Behaviour Support for Rescue Centres Across the West Midlands
Second Nature Behaviour offers free behaviour support for rescue centres across the West Midlands. We’re a clinical animal behaviour practice, and we’d love to help the dogs and cats in your care (and the people who adopt them) settle, feel secure, and stay in their new homes for good.
What we offer your rescue — free of charge
We know rescue teams are stretched, and that behaviour is so often the difference between an adoption that lasts and one that sadly comes back. So we’ve put together a simple package of free behaviour support for rescue centres:
- Free first-aid behaviour advice — a regular “pick our brains” call for the animals you’re finding most challenging.
- A settle-in guide for your adopters — a warm, practical booklet to share with every adoption.
- A discount for your adopters — money off behaviour support with us for anyone who rehomes through you.
- Free CPD sessions for your staff and volunteers — just let us know what topics you’re interested in.
- Occasional updates — a quarterly email with a useful behaviour tip or a recent research finding. No clutter.
Free first-aid behaviour advice for your team
Stuck with a tricky individual? Our free first-aid calls give you practical, in-the-moment behaviour advice — up to an hour each month. It’s preventative support: if a case turns out to need a full behaviour consultation, that goes through the animal’s vet on referral, and you’ll get a discounted rate.
Contact us
Get in touch to see how we can support you.
Settle-in resources for your adopters
Rescues who sign up to our network can access our free New Pet Adopter Guide — kind, practical, evidence-based advice on helping a rescue dog or cat settle into a new home. And because settling in sometimes needs a little more, adopters from our partner rescues get 10% off behaviour support with us.
Why partner with Second Nature Behaviour?
We’re a clinical animal behaviour practice led by ABTC-registered Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourists (CCAB). Everything we do is evidence-based and reward-based — never punishment — and we work on veterinary referral, so an animal’s physical health and emotional wellbeing are always considered together. That means kinder outcomes for the animals in your care, and more confident adopters.
Dogs, cats and parrots
We work with dogs, cats and parrots. Parrots are intensely social flock animals, and the upheaval of rehoming can be especially hard on them — so if your centre takes in birds, we can help there too.
Areas we cover
We support rescue centres and rehoming organisations across the West Midlands, with hubs in Birmingham, Coventry, Stoke-on-Trent and Telford.
FREE pet behaviour resources for your rescue centre
Looking for pet behaviour support for your rescue centre? We can offer:
In-house CPD
Free Behaviour First Aid Calls
Discounts on Our Services for Your Adopters
Free Pet Behaviour Resources
Free CPD sessions for your rescue centre team
Your staff and volunteers are with the animals every day, so a little behaviour knowledge goes a long way. We offer free pet behaviour CPD (continuing professional development) sessions for rescue centre staff — delivered at your centre or online, and tailored to whatever would help your team most.
Popular topics include:
- Reading dog and cat body language, and spotting the early signs of stress
- Keeping kennels and catteries as low-stress as possible
- Supporting animals through the rehoming journey, from intake to settling in
- Helping adopters get those first few weeks right, so adoptions are more likely to last
- Recognising when a behaviour needs a referral, and how that works
Every session is evidence-based and reward-based, and pitched at your team’s level — whether they’re brand-new volunteers or experienced staff. Just tell us what you’d find useful and we’ll build something around it.
Meet Our Clinical Animal Behaviourists
Meet Second Nature’s animal behaviourists with experience within rescue settings, who provide expert knowledge in a variety of companion animal species.
Zoe Demery
Senior Behaviourist - Dogs, Cats & Parrots
Zoe founded Second Nature Behaviour in 2015 and remains actively involved in advising local rescues. Her work with rescue animals stretches back to training dogs for rehabilitation at the RSPCA in Hong Kong, and she later helped grow a pet behaviour counselling service into a non-profit social enterprise benefitting communities in Shropshire. Holding a doctorate in animal cognition and behaviour, Zoe is a CCAB in dogs, cats and parrots and a Chartered Psychologist, bringing a depth of expertise across species that rescues with mixed populations often need.
Megan Richardson
Senior Behaviourist - Dogs & Cats
Megan has over a decade of experience working with animals, and has worked in boarding and rescue kennels and catteries, alongside assisting in dog training classes and volunteering for a wildlife rescue centre — experience that gave her a lasting passion for animal welfare and behavioural rehabilitation. She holds a first-class BSc (Hons) in Animal Behaviour and Welfare from Harper Adams University and is an independently accredited Certificated Clinical Animal Behaviourist (CCAB) for dogs. Megan supports rescue dogs and cats and the people rehoming them across Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Shropshire.
Keely Needham
Senior Behaviourist - Dogs
Keely has over 15 years of experience with companion animals and previously worked as a behaviourist for a large animal welfare organisation, giving her real insight into the realities of a rescue setting. She graduated from Harper Adams University with a first-class honours degree in Clinical Animal Behaviour and Welfare and holds independent CCAB accreditation in dogs. With a wealth of experience working with dogs of all breeds and backgrounds, Keely has a particular passion for understanding the complex needs of troubled dogs and strengthening the bond between them and their new owners.
What our referring vets say about our clinical animal behaviour services
Ella the vet
Nicki the vet
RSPCA Brighton
Thank you for all your help with our 3 feathered residents, Billie, Dave and Alfie. As a charity we are extremely grateful for your generosity and wisdom!
Emma
Bilton Vets
Would highly recommend – Professional service consistently provided in an efficient and compassionate manner. Bilton Veterinary Centre
Emily Parkes
As a vet I have referred multiple cases to Zoe at Second Nature Behaviour, including a family member’s dog. I would highly recommend her, she offers effective practical advice, communicates clearly with vets and clients and provides ongoing support as needed. Thanks to Zoe’s advice the family dog is calmer and happier.
Nicola Dee
Zoe is so knowledgable, patient and caring. The team are worth their weight in gold and have transformed the lives of so many animals (and their owners) by successfully managing an array of complex behavioural issues. I will always recommend Second Nature Behaviour! Thank you for all your hard work.
Nicki Davis
Contact Us
Get in touch to see how we can support you
FAQ
Have a more general question? Check out our general FAQ.
Prefer to chat things through a bit more?
Contact Us
Give us a buzz by email or phone
0121 299 0188.
Do you charge rescue centres for this?
Not for the first-aid behaviour advice, so long as it does not take up more than one hour of our time each month. The adopter guide and the quarterly updates are all free. If a case needs a full behaviour consultation, we will need to charge for this and request a vet referral first.
What behaviour problems can you help with?
Anything from settling-in worries, fear and reactivity to toileting, separation-related behaviour and more — in dogs, cats and parrots. We work out what’s driving the behaviour and build a kind, practical plan around it.
How does the adopter discount work?
Anyone who adopts from a partner rescue gets a discount on behaviour support — they just need to quote the code in their adopter guide when they book.
Which areas do you cover?
Across the West Midlands, including Birmingham, Coventry, Stoke-on-Trent and Telford.
Are you covered by insurance?
Second Nature Behaviour and our employees are fully covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance.