Creative Ways to Save America's Dogs
With Ledy Vankavage

This webinar will debunk the myths surrounding pit bulls and teach advocates effective ways to defeat canine profiling. It will also talk about creative ways to find homes for pit bull terrier type dogs. (Please note, this is a repreat of the same presentation offered in 2011).

Learning Objectives

• Give participants tools to fight breed discrimination.

• Teach participants about the use of rhetoric and language when talking about pit bull terrier type dogs

• Provide examples of good reckless owner laws.

Presenter Information

Ledy VanKavage is National Manager of the Pit Bull Terrier Initiative for Best Friends Animal Society and their Senior Legislative Attorney. She began her legal career as a judicial law clerk for the Illinois Appellate Court and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. After working at a St. Louis environmental law firm, Green, Hennings, and Henry, she served as an attorney advisor for the U.S. Health and Human Services. Ledy joined the ASPCA in 1999 as a Midwest Government Affairs and Public Policy Associate. Ledy has worked extensively in the humane movement.  In 1985 she organized the Madison County Coalition Against Pound Seizure, successfully stopping the sale of animals for research from her county animal control facility. She then founded the Madison County Humane Society and served as its president for eight years. In 1992 she co-founded the Illinois Federation of Humane Societies and served on its board for ten years. She was also a cofounder of Operation SPOT (Stop Pet Overpopulation Today) in the St. Louis Metropolitan area and served as a board member for eight years.  She worked for the ASPCA for nine years as Sr. Director of Legislation and Legal Training.  During that time she spearheaded the passage of over 20 humane bills making Illinois the best state for animal laws in the nation.  She is the Chair-Elect for the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section Animal Law Committee and serves on the ISBA’s animal law subcommittee.  Ledy also serves on the Animal Farm Foundation Board.  She has been interviewed on the subject of dangerous dog by the New York Times, MSNBC, NPR’s Justice Talking, the Chicago Tribune, and the St. Louis Post Dispatch.  She is a co-author of a chapter on dangerous dog ordinances in the American Bar Association Book, Dangerous Dog Laws published in 2009.

Ledy graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a BS in Zoology and attended graduate school at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in environmental studies before going to St. Louis University and earning her JD. Ledy is from the heartland; she currently resides in Collinsville, Illinois with her husband Cliff who is the Executive Director of Cinema St. Louis. Ledy and her husband have adopted three brindle pit bulls, Che, Bella, and Karma and also oversee a feral cat colony in the neighborhood.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

• CCPDT: 1.5 CEUs
• IAABC: 1.5 CEUs
• KPA: 1.5 CEUs
• IACP: 1.5 CEUs

Registration

• Professional Members: $20/Webinar
• Full/Associate Members: $30/Webinar
• Non-Member: $55/Webinar [Join APDT membership and save!]
• For Registration questions contact Alicia Reynolds, Director of Operations at Alicia@apdt.com

Contact Information

Email: information@apdt.com
Phone: 1.800.PET.DOGS