The Beginning of Trainers for Rescues

Internationally, animal training and animal rescue are unregulated industries.

*How to determine you’re talking to an ethical rescue.*

Numerous uncertified individuals and locations call themselves a rescue, shelter, trainer or behaviourist without a Board, certifications, qualifications, or charity numbers. Over my 10-plus years of international experience working with shelters, trainers and behaviourists in Canada, USA, UK, Thailand and China, I saw first-hand unethical trainers, uncertified behaviourists, and rescues/shelters abuse and harm dogs and cats and exploit adopters in the name of “rescue”.

I also saw many ethical and humane shelters and rescues who are doing the best they can struggle with time, money, and barely make ends meet as they cared for their animals. They want to improve but there are immense barriers in their way.

So, let’s remove those barriers!

In my experience training shelters, professionals and pet guardians around the world, I saw how I could use the same principles for training- but for rescues! Tailoring the training to what ethical rescues really need, helping them learn through fun! Similar to how I taught pet guardians and professionals over the last decade, the aim is to set rescues up for success!

However, many shelter welfare concepts are highly Westernized and not always applicable in other countries or less accessible areas due to geographical, animal welfare, religious and socioeconomic barriers and differences.

This is why we ran a survey for the last 3 weeks- so that we could have rescues around the world design training for rescues- not us! By using a survey-based approach we can understand what international rescues, shelters, animal professionals, and individuals face in their respective communities, locations, and cultures and provide them with the tools to help.

Trainers for Rescues

Trainers for Rescues (TFR) is the animal welfare part of Welfare for Animals.

The goal of TFR aims to provide solutions for the question:

How to help rescues improve conditions for animals?

*Ruby at Yellow River Shelter, Shandong province, China in January 2015 with our long-term partner and friend Andrea of* *Duo Duo Animal Project* *(not featured).*

TFR aims to take complex issues of shelter welfare, behaviour and training for rescues and break them down into simpler practical steps to empower rescues and set them up for success. Thereby, positively influencing animal welfare at shelters, veterinary clinics, communities and above all- the animals rescued.

HOW?

TFR will be a one-week virtual week event held 2-3 times a year where speakers will not just lecture but will create easily applicable challenges based on their topic that rescues can quickly implement. So that rescues anywhere can access the knowledge and can learn by doing and document their progress for prizes! If you want to donate a prize just wait- we will do a post on that so that you can apply!

What are TFR’s 2023 topics?

From our 3-week survey, the topics everyone chose are listed below!

Do you want to learn more about TFR? Stay up-to-date on potential ways you can help? Get early-bird tickets when tickets go on sale?

Join our newsletter at this link!

We can’t wait to launch the next steps of our very first upcoming TFR event- speaker submissions!