The PAWsitive model keeping families together and helping people and pets heal from the wounds of addiction, trauma, and abuse.

Title : The PAWsitive model keeping families together and helping people and pets heal from the wounds of addiction, trauma, and abuse.

Abstract:

Addiction and trauma tear lives apart—often forcing individuals to choose between getting help and keeping their beloved pets. The PAWsitive Recovery Program is a trauma-informed, pet-centered support model designed to bridge that gap. Our approach offers crisis foster care for the pets of individuals entering treatment, allowing people to pursue recovery without the fear of losing their animal companion.

In this session, I’ll share my personal recovery journey—including the story of my dog Oscar, who became my anchor and inspiration to build a program that now helps hundreds of people and pets reunite after healing. I’ll also introduce Sit-Stay-Heal, our trauma-responsive workshop series that brings structured animal-assisted programming directly into treatment centers to support emotional regulation, empathy, and trust-building.

We’ll explore how pet guardianship improves treatment retention, the emotional and behavioral health outcomes tied to pet reunification, and how programs like PAWsitive Recovery can be adapted nationally through community collaboration. Audience members will engage in discussion, explore practical implementation strategies, and hear real-world success stories that speak to the deep, mutual healing between humans and animals.

This presentation includes a PowerPoint, interactive elements, and an invitation to reimagine recovery through the eyes of those who’ve lived it—on both ends of the leash.

Biography:

Serena Saunders is a lifelong learner passionate about animal welfare and leadership. She graduated from Bel-Rea Institute in 2008 as a certified veterinary technician and later earned a bachelor’s degree in business management. Most recently, she completed a Master’s in Organizational Leadership and a graduate certificate in Project Management from Colorado State University.

Serena has worked in shelter medicine, private practice, and rescue. She currently leads PAWsitive Recovery under SPCA International, a program that supports individuals in crisis by providing temporary care for their pets. Serena also created Sit-Stay-Heal, a workshop series that brings animal-assisted healing into recovery centers. She travels internationally for spay/neuter clinics and is deeply committed to helping people and pets stay together through life’s hardest moments.

She shares her life with her daughter Shaylene, and a house full of rescue animals.