Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
Our co-hosts today:
Amber Eby, our amazing Senior Grants Specialist at Maddie’s Fund
Miguel Ruelas, the most awesome Community Resources Manager, Pasadena Humane
Our speaker today:
Kayla Anderson, LMSW, Veterinary Social Worker, the Center for Pet Family Well-Being https://csw.utk.edu/cpfw/, University of Tennessee
Animal services professionals carry the emotional weight of animal suffering, euthanasia, and the profound experiences of the communities they serve — work that can quietly erode well-being over time.
Veterinary Social Work serves as a vital bridge between the human–animal bond and human mental health, offering proactive, compassionate support to the people behind the mission. By intentionally including caregivers within the circle of care, we strengthen their resilience, sustain their capacity to serve, and ensure pets and their families continue receiving the support they deserve.
Key Takeaways:
1. Veterinary Social Work acts as a bridge between the human-animal bond and human mental health, providing proactive support to the mental well-being of animal care teams.
2. In animal welfare, significant focus is on assisting pets and their people. However, we must include those providing care within the support network. This helps ensure that caregivers have the bandwidth to continue providing assistance to pet families in the future.
To comment or ask more questions about this meeting, please visit https://maddies.fund/communityconversations33026
About Community Conversations, hosted by Maddie’s Fund:
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, animal sheltering transformed overnight. Foster-based sheltering, home-based employees and volunteers, along with collaboration galvanized our communities. The pandemic, along with social injustice, has motivated our industry to look at how we partner with our communities and confront our own biases. Shelter and rescue staff across the country began talking on a weekly basis, offering support and innovative ideas to do things differently. To learn more about these calls, visit forum.maddiesfund.org/communityconversations
Chapters
00:00 Welcome, Question of the Day
05:10 Presentation
Our co-hosts today:
Amber Eby, our amazing Senior Grants Specialist at Maddie’s Fund
Miguel Ruelas, the most awesome Community Resources Manager, Pasadena Humane
Our speaker today:
Kayla Anderson, LMSW, Veterinary Social Worker, the Center for Pet Family Well-Being https://csw.utk.edu/cpfw/, University of Tennessee
Animal services professionals carry the emotional weight of animal suffering, euthanasia, and the profound experiences of the communities they serve — work that can quietly erode well-being over time.
Veterinary Social Work serves as a vital bridge between the human–animal bond and human mental health, offering proactive, compassionate support to the people behind the mission. By intentionally including caregivers within the circle of care, we strengthen their resilience, sustain their capacity to serve, and ensure pets and their families continue receiving the support they deserve.
Key Takeaways:
1. Veterinary Social Work acts as a bridge between the human-animal bond and human mental health, providing proactive support to the mental well-being of animal care teams.
2. In animal welfare, significant focus is on assisting pets and their people. However, we must include those providing care within the support network. This helps ensure that caregivers have the bandwidth to continue providing assistance to pet families in the future.
To comment or ask more questions about this meeting, please visit https://maddies.fund/communityconversations33026
About Community Conversations, hosted by Maddie’s Fund:
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, animal sheltering transformed overnight. Foster-based sheltering, home-based employees and volunteers, along with collaboration galvanized our communities. The pandemic, along with social injustice, has motivated our industry to look at how we partner with our communities and confront our own biases. Shelter and rescue staff across the country began talking on a weekly basis, offering support and innovative ideas to do things differently. To learn more about these calls, visit forum.maddiesfund.org/communityconversations
Chapters
00:00 Welcome, Question of the Day
05:10 Presentation
