Join Us for the 2025 Professional Development Retreat: Strategies for Big Dog Care, Enrichment, and Placement!

Dates: September 29th – October 3rd, 2025
Location: Animal Farm Foundation, Amenia, NY
Cost: No workshop fees; participants are responsible for travel. Complimentary meals and on-site housing are provided.

Are you passionate about animal sheltering and eager to bring innovative ideas back to your community? Look no further! Our 2025 Sheltering Professional Development Retreat is designed for hardworking, enthusiastic change-makers who work or volunteer for animal organizations. In previous years, we’ve welcomed participants from across the US, Canada, and even Australia! This diversity enriches the group’s experiences, allowing everyone to learn from each other while teaching us a thing or two as well.

What to Expect:

Immersive Learning: From day one, all workshops and training sessions are grounded in the principle that “All dogs and all people are individuals.” We help participants recognize how assumptions and preconceived ideas about a dog or an adopter can negatively impact our work. Everyone is encouraged to see the dogs and people around them as unique individuals, aiming to create more successful adoptions and provide better pet owner support.

Hands-On Activities: Participants will live with our available dogs, giving both the interns a snuggle buddy and the dogs a break from their kennels. This arrangement allows us to learn more about our dogs in a home environment, thanks to detailed daily diaries participants fill out about their time with each dog. It’s Slumber Party Central!

Fun and Restorative: Our team introduces the group to the basics of dog sports such as agility, discs, and flyball. The dogs love to show off for their new friends! Group walks are always a good time – for people and the dogs. This social group walk allows participants to explore the Farm while giving the dogs structured social time together. We will squeeze in some click training with our three friendly residents Donkeys! Plus, we break for snacks and zoomies

Skill Development: Participants spend time each day learning the foundations of positive reinforcement dog training in our group classes run by our on-staff trainers. Clickers, treats, and various training equipment, such as front clip harnesses, are introduced. Participants will also gain skills on how to get those bored, jumpy dogs out of a kennel more easily, and take home tips on leash grabbing and tugging intervention, and other handling skills that will help you with your big dogs.

Enrichment Programs: In addition to discussing the basics of creating an enrichment program to increase the quality of life for dogs in shelters, our participants get hands-on lessons on how to make inexpensive, fun enrichment toys. From busy buckets and tugs to interactive PVC toys and ice buckets, participants will go home with a bag full of new tricks. Plus, we throw in some quality time watching and learning about playgroups too!

Educational Sessions: We hit the classroom for presentations from Animal Farm Foundation and National Canine Research Council staff members. As advocates and animal welfare professionals, it’s crucial that we examine our language and messaging. Are we helping or hurting dogs when we speak on their behalf? Our interns learn how to effectively advocate for the dogs through our presentations. In the classroom, interns will also learn marketing strategies to increase adoptions, how to grow foster and volunteer programs, how to recognize and remove shelter policies that are barriers to adoption, and much more from special guest speakers.

Accommodations:

Animal Farm Foundation is located on a 400-acre working farm in Dutchess County, NY. We provide housing for all participants on our property. They’ll even get to share their living spaces with one of AFF’s available dogs.It’s a win-win! 

Who Should Attend:

Hardworking, enthusiastic change-makers who work or volunteer for an animal organization. Not only are our interns geographically diverse, but their jobs and volunteer work are as well. Some come from large, open-admission, municipal shelters, while others come from smaller, private rescues, shelters, and advocacy groups. We appreciate how the diversity of their personal experience winds up enriching the group’s experiences. Not only do participants learn from us, but they learn from each other. And all while teaching us a thing or two, as well!

How to Apply:

If you or someone you know would like to apply for our Professional Development Program, please visit our  website for more information, FAQ’s, and the online application.

Hear from Past Participants:

Want to know what it’s like to be an intern, from their perspective? Check out these testimonials from two of our past guests: