NC Animal Cruelty Collaboration
Event Details
Animal Cruelty Cases and Stakeholders:
Investigation, Prosecution, Resolution and the Link to Interpersonal Violence
Animal cruelty is present in every community. It is a gateway crime to human violence and a crime of escalation.
Animal cruelty crimes are important on their own. But they also deserve attention because of the Link to interpersonal violence. Over forty years of research has shown the Link between animal crimes and interpersonal violence, including intimate partner, child abuse, elder