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Register now for conference
on bloodsport investigations

Veterinarians, animal control officers, law enforcement agents and others who work with legal cases involving animal cruelty and neglect will gather at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine March 12-13 for a conference focusing on the role of veterinary forensics in bloodsport investigations.

Organized by the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at UF and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Veterinary Forensic Science Conference will feature a variety of presentations by leaders in the field who will talk about their experience working in some of the largest investigations in bloodsports.

The battle against illegal dogfighting and cockfighting has grown in the national consciousness due to recent large-scale and high-profile cases. Conference sessions will provide insight into these investigations, including the largest multistate dogfighting raid in U.S. history and the largest cockfighting case in Florida history. Lecturers will present the background investigation, planning and execution of these groundbreaking cases.

Speakers will include Melinda Merck, D.V.M., senior director of forensic sciences for ASPCA and an adjunct assistant professor of small animal clinical sciences at UF; Cynda Crawford, D.V.M., Ph.D., Maddie’s clinical assistant professor of shelter medicine at UF; and several ASPCA-associated speakers  who are leaders in national and regional field investigation and response, field services and behavior assessment.

On the second day, a special workshop will address behavior evaluation of former fighting dogs.  Registration for the classroom sessions is open and available at http://www.ufsheltermedicine.com.   The optional behavior workshop has already sold out. For more information, visit http://www.ufsheltermedicine.com/. For specific assistance with registration, call Kimberly Brand at 352-392-5930. For program questions, call Rachel Michaud at 352-273-8660.

Maddie’s Fund, The Pet Rescue Foundation (www.maddiesfund.org) is a family foundation funded by Workday and PeopleSoft Founder Dave Duffield and his wife, Cheryl. Maddie’s Fund is helping to create a no-kill nation where all healthy and treatable shelter dogs and cats are guaranteed a loving home. To achieve this goal, Maddie’s Fund is investing its resources in building community collaborations where animal welfare organizations come together to develop successful models of lifesaving; in veterinary colleges to help shelter medicine become part of the veterinary curriculum; and in the implementation of  a national strategy to promote accountability and transparency in animal shelter operations. Maddie’s Fund is named after the family’s beloved miniature schnauzer, that passed away in 1997.