Workshops

Animal Care Expo 2026 will feature over 100 professional development workshops and learning opportunities across 12 themed tracks. At every Expo, leaders and experts in animal welfare provide attendees with insight into trending topics, best practices and tools they can use within their own communities and organizations.

Educational opportunities include:

• Learning Labs - Daylong sessions (9:30am – 3:00pm) that allow for a deeper dive into specific topics. Learning Labs will take place on Tuesday, April 7 and include lunch. Learning Labs are available for an additional fee.
• Main Stage - We will convene together for main stage sessions where we will discuss some of the biggest topics and trends in the animal welfare field today.
• Workshops- 2026 workshop tracks will include:
  • Access to Care (Sponsored by Petco Love) - Workshops cover approaches and best practices for animal welfare organizations, service providers and veterinary professionals on how to ensure equitable access to animal health and pet care resources; and share innovative programs and research on community outreach and pet support services.
  • Behavior - Workshops provide tips, tools and resources to support the behavioral and enrichment needs of dogs and cats in shelters, rescues and the community.
  • Cats (Sponsored by Hill's Pet Nutrition) - Workshops focus on strategies for bolstering your impact for cats, assessing community needs and building community support for cat programs.
  • Coalition Building - Workshops explore cross-sector collaboration and strategic partnerships through community-centered approaches that align shared goals and amplify collective impact.
  • Community Engagement - Workshops emphasize building relationships through inclusive and volunteer-powered programs that foster trust, reduce barriers and strengthen community connections to drive change.
  • Expanding Our Reach - Workshops explore strategies to broaden the impact of animal welfare through public engagement and collaboration to connect with new audiences and extend support through education, advocacy and systems-focused solutions.
  • Field Services - Workshops support professionals such as field officers, humane investigators and outreach staff who provide services including cruelty investigations, wildlife conflict mitigation, community education, and enforcing ordinances, laws and regulations.
  • Leadership and Career Skills - Workshops support skill-building, address current and future challenges in animal welfare, and equip individuals at any career stage with essential skills and knowledge to enhance their impact.
  • Marketing and Fundraising (Sponsored by TrueSense)- Workshops provide tools, insight and guidance into the many ways organizations across the country share their work, engage with their communities and raise funds for their animals.
  • Progressive Programs - Workshops feature forward-thinking initiatives and replicable models that address evolving challenges in animal welfare through bold ideas, innovative partnerships and community-driven solutions.
  • Shelter Operations (Sponsored by CDE Animal Cages) - Workshops highlight best practices in adoption, foster programs, data collection, and emerging practices.
  • Veterinary Medicine (Sponsored by Virox) - Participants earn RACE continuing education credits in workshops that discussed the latest trends in shelter and community medicine, along with ways to increase access to veterinary care for people and pets in need.

Workshops that highlighted specific themes throughout the conference include the following spotlight designations:

• Spotlight on Inclusion - Content focuses on increasing equity in access to care services, community-centric programs and community-based solutions inclusive of underserved, underrepresented and historically marginalized communities; and on creating a more diverse, just and fair animal welfare movement.
• Spotlight on Wildlife- Content focuses on humane, practical approaches to wildlife care and conflict mitigation, offering strategies for shelters, rescues and field services on how to support wild animals and communicate effectively with the public about wildlife-related issues.
• Spotlight on Global- Content explores animal welfare issues and topics from an international perspective, highlighting their experiences, insights and innovations. 

A note on content from speakers, presenters and vendors

As the host of Animal Care Expo, Humane World for Animals endeavors to invite speakers, presenters and vendors who are knowledgeable in their subject areas and/or provide useful products and services for the animal welfare field. Please note that views expressed, and materials distributed by speakers, presenters, and vendors are solely those of the presenters and not of Humane World for Animals.