10th National G2Z Summit 2025

September 2025 saw the delivery of the very first virtual G2Z Summit. The theme was Equity in Access: Inclusive Solutions for Companion Animal Challenges.

We focused on accessibility in all its various forms. Accessibility looks and feels differently for all of us, depending on our needs and situations. We did a deep dive into what accessibility means for our community and their pets, and looked to our own community first. We brought experts from all facets of companion animal management and welfare, from Australia and beyond, together to learn about the latest programs, share best practices, gain inspiration, and build lasting connections.

INTERNATIONAL SPEAKERS

DR AIMEE DALYRYMPLE - SHELTER VETERINARY CARE CONSULTING

NINA STIVELY - LOUDON ANIMAL SERVICES

DR RACHAEL KREISLER - MIDWESTERN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

Tag! You're home! Reunification of pet cats with their owners using a community engagement approach: A community case report - Presentation - Speaker Paper - Research article

ASHLEY ANDERSON-MUTCH - HUMANE WORLD FOR ANIMALS

Increasing equity in access to care - pet resources - Presentation - Extra resource

CARMALETA AUFDERHEIDE - NORTHSTAR TRAINING SOLUTIONS

Dancing with discomfort: Practical tools for dialogue across differences - Presentation - Extra resource

CHRISTINE ROSEVEARE - MASSEY UNIVERSITY

Beyond individual outcomes: How health promotion perspectives can improve older adult participation in cat rescue foster programmes - Presentation

DR CHUMKEE AZIZ - UC DAVIS KORET SHELTER MEDICINE PROGRAM

Pawsitively clean: Home foster sanitation - Presentation - Speaker Paper - Applications and dilutions table - Disinfectant selection table

EMMA CLIFFORD - ANIMAL BALANCE

Creating balance and fostering coexistence on the Galapagos Islands - Presentation

HARRY ECKMAN - INTERNATIONAL CAT CARE

Pushing upstream - Building evidence-based strategies for cat population management in Australia - Presentation

JACKSON GALAXY - JACKSON GALAXY CENTER FOR ANIMAL WELFARE

Keynote - Where do we go from here? Envisioning the future of cat and dog welfare

Building a better routine for cats and dogs in shelters - Presentation

KRISTEN HASSEN - OUTCOMES FOR PETS CONSULTING

Keynote - Where do we go from here? Envisioning the future of cat and dog welfare

Unlocking AI for Shelter professionals - Presentation

LINDSAY HAMRICK - HUMANE WORLD FOR ANIMALS

Building inclusive adoption practices: Embracing the adopters welcome framework - Presentation - Adopters Welcome Guide - Sample Questionnaire

DR MEGHAN HERRON - GIGI'S

Ensuring a peaceful ending Part 1: Navigating decisions for dogs with behavioral challenges

Ensuring a peaceful ending, Part 2: Humane euthanasia in the context of behavioral welfare

Presentations

DR RACHEL GELLER - ALL THE CATS ALL THE TIME

Surrender prevention for cats - Presentation

SANDY INGGS - FUNDA NENJA

A One Welfare organisation driving animal welfare by supporting community welfare, thereby achieving social change - Presentation - Speaker Paper

STACY LEBARON - COMMUNITY CATS PODCAST

Claws & effect: Mass trapping strategies that make a measurable impact in outdoor cat management - Presentation

TOM CANDY - SIMPLY SHELTER BEHAVIOUR

Supporting owners and adopters with challenging behaviours - Presentation

LOCAL SPEAKERS

DR ADELE SCANNELL - ANIMAL AID

FIV testing using saliva - Presentation

An accessible desexing program using a Council and NFP partnership - Presentation

BLANCHE VERLIE - UNIVERSITY OF NSW

Community expereinces of caring for animals during the Black Summer fires - Presentation - Preparing for emergencies with your animals: A community conversation guide - Research article - Report: Developing systems and capacities to protect animals in catastrophic fires

DR BRONWYN SHARMAN - ANIMAL WELFARE LEAGUE OF QUEENSLAND

DR UTTARA KENNEDY - RSPCA QUEENSLAND

Thinking through the constraints: Clinical tools for access-oriented veterinary care, using cat flu as a case study - Presentation - Case study pharmaceuticals and therapies - Magic spell for cats that don't want to eat

DR BROOKE KENNEDY - UNIVESITY OF NEW ENGLAND

DR GEMMA MA - RSPCA NSW

Keeping Cats Safe at Home: A One Welfare approach to domestic cat management - Presentation

BRYAN KING - THERIAN

From shelter to community centre: Designing animal facilities as community hubs - Presentation

BRYONY COPELAND - PET RESCUE

DR DIANA RAYMENT - PET RESCUE

PetRescue's Home2Home program: Lessons and learnings 5 years on - Presentation - Speaker Paper

DR CLAIRE JENKINS - VETCHAT

The role of vet telehealth in improving access to care in the shelter context - Presentation - Speaker Paper

DR GABRIELLE MUSK - ANIMAL ANAESTHESIA

Anaesthesia for desexing cats: Guidelines for private practice veterinarians on anaesthesia and pain management in cats undergoing desexing - Presentation - Guidelines for private practice veterinarians on anaesthesia and pain management in cats underging desexing

GROVER GREENFIELD - RACHIES RATIREMENT HOME

Moving beyond good intentions: A practical introduction to accessibility in animal shelters - Presentation

