2026
CONFERENCE
AGENDA
Monday
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
REGISTRATION OPENS and BREAKFAST
Register at the entrance to the BAYLY BALLROOM. Pick up your name tag and swag!
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Bayly Ballroom
SPONSOR BOOTHS OPEN AND SCAVENGER HUNT BEGINS
Visit the sponsor and exhibitor booths located in the Bayly and Kingston Ballrooms, participate in the scavenger hunt and win a prize!
9:00 AM - 9:10 AM
Bayly Ballroom
OPENING REMARKS FROM ASPO CHAIR, LISA VEIT
9:10 AM - 10:10 AM
Bayly Ballroom
Day One Keynote Speaker: Scott Stratten, UnMarketing
UNLEADERSHIP: LEADING FOR TOMORROW, TODAY
With disruption at its full force, leadership today is different than any time in recent history. Leaders today and tomorrow can thrive more than ever if done correctly. Told with Scott’s storytelling style, it is mixed with both humor and practicality so the audience doesn’t just enjoy the talk, but has tools that could be used immediately to better themselves and their company.
Some key lessons:
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To acknowledge not only what we've been through, but where we can go in the future
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How to create a stronger team bond
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The most important leadership trait going forward
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How dealing with problem customers can strengthen your company
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Create an environment where a multi-generational workforce can thrive
10:10 AM - 10:30 AM
BREAK - SPONSOR/EXHIBITOR BOOTHS
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Animal Care & Operations Track
Animal Services Track
Bayly Ballroom
Melissa Shupak, Toronto Humane Society
BEYOND CAPACITY: BUILDING FLOW THROUGH INTAKE, DECISION-MAKING AND PLACEMENT PATHWAYS
Animal rescue workers never know what the day will bring, front line staff constantly face urgent and often challenging cases. Dogs are big part of this. So what can you do to be more effective on the job? In this session, attendees will learn about time tested techniques and key pieces of equipment to have on hand to deal with common situations encountered on the job, and especially regarding canines. Topics will include developing worker confidence, knowledge, and safety, as well as having the right tool kit for situations. Animal handling workers can immediately put to practice take away techniques, that could help reduce stress, increase safety and efficiency.
10:30 AM- 11:30 AM
Leadership Track
Harwood Room
Session to be determined
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Animal Care & Operations Track
Bayly Ballroom
Aaron Caldwell, Playing for Life
EVERY DOG, EVERY DAY! UNLEASHING THE POWER OF PLAYGROUPS
Dogs live to play, now let them play to live! Learn how playgroups can dramatically improve quality of life
for dogs in shelters and for the humans who care for them. This presentation will discuss the myriad
benefits of playgroups and will make the case for playgroups as an essential part of shelter operations.
With data collected from host shelters before and after their playgroup seminars, it is easy to see the
positive changes brought about by consistent playgroups. Come find out why 100% of responding
participants have said that the benefits of playgroups outweigh the risks!
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Animal Services Track
Westney Ballroom
Jasmine Herzog-Evans and Tonya Canning, Toronto Animal Services
ANIMAL HOARDING, TORONTO ANIMAL SERVICES
A comprehensive review when addressing hoarding situation involving animals - Removal of animals to supporting the people living in such conditions to help reduce reoccurrences
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Leadership Track
Harwood Room
SUPPORTED SELF-REHOMING: THE PAST, THE PRESENT, THE FUTURE
What if you could predict which pets would succeed in a new home before they ever entered your doors?
Since 2017, Rehome by Adopt a Pet has been tracking the journey of pets staying out of the shelter
system—and we’re ready to share the results. This session breaks down the "anatomy of a rehome," using
nine years of granular data to explore:
Owner Stamina: How long are owners truly willing to wait for the right match?
Success Metrics: Which pets find homes fastest and what factors drive a successful transition?
Intake Reduction: How to turn these insights into a "Supported Self-Rehoming" program that works
immediately.
Move beyond guesswork and leave with a data-backed blueprint to empower owners, reduce intake, and
save more lives.
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
LUNCH - SPONSOR/EXIBITOR BOOTHS
1:35 PM - 2:30 PM
Animal Care & Operations Track
Bayly Ballroom
Victoria Badham, Toronto Wildlife Centre
ANSWERING THE CALL OF THE WILD: BEST PRACTICES IN WILDIFE INTAKE, REFERRAL, AND COEXISTENCE
This session equips animal shelter professionals with practical tools for supporting wildlife in ways that
prioritize coexistence and appropriate care. Participants will learn where to find trusted resources for
licensed wildlife rehabilitators and options for temporary care when needed, as well as how to assess
whether wildlife truly requires intervention. A key focus will be on promoting coexistence between people
and wildlife, especially in common situations where tolerance and understanding are essential to keeping
animals safe. The presentation will also explain why wildlife should be directed to trained and licensed
rehabilitators, and how these partnerships improve outcomes. Examples of common bad practices will be
discussed to help participants avoid unintended harm and improve community-based wildlife response.
