical skills, adaptability, and teamwork developed in daily practice and how these translate into effective, community-centered outreach. Attendees will gain insight into resource limitations, collaborative problem-solving, and the importance of supporting shelters through shared knowledge and partnership. This session aims to inspire and inform by showing how integrated approaches create more sustainable, compassionate outcomes for animals and people.

Our speaker:
Ehani Hunter, Shelter Outreach Veterinary Assistant, San Diego Humane Society
https://sdhumane.org/

Key Takeaways:
• Collaboration matters. Working together helps find solutions.
• Share experiences to highlight the realities of shelter work and promote positive perceptions of shelters.
• Everyone can make a difference. Start somewhere and find your role.

To ask questions, please visit https://maddies.fund/communityconvers...

About Community Conversations, hosted by Maddie’s Fund: When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, animal sheltering transformed overnight. Foster-based sheltering, home-based employees and volunteers, along with collaboration galvanized our communities. The pandemic, along with social injustice, has motivated our industry to look at how we partner with our communities and confront our own biases. Shelter and rescue staff across the country began talking on a weekly basis, offering support and innovative ideas to do things differently. To learn more about these calls, visit https://forum.maddiesfund.org/communi...

Chapters
00:00 Welcome, Question of the Day
03:50 Grants announcement
06:26 Presentation