Cats, Community and Reduced Fees: Inside Mornington Peninsula's May Adoption Event
Read more
Member Updates & Resources
Welcome to 'What’s New', the new home for the latest updates, webinars and resources - all in one place! This space will be regularly updated with webinars, learning opportunities, and key insights to keep you informed and connected.
Stay tuned for fresh content each month, and don’t forget to check back for the latest updates!
July 2026:
Bunnings National Community Grants Program
The Bunnings Community Grants Program has been established to complement the incredible work already happening in stores, and will sit alongside the amazing local fundraising, BBQs and community engagement taking place in store.
Updates to PetRescue's Membership Code & Pet Listing Rules
To help provide greater clarity and support for the important work you do, we've made a number of updates to PetRescue's Membership Code and Pet Listing Rules.
These changes have been thoughtfully developed to reflect the evolving needs of the animal welfare sector and to make the Code and Rules easier to understand, navigate and apply in day-to-day practice.
ICAM’s 7th International Conference Recordings are now available
ICAM’s 7th International Conference brought together global perspectives in dog and cat population management, covering policy, practice, evidence and innovation. The programme presented a range of practical tools, real-world case studies, and forward-thinking strategies to improve the lives of dogs, cats, and the people who care for them.
Upcoming Workshop in August: Feline High-Quality High-Volume Spey Neuter (HQHVSN)
Getting2Zero is hosting a series of hands-on, two-day HQHVSN workshops in August 2026 across several Australian states. Led by internationally experienced practitioner Dr Becky Morrow, who is returning to Australia after her visit last year, the workshop covers evidence-based surgical techniques and operational practices that streamline patient preparation and recovery, and reduce anaesthesia times, surgeon fatigue, and complications.
Day 1 focuses on theory and dry-lab skills, and Day 2 moves into live cat wet-lab surgeries, where you can practice your skills under expert supervision. This is a rare opportunity to upgrade your skills, increase surgical capacity, and improve outcomes for cats in your community.
ASPCA Pro Seven Cues Every Dog Handler Should Know
Dogs communicate with one another and with us using their own elegant, non-verbal language. ASPCA highlight tips that focus on seven important aspects of a dog’s body: eyes, ears, mouth, tail, sweat and overall body posture/movement.
Staff and volunteers can use this information from ASPCA to interpret what an dog may be feeling.
June 2026:
PetRescue's Members Suppawt Series: Bookkeeping Fundamentals
Managing finances, reporting, and compliance can feel overwhelming at times, especially when resources are stretched. This practical session was designed to help make bookkeeping simpler and easier to understand.
Access the webinar recording here
The Kitten Conference 2026 by The National Kitten Coalition and Community Cats Central
Kittens require specialised care, which is why Community Cats Central and The National Kitten Coalition have partnered to present a conference dedicated exclusively to caring for the tiniest felines. Over this two-day virtual event (6th to the 8th of June), animal shelter professionals, caregivers, fosters, and kitten enthusiasts will come together to deepen their knowledge and sharpen skills for raising healthy kittens and running successful kitten programs.
HASS Intake Triage: A roadmap to the root causes of people and pet support needs
Understanding why pets come into care requires more than a single checkbox. HASS pilot studies continue to show that pet surrender is often driven by multiple overlapping factors, from housing and financial hardship to behavioural concerns and access to veterinary care, yet most shelter software systems only allow organisations to record one intake reason. This limits our ability to fully understand community needs and design effective interventions.
To support more meaningful intake conversations and stronger data collection practices, explore the HASS Intake Triage Toolkit for guidance on staff training, intake workflows, and capturing richer, more actionable intake data.
2026 Shelter Cat Behaviour Mentorship through Shelter Behaviour Hub
This Mentorship program with Shelter Behaviour Hub is an on-demand course, with weekly Zoom meetings and a discussion group in between, starting on Monday, August 11th. In the course they cover various aspects of shelter cat behaviour, from intake to assessment, to post-adoption support. With the input of your peers from all over the world, the course will explore the latest science and best practices in building your rescue's behaviour programming to meet and exceed industry standards, and to give every cat in your care the best chance at a great life.
The Community Cats Podcast- Episode on Building the Prevention Layer Animal Welfare Has Been Missing
This podcast episode, hosted by Animal Angels Foundation founder BJ Adkins, explores a prevention-first approach to animal welfare. Rather than waiting for pet surrenders to occur, BJ shares how AAF works upstream by addressing the financial, housing, and logistical barriers that lead families to give up their animals in the first place. Their suite of programs includes spay/neuter assistance, financial and housing support, fostering, adoption, and landlord partnerships, all connected through the Animal Welfare Resource Network (AWRN)- a free shared technology platform enabling real-time coordination across shelters, rescues, vet clinics, and community partners. With research partnerships underway and growing national and international interest, this episode offers an inspiring look at what animal welfare could look like when the focus shifts from crisis response to prevention.
Listen to the podcast episode here
May 2026:
One million pets adopted on PetRescue thanks to our amazing member community
PetRescue's 2026 State of Pet Adoption Survey- share your experience!
ICAM’s International Online Conference on Dog & Cat Population Management- 8th to 12th of June
Research article on New Strategies of Canine Post-Adoption Support
HASS Beyond Enforcement: Insights into Community-Centred Field Services, webinar recording
April 2026:
PetRescue's Members Suppawt Series: Get Grant Ready with Confidence
Access the webinar recording here
Finding another way home- PetRescue Home2Home Insights
HASS talk Volunteers in their latest webinar recording
New Data Finding: Foster Programs Boost Adoptions by 20 Percentage Points
March 2026:
2 new lost cost, accessible vets opening soon to our members in Victoria and Queensland
-
Angel Paws Veterinary Care in West Ipswich, QLD 4305- angelpawsvetcare@gmail.com or call 0481 086 086.
-
Western Animal Care in Sunshine, Victoria- (03) 9112 5939 or email info@westernanimalcare.com.au.
Author Tim Brown and PetRescue collaborate to introduce “The Adventures of Rusty the Rescue Dog”
Pre-order here. Check our their socials - Rusty’s Rescue Adventures.
Strengthen your community impact with HASS’ community roundtable toolkit
Download the free toolkit here
Austin Pets Alive Free online course on The Modern Adoption Process
HASS webinar- collaborating with human services to support pets and people better together
February 2026:
ASPCA Pro guidelines for integrating social work within animal welfare work
Best Friends' share data supporting Open Adoption Practices
MET Conference, Modern & Ethical Dog Training Conference 7 & 8 March
Register for the virtual conference here!
Shelter Learniverse webinar The Fungus Among Us: Preventing, Diagnosing, and Treating Ringworm
Click here to register for this webinar!
Best Friends Return to Home (Owner) Training Playbook
View the Return to Home playbook here!
Register for support via PetRescue's Food & Product Donation Program
Register for food & product donations through PetRescue.
January 2026:
PetRescue Scheduled Platform Maintenance Thursday 29th January
Justice Clearinghouse webinar- Lead Forward: A Fresh Start for Animal Welfare Leaders Jan 22nd
Register for the FREE webinar here!
Crafting Inclusive Digital Experiences for Animal Care Donors by TrueSense Marketing
Click here to learn about crafting an inclusive donor experience!
Update to PetRescue's all-rounder knowledge base- 'Resources for shelters, councils and rescue organisations'
NACA ShelterSafe: foundations in animal care and welfare course
Find out more about the course here
WA students create adoption posters for pets listed on PetRescue
Check out the adoption posters here!
