If you’re reading this post, it’s probably because you think we have a lot of great information for shelters and rescues. And we not-so-humbly admit that YES! We do have loads of great information to give you.
It’s one thing to read our literature, peruse our blogs, and chat with us on social media, but it’s a whole other level of learning when you get to work with us in person. That’s why we’re offering two free shelter workshops at our farm in New York this year. One from June 5 – 8 and the other from September 11– 15.
As you can guess, the workshop focuses on things like:
- Reducing length-of-stay
- Recognizing and removing shelter policies that are barriers to adoption
- Easy and affordable kennel enrichment
- Training in a shelter environment
- Multiple dog playgroups
- Open Adoptions
- Behavior modification
- Understanding how dogs learn
- The importance of accurate language
- The history of canine discrimination and what we can do to stop the cycle.
This year, we’re also focusing on adoption marketing, which is a pretty important topic because it’s the main way the dogs in your care find homes.
We’ll be honest, adoption marketing in the age of social media can seem really complicated and overwhelming. BUT, it’s actually not. You just have to know a few tricks.
That’s why we’ve booked Caitlin Quinn of HeARTs Speak to chat with everyone who attends our shelter workshops this year. We’ve written extensively about adoption marketing, but like we said before, there’s really no substitute for hands-on experience and that’s what Caitlin will give you.
While expensive cameras, studio lights, and colorful backdrops are great, we know not everyone has that kind of budget or time. Your cell phone, concrete walls, free roaming rooms or fenced yards work just as well. At the workshop, you’ll learn how to use everyday things to your advantage and learn how photos can break down stereotypes about the work we do and the animals we care for.
Once you have the photos, you’re halfway there to great marketing. You also need great dog biographies. Don’t think of these as descriptions about a dog, think of them as telling a story about a dog.
We know, we know, you aren’t a writer, you’re an animal care worker! Don’t worry! You don’t have to be a writer to pull off a great dog bio. Our Positive Marketing and Dog Bio writing workshop walks you through all of the ways to stay creative and avoid the traps of boring content. Plus, we’ll cover how to keep your marketing transparent, honest and free of stereotypes.
This sounds pretty great, right? Who doesn’t want to hang out at our Farm with great people and lots of great dogs? Here’s how you get in on the action: Fill out an application asap because spots are limited and the deadline is March 1st! There’s an essay portion, too. (Sorry, we know you thought you were done with essay tests when you finished school!) Think of the essay as a written interview. Use it as an opportunity to chat about your passion for your work and your personal motivations. Some points to include are: Why you interested in attending a workshop with us? What are your career goals? How do you hope this workshop help you to accomplish these goals? Why should we select you? (You know, tell us why you are awesome.)
Remember, you only have until March 1st and spots are limited. So get to work on that application!
(We’ll let you know by March 31st whether or not you’ve been selected to attend the workshop.)
