Choosing a Shelter Pet When You Already Have a Pet in Your Home Presented by K. Holden Svirsky

Choosing a Shelter Pet When You Already Have a Pet in Your Home

Presented by K. Holden Svirsky

CEUs: PPAB 1, CCPDT 1, KPA 1, PMCT 1, & IAABC 1

Thinking of adding an adopted cat or dog to your home and you already have a pet? You're not alone. As many as 70% of households in North America have at least one pet.

While some pets may do best as the only one in a home, most animals are social beings who can thrive with one another.

Everybody loves to see pet buddies, and especially multiple species relationships... but not so fast! There's a lot to consider when adopting a new pet! From choosing an ethical rescue organization to choosing the species/age/sex/etc of a new pet and preparing your home, this webinar will walk you through the process and help increase your chances of success.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to evaluate your current pet for the best possible match with a newly adopted pet

• Learn what to look for in a shelter and shelter pet
• Learn how to introduce your current pet to a newly adopted pet
• Learn what green flags, yellow flags and red flags to look for with dog-dog social interactions
• Learn how to set up a home for inter-species (e.g. cat and dog, dog and bird, etc.) success
• - What to do when things aren't going as planned

About Your Presenter

K. Holden Svirsky CTC

K. Holden Svirsky CTC completed a behavior internship with Dr. Jeannine Berger at the San Francisco SPCA in 2015. She is a graduate of the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers and was awarded its shelter and rescue scholarship in 2014. She has completed Michael Shikashio’s (also presenting at Geek Week) Aggression in Dogs master course and is beginning her certification for treating separation anxiety with Malena DeMartini.

Holden sits on the PPG Shelter and Rescue Committee, is an author of ThePetRescueResource.com, and has had articles published in BARKS from the Guild. She has been a teacher as long as she can remember, and began her career in behavior work with children, teaching language and math skills to students with autism, attention deficit, attention deficit-hyperactivity, dyslexia and hyperlexia.

She worked full time as a behavior specialist at several shelters from 2012 to 2019. She performed intake at shelters all over the state of California, taught public classes, held private consultations, executed behavior modification on hundreds of shelter animals, ran playgroups, counseled adopters, and trained service dogs for veterans.

Holden currently teaches specialty group classes for the award-winning Bravo!Pup in Oakland, California including classes for shy/fearful dogs and inter-dog social behavior. In her private practice, HoldenK9, she consults privately for individual clients and shelter/rescue organizations across the United States.

Holden grew up with working-line gun dogs, has adopted & fostered many mixed breed shelter dogs, and currently shares her life with a Yakutian Laika -- an ancient sled dog breed -- nicknamed ZZ. In her free time, Holden is a sailor and canicross runner, hoping to get into bikejoring in 2022. She currently lives on Nantucket Island.