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Dear Greetings!,
We are celebrating today, World Spay Day, by opening registration for our symposium all about future tools to spay (and neuter) without surgery! We applaud your hard work in the present, and invite you to join us in expanding our options to sterilize cats and dogs. Check out this and more opportunities below.
We hope to see you in June and look forward to sharing more news throughout the year!
Sincerely,
Joyce Briggs, President
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 Registration is NOW OPEN for the 5th International Symposium
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Join us at the 5th International Symposium on Non-Surgical Contraceptive
Methods of Pet Population Control, June 20-22, 2013
in hip, scenic Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.
The 5th International Symposium offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to learn about the development and use of non-surgical methods of controlling cat and dog populations worldwide. The Symposium will feature more than 50 speakers and will bring together scientists, veterinarians, animal welfare professionals, public health advocates, pharmaceutical industry representatives, and funders from the U.S. and abroad.
The goals: To expedite the progress of scientists; raise awareness among animal welfare advocates, veterinarians, scientists, and public health experts; advance effective and humane use of currently available non-surgical approaches; and facilitate networking among stakeholders. For more details click HERE.
Many Thanks to Our Generous Sponsors!
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We continue to welcome symposium sponsors. Please click here for details and opportunities.
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ATTENTION: VETERINARY STUDENTS, RESIDENTS, & INTERNS
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ACC&D's 1st Worldwide Veterinary Student Contest
Enter to WIN a Trip to the 5th International Symposium!
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Opportunity abounds for veterinary students eager to advance the humane management of dogs and cats through shelter medicine, private practice, research or otherwise. Sponsored by Aratana Therapeutics, ACC&D's worldwide veterinary student contest offers three expense-paid trips to attend the 5th International Symposium in June 2013. If you are that amazing student, or know someone you wish to encourage to apply please follow this LINK to find out more.
Hurry, deadline is April 6th!
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ACC&Ds INNOCENTIVE CHALLENGE - Calling All Innovators!
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Your idea to humanely identify non-surgically sterilized animals could win you $1000!
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On February 14, ACC&D launched an InnoCentive Brainstorm Challenge to gather ideas for marking animals as "contracepted" on a permanent or long-term basis. While surgical sterilization yields permanent physical identifiers, non-surgical methods of contraception do not. This presents challenges for tracking contracepted animals. The best idea submitted will receive a $1,000 award, and the innovator a possible invitation to an ACC&D Think Tank to further develop their ideas. 
New methods should be visible at moderate distances, humanely applied without prior anesthesia, permanent for multiple years to a lifetime, and permit identification of individual animals. Methods should also be easily applied and recognized, and accomplished at a low expense.
As we write this, there are 162 active 'solvers' brainstorming about this, with impressive knowledge and creativity! Ideas include variations on physical tags, plus electronic GPS chips, solar cell-driven radio remote control microchips, fur electrolysis, Visible Implant Elastomer Tags (a colorful silicone-based material, injected as a liquid under the animal's skin, that quickly and painlessly solidifies), and many more. The deadline is March 16, 2013, and we invite you to contribute!
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Exciting Addition to the ACC&D Team
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We are delighted to welcome Valerie Benka, MS, MPP to the ACC&D staff
as Project Manager
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Valerie's responsibilities include organizational communications and outreach, organizi ng ACC&D's International Symposia, and participating in organizational planning, programmatic activities and fundraising. She brings a background in nonprofit management and animal welfare work to ACC&D.
She coordinated a feline adoption program in Virginia and interned at both the International Fund for Animal Welfare and The Humane Society of the United States. As a graduate student in the Animals and Public Policy Program at Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Benka explored strategies to expand humane canine population control in Kathmandu, Nepal. Closer to home, in Massachusetts, she researched reduced-cost feline spay/neuter, including factors that motivate people to sterilize pets, and life histories and long-term outcomes of feline clients. Benka also has graduate degrees in Conservation Biology and Public Policy from the University of Michigan, where she focused on human-wildlife conflict in rural Kenya.
Working in animal welfare both in the U.S. and internationally has enhanced Benka's belief in the importance of strong communication, engagement of communities, and respect for and inclusion of diverse stakeholder groups. She brings these values and much more to her work at ACC&D.
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ACC&D Board Vice-Chair Expands His Roles
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ACC&D Board Vice-Chair Dr. Robert (Bob) Weedon continues to create and strengthen bridges to inspire veterinary students to get involved in animal welfare and shelter medicine. Weedon joined the Champaign County (Illinois) Humane Society staff two years ago as part-time Shelter Veterinarian, and last month accepted a complementary part-time position as Visiting Clinical Instructor in the Small Animal Surgery section of University of Illinois' College of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Weedon has long combined teaching and practicing. He has served as an active guest lecturer at the university since his arrival. As the advisor to the local student chapter of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians, he has helped that chapter grow dramatically, enabling students to get significant surgical experience and complete as many as 100 sterilization surgeries by the time they graduate. Dr. Weedon is also a master trainer for Zeuterin™, the first male dog non-surgical sterilant. HERE's a press release for your perusal. To learn more about Valerie, Dr. Weedon, and ACC&D's staff and volunteer leadership click HERE.
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World Spay Day: Celebrate and Participate! February 26, 2013
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World Spay Day is truly a global effort:
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 Hundreds of animal welfare organizations, veterinary clinics and hospitals, schools, businesses, and individuals in the United States and around the world organize World Spay Day events. In doing so, they educate community members about the life-saving importance of spay/neuter, provide spay/neuter services at special prices for particular populations, and raise critical spay/neuter funds. It is not too late to participate. Please come share the camaraderie and join our partners in this important event! For more details on how you can, celebrate, donate and participate click here HERE
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Joyce Briggs
Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs (ACC&D)
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