1:35 PM - 2:30 PM
Animal Services Track
Westney Ballroom
Julie Speyer - Canine Foundations
MANAGING HIGH-RISK DOG ENCOUNTERS IN THE FIELD (PART 1)
Encounters with aggressive or highly emotionally aroused dogs can create significant safety concerns for
municipal officers, shelter staff, and field personnel working in unpredictable environments. This
presentation focuses on rapid canine risk assessment, reading behavioural indicators, reducing escalation,
and improving decision-making during high-risk dog encounters. Participants will learn practical field
concepts including flash assessment techniques, risk evaluation, preventative safety strategies, and the
Canine Incident Management Continuum to help guide safe, humane, and effective responses. Drawing
from real-world field experience in canine behaviour, municipal enforcement, and dangerous dog
management, this session is designed to help professionals improve safety outcomes for both officers
and animals during volatile encounters.
2:35 PM - 3:20 PM
Animal Care & Operations Track
Bayly Ballroom
Carol Tinga, University of Guelph
ASPIRING TO BETTER RABBIT WELFARE: ADVANCING SHELTER RABBIT HOUSING WITH THE ASV GUIDELINES
This presentation will introduce participants to The Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ Guidelines for
Humane Rabbit Housing in Animal Shelters (2025). These expert-written, evidence-based guidelines are
meant to inform ongoing, incremental improvements in the care of rabbits in shelters, rescues, and foster
homes. To provide needed background, we will examine motivators of domestic rabbit behaviour, and then
dive into the guidelines’ contents (e.g., identifying key areas and algorithms for co-housing and RHDV2
quarantine decisions) and focus on the primary housing enclosure.
2:35 PM - 3:20 PM
Animal Services Track
Westney Ballroom
Julie Speyer and Amanda Barrett, Canine Foundations
MANAGING HIGH-RISK DOG ENCOUNTERS IN THE FIELD (PART 1)
Encounters with aggressive or highly emotionally aroused dogs can create significant safety concerns for
municipal officers, shelter staff, and field personnel working in unpredictable environments. This
presentation focuses on rapid canine risk assessment, reading behavioural indicators, reducing escalation,
and improving decision-making during high-risk dog encounters. Participants will learn practical field
concepts including flash assessment techniques, risk evaluation, preventative safety strategies, and the
Canine Incident Management Continuum to help guide safe, humane, and effective responses. Drawing
from real-world field experience in canine behaviour, municipal enforcement, and dangerous dog
management, this session is designed to help professionals improve safety outcomes for both officers
and animals during volatile encounters.
2:35 PM - 3:20 PM
Leadership Track
Harwood Room
Calla James, Humane Society of Oakville, Milton & Halton
WORDS MATTER: RETHINKING THE LANGUAGE OF ANIMAL WELFARE
We care deeply about animals, but sometimes the language we use to advocate for them can create the very barriers we’re trying to break down. Words like “dumped,” “failed adoption,” “irresponsible owner” and even “forever home” have become commonplace in animal welfare marketing. But what happens when the language intended to inspire compassion instead creates judgment, shame or an “us versus them” mentality?
This session explores the hidden impact of the words we use to talk about animals, adopters, owners, fosters and the community. We’ll look at how familiar animal welfare terminology can reinforce assumptions, influence public perception and unintentionally make people less likely to engage with our organizations. Most importantly, we’ll explore how shelters and animal welfare organizations can shift from language that assigns blame or creates division toward language that builds empathy, invites participation and recognizes that people and pets are part of the same community.
This isn’t about finding the “perfect” words. It’s about becoming more intentional about the stories we tell - and asking whether our language is helping people move closer to animal welfare or pushing them away.
3:25 PM - 3:55 PM
BREAK - SPONSOR/EXHIBITOR BOOTHS
3:55 PM - 4:40 PM
Bayly/Kingston Ballroom
Dillon Dodson, Toronto Humane Society
MEETING PEOPLE AND PETS WHERE THEY ARE: UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS IN ONTARIO THROUGH TRAUMA-INFORMED, TRUST-BASED CARE
This session explores why homelessness exists in Ontario, the systemic and structural factors that make
it difficult to exit homelessness, and how these realities shape access to care. Participants will examine
the complex role pets play in the lives of people who are unhoused—serving as vital sources of trust,
safety, and emotional support, while also creating additional barriers within traditional housing, health, and
social service systems. The presentation will highlight how conventional service models often fail to
account for both the human–animal bond and the cumulative impacts of trauma, stigma, and exclusion.
Attendees will learn trauma-informed, trust-based approaches, inclusive language, and practical strategies
for meeting people and their pets where they are, both literally and relationally, through outreach and low-
barrier supports. The session will also emphasize the importance of cross-sector partnerships in
addressing these barriers and improving coordinated care outcomes for people and their animals.
4:45 PM - 5:00 PM
DAY ONE WRAP UP and PRIZE DRAW
MANY THANKS TO ROYAL CANIN FOR SPONSORING THE EVENING MEAL AND TO DOCUPET FOR SPONSORING THE EVENING SOCIAL!
Click Here To Register!
Thanks to our Sponsors.
