November 2016 by Dr. Marty Becker

Audience: Executive Leadership, Shelter/Rescue Staff & Volunteers, Veterinary Team

Video Length: 102 minutes

If you're a veterinary professional, you may have already heard of Fear FreeSM, an initiative set to revolutionize the practice of veterinary medicine. But did you know it's not just about what happens in the vet hospital, but in the shelter, shelter clinics, and foster or adoptive homes?

In Helping Shelter Pets find Health, Happiness and Homes with Fear Free, Dr. Marty Becker, founder of Fear Free, will help shelter veterinarians, their teams, shelter staff, and veterinary professionals in the community who offer services to shelters, rescue groups, and adopted, fostered and homeless pets understand what this movement means to them, and implement Fear Free approaches. The free on-demand version of this webcast is now available for viewing, just register below.

Attendees will learn:

  • Why fear is the worst thing a social species can experience, and how it causes permanent damage to the brain
  • How what Dr. Becker calls "The most important transformation in the history of companion animal medicine" involves every pet in the shelter or in the home, every day, forever.
  • Where Fear Free fits into the great revolutions of veterinary medicine and animal welfare
  • Fear Free approaches in gently controlling, housing, and working with pets
  • Why post-adoption may not always be "happily ever after" - and what to do about it

Register for the free webcast here

Dr. Becker will also walk the audience through the future of Fear Free beyond the veterinary hospital - in shelters, at home, in boarding kennels, at the groomer and in training.

This course has been pre-approved for Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits.

About Marty Becker, DVM


Dr. Marty Becker, "America's Veterinarian," has spent his life working toward better health for pets and the people who love them. In recent years, "taking the 'pet' out of 'petrified'" and ensuring every pet and pet owner can experience a Fear Free veterinary visit has been his area of greatest commitment and dedication, culminating in the launch of Fear Free certification for veterinarians in March of 2016.

Dr. Becker was the resident veterinary contributor on "Good Morning America" for 17 years. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the American Humane Association as well as its Chief Veterinary Correspondent, a founding member of Core Team Oz for "The Dr. Oz Show," the only veterinary member of the Dr. Oz Medical Advisory Panel, and a Today contributor.

An adjunct professor at the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Colorado State University, and the University of Missouri, he has lectured at every veterinary school in the United States. He also serves on the advisory boards of World Vets, an international veterinary and disaster relief program to help animals, and the Grey Muzzle Organization, a group that works to help senior dogs in shelters.

A passionate advocate for the human-animal bond, Dr. Becker is as an adjunct professor at the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction at the University of Missouri's College of Veterinary Medicine.

In April 2012, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association named Dr. Becker the recipient of their annual WSAVA Global Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year award. He has also been named Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year by the Delta Society (now Pet Partners) and the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Becker lives in north Idaho with his wife, Teresa. They have a barn full of rescued feral cats, three horses, and six adopted dogs, including a puppy he treated for distemper when a local shelter brought him into North Idaho Animal Hospital where he practices.