Date: Sept 29th – Oct 3th, 2025
Location: Animal Farm Foundation, Amenia, NY
Cost: No workshop fees; participants are responsible for travel. Complimentary meals and on-site housing is provided for non-local attendees.
Want to learn about new ideas in animal sheltering and feel empowered to bring change back to your own community?
Applications for 2025 are closed – Only accepting day students
From day one, all of our workshops and training sessions are based on this foundational principle: “All dogs and all people are individuals.” We help our participants recognize how our own assumptions, guesses, and preconceived ideas about a dog or an adopter can have a negative impact on our work. Everyone is encouraged to see the dogs and people around them as individuals, with the goal of creating more successful adoptions and providing better pet owner support.
Hardworking, enthusiastic change-makers who work or volunteer for an animal organization. In previous years, we’ve welcomed participants from all across the US, including parts of Canada and even Australia!
Not only are our interns geographically diverse, but their jobs and volunteer work are as well. Some come from large, open admission, municipal shelters, while others come from smaller, private rescues, shelters, and advocacy groups. We appreciate how the diversity of their personal experience winds up enriching the group’s experiences. Not only do participants learn from us, but they learn from each other. And all while teaching us a thing or two, as well!
AFF is located on a 400 acre working farm in Dutchess County, NY. We provide housing for all participants on our property. They’ll even get to share their living spaces with one of AFF available dogs. Participants get a snuggle buddy at night and our dogs get a break from their kennels. It’s a win-win! Plus, we get to learn more about our dogs in a home environment, thanks to detailed daily diaries participants fill out about their time with each dog. It’s slumber party central!
Animal Farm Foundation (AFF) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization built on the principle that all dogs are individuals. Our Foundation relies on science-based information about animal behavior and public policy, including breed-specific legislation and housing insurance discrimination, derived from our subsidiary National Canine Research Council. AFF’s team offers regional and national initiatives that support dogs and the people who care for them in their communities.
NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets Shelter/Rescue Registration: RR286