INDIA NEWTON - HOPE STREET

HopeStreet Pet Clinic - Presentation

DR JACQUIE RAND - AUSTRALIAN PET WELFARE FOUNDATION

Cats, Community and cameras: A new era in free-romaing cat management - Presentation - Speaker Paper

JENNIFER HUNT OAM - PET MEDICAL CRISIS

Creating equity in pet care: A sustainable model for veterinary partnerships & community impact - Presentation

JENNY COTTERELL - AUSTRALIAN PET WELFARE FOUNDATION

Results without punishment: Reducing euthanasia through community assistance and support - Presentation - References

DR JESSICA MOORE-JONES - UNLEASHED CONSULTING & COACHING

Why everything you've been taught about resilience is wrong: Finally moving the conversation about wellbeing forward - Presentation

The busyness epidemic: Finally get on top of the overwhelm of your impossible to-do list - Presentation

DR KATE DUTTON-REGESTER - AUSTRALIAN PET WELFARE FOUNDATION

The myth of domestic cats & urban wildlife - Presentation

KATIE BELT - LOST DOGS HOME

Keeping people and pets together: Embedding social work into animal welfare to improve equity and access - Presentation - Speaker Paper

KELLY LONG - LOST DOGS HOME

Dogs in the park: Preventing surrenders through free dog training for the community - Presentation - Speaker Paper

KRISTINA VESK - CAT PROTECTION SOCIETY OF NSW

Cat desexing in culturally and linguistically diverse communities - Presentation - Speaker Paper

LANI LAWSON - AMRRIC

School-based animal health education to promote responsible pet ownership in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities - Presentation

DR LIAM CLAY - FUTURE PROOF TRAINING ACADEMY

Embedding equity in behavioural welfare: Council-led solutions for companion animal management - Presentation

DR LUCY ASHER - RSPCA NSW

When love isn't enough: Behavioural barriers to keeping pets and people together in underserved communities - Presentation - Speaker Paper

MARISA DEBATTISTA - SECOND CHANCE ANIMAL RESCUE

Beyond rescue: Building communities that don't let pets fall through the cracks - Presentation

MEG RYAN - BALANCED PAWS

Just let them...A community campaign to keep dogs out of shelters and cope whilst in them - Presentation - Resources

RACHEL WOODROW - RSPCA QLD

Inclusive enforcement: Balancing animal protection and human vulnerability to keep pets and people together - Presentation

VIRGINIE DUCRUC - CAT ADOPTION FOUNDATION

Transforming cat management: A collaborative model with the City of Salisbury - Presentation - Speaker Paper

The 10th National G2Z Summit received such amazing positive feedback from participants, with most describing their experience as “completely amazing and mind blowing.”

Over 75% of attendees gave the entire event a 5/5, which really highlighted the event’s impact and quality of content. Almost all participants said the information presented will positively influence their work and help shape future initiatives. We were particularly happy to see that many attendees mentioned that they enjoyed reconnecting with peers and making new professional connections, even wiht the virtual event!

So much of the feedback mentioned the inspiring speakers, practical insights, and strong sense of collaboration across the sheltering and companion animal management community. It was exciting to see that attendees left the event motivated to apply what they learned to create positive change in their organisations and beyond.

We were delighted to welcome Dr Becky Morrow (DVM, Grad Cert Veterinary Forensics, Grad Cert Shelter Medicine, MS, CAWA), Assistant Teaching Professor (Penn State University), Adjunct Assistant Professor (University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine) and President and Medical Director of Frankies Friends, and Kelly Lassinger (Clinic Director, Frankies Friends) to Australia, to deliver the Feline HQHVSN Workshop.

The Feline HQHVSN Workshop consisted of one dry lab day which included theory and some practical skills such as ties and knots. We then had two wet lab days where we focussed on desexing cats - 83 of them!

The participant group was made up of veterinarians and nurses/techs meaning that we had a ’team’ (or more) from each workplace. The reason for this was so that there was more than one person taking the knowledge and skills back to the workplace and because much of the value of HQHVSN lies in the processes and non-surgical aspects of the model. It was fantastic to see how well everyone worked together. It was quite a unique situation to have people who have never met, let alone worked together, learning and transforming into effective work teams.

The 2025 Feline HQHVSN Workshop received incredibly positive feedback from attendees. Participants were particularly complimentary about the event in terms of its engaging content, expert presenters, and practical takeaways designed to strengthen the delivery of high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN) services in Australia.

Every participant rated the workshop as “completely amazing and mind blowing”, with all attendees agreeing that the event provided what they needed to begin or enhance HQHVSN services in their own clinics.

Key Outcomes

100% of respondents said the workshop gave them the knowledge and confidence to start HQHVSN services.
100% confirmed that HQHVSN principles and processes provide high-quality, safe veterinary care.
100% would recommend the workshop to other veterinarians and veterinary nurses/technicians.
100% agreed that having a vet and vet nurse team attend together is important for success.
Attendees rated the event’s value for investment as excellent or moderate value.

Participants described the event as transformative, inspiring, and highly practical, with many noting how valuable it was to see HQHVSN techniques demonstrated in real time. Dr Morrow was a very popular presenter and we are hoping the group stays in contact with each other to support each other further in their goal of increasing HQHVSN capacity in their communities.

If you are interested in participating in a HVHQSN Workshop, please let us know.