Jennifer Bennett DVM, MS, Director of Shelter Medicine Access to Care

Dr. Bennett grew up in rural Northern California, where she rode and showed horses, goats, sheep, and pigs, and earned her All-Star in the 4-H Youth Program. She worked for a local veterinarian as a teen and wrote an advice column about animal husbandry and horse care before moving to Seattle to focus on research and the sciences. After a post-graduate research career studying hormones and behavior at Yale University, Dr. Bennett realized what she enjoyed most was working hands-on with the animals and improving their housing enrichment and learning environments.

Dr. Bennett at home with Rosie, her brown-and-white spaniel

She returned to the broader study of animal science, graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine with her DVM in 2008. As a young veterinarian, she began serving her hometown communities through rural mixed animal practice and emergency medicine until 2013, when she was hired as the first Medical Director of the Lake County Animal Care & Control Agency in northern California for their burgeoning shelter medicine program. The ability to directly impact animal outcomes in the shelter and engage in life-saving work connected Dr. Bennett with her hometown community, and she has remained dedicated to the field of animal welfare and shelter medicine ever since.

Dr. Bennett served on the House of Delegates for the California VMA until relocating to Washington state in 2015 where she worked with a wide variety of municipal and private organizations in the Pacific Northwest, developing shelter medicine and surgery programs, consulting with humane organizations, participating in community outreach clinics and organized veterinary medicine, and working with large-scale humane law enforcement seizures and legal cases.

From 2022-2023 Dr. Bennett continued work as a consultant for regional humane organizations, participated in a year of focused clinical investigation and also served as a Clinical Veterinarian for the UW Department of Comparative Medicine. She joined the staff of the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County as its first Chief Veterinary Officer, and eventually served as both the CVO and COO. She is tremendously proud of the work that was accomplished at HSTPC in partnership with shelter leadership and operational staff to remove barriers in the medical and operation processes, realizing decreased animal length-of-stay and increased save rate, while remaining an open admission shelter with multiple municipal contracts.

The shelter’s facilitative mindset, low barrier protocols, robust foster program, and focus on behavioral support of animals to reduce fear, anxiety, and stress has helped HSTPC lead the way locally and beyond for shelters struggling with capacity for care. Dr. Bennett is passionate about supporting and mentoring shelter veterinarians, creating low barrier access to care programs, and identifying and removing bottlenecks in shelter programs to improve capacity for care. She also enjoys participating in legal and professional advocacy work and is currently working on her board candidacy for Shelter Medicine through ABVP.

Together with her husband, son, daughter, and their furry family of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, she is excited to join the team at UC Davis KSMP and return to her home state of California.

Education

  • BS, Seattle Pacific University, Psychology and Women’s Studies
  • MS, University of Washington-Seattle, Behavioral Neuroscience
  • DVM, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Mixed Animal focus
  • Certifications
  • Fear Free for Shelters
  • Certified Animal Welfare Administrator-Eligible Candidate

Professional Activities

  • Instructor: Euthanasia by Injection for the Washington Federation of Animal Care & Control Agencies, 2020-2024
  • AVMA Animal Welfare Committee member representing humane organizations since 2023
  • President, WSVMA from 2021-2022, and Board of Directors 2019-2023
  • Founder/Facilitator, Washington State Veterinarians in Shelter Services, 2019-2024

Professional Presentations

  • American Veterinary Medical Association
  • Animal Care Expo
  • Pacific Northwest Veterinary Conference
  • Pacific Northwest Animal Care Conference
  • Professional Animal Welfare Society
  • Washington Federation of Animal Care and Control Agencies

Publications

  • Han, C. H., Wang, X., Ringgold, K.M., Bennett, J.C., St. John, A.E, Berenson, R., Stern, S.A., & White, N.J. (2023). A novel melanocortin fusion protein inhibits fibrinogen oxidation and degradation during trauma-induced coagulopathy. Blood 142(8): 724-741.
  • Harburger, L.L., Bennett, J.C., & Frick, K.M. (2007). Effects of estrogen and progesterone on spatial memory consolidation in aged females. Neurobiology of Aging 28(4): 602-10.
  • Bennett, J. C. (2006). Bison Titer Testing for Common Bovine Diseases. Poster session presented at the Merck Merial Veterinary Scholars National Symposium. Baton Rouge, LA.
  • Bennett, J.C., McRae, P.A., Levy, L.J., & Frick, K.M. (2006). Long-term continuous, but not daily, environmental enrichment reduces spatial memory decline in aged male mice. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 85(2): 139-52.
  • Frick, K.M., Fernandez, S.M., Bennett, J.C., Prange-Kiel, J., MacLusky, N.J., & Leranth, C. (2004). Behavioral training interferes with the ability of gonadal hormones to increase CA1 spine synapse density in ovariectomized female rats. European Journal of Neuroscience, 19(11): 3026-32.
  • Bennett, J.C., McRae, P.A., Levy, L.J., and Frick, K.M. (June, 2004). Long-term continuous, but not daily, enrichment reduces spatial memory decline in aged male mice. Poster session presented at the Conference of the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society, Volume 13, Key West, FL.

Media Appearances

  • Fox 13 News Good Day Seattle Television
  • ARC Seattle News Channel Television
  • CityLine Tacoma Television
  • Grit City Tails Podcast: Expanding Care for Community Pets
  • Radio Tacoma with Dr. Louisa Beal: Tacoma Ban on Cat Declawing