Learn about Animal Welfare: Free SPCA online course

We share our lives with animals and impact them in many ways. Whether we live with companion animals, work with animals on farms, or simply share our environment with wildlife, our actions shape the lives of animals around us. By learning more about animal welfare, we can all do our part to help animals live happier lives.

That’s why SPCA NZ along with RSPCA Australia, RSPCA UK, Scottish SPCA and British Columbia (Canada) SPCA has created a free online course called Introduction to Animal Welfare. This course takes just 20 minutes and will teach you what animal welfare means, why it’s important, and how you can help animals live good lives.

This course is designed for anyone interested in animals, whether you're a pet owner, SPCA volunteer or foster carer, animal care worker, student, or just passionate about helping animals. You don’t need any prior knowledge, and it’s great for all ages.

In the course you’ll be introduced to key concepts in animal welfare through real-life examples, animated storytelling, and interactive learning. You’ll meet:

• Dalilah the cat – follow her day to see different experiences affect how she feels and her overall welfare.
• Farmer Jordan and Hope the hen – learn how our actions, even small ones, effect animal welfare.
• Rosemary the rabbit – discover how we can assess an animal’s welfare using a scientific tool called the Five Domains Model, developed right here in New Zealand!

Throughout the course, you’ll learn:

• What animal welfare means and why it’s important.
• How animals’ feelings and emotions affect their welfare.
• How to assess welfare in a clear and practical way.
• Simple, practical ways to promote positive welfare for our animals.

Animal welfare isn’t just about keeping animals healthy. It also includes how they feel and what they experience. Like people, animals experience a wide range of emotions. They can feel happy, curious, afraid, or stressed, depending on what’s happening around them. Good welfare means animals feel safe, comfortable, and can do things that matter to them like playing, exploring, or resting.

Here in Aotearoa New Zealand, animal sentience is recognised by law. Animal sentience means animals are capable of having feelings, emotions, perceptions and experiences that matter to them. Scientific studies show that many animals are sentient. In this course you’ll explore some of these fascinating examples, like how rats actually laugh when they’re tickled, or how clever octopuses use shells and other tools to hide and protect themselves. These behaviours show us that animals think and feel in ways we might not always expect.

The more we understand what animals might be feeling, the more we can do to improve their lives. Learning about welfare helps us make kind, informed decisions for the animals around us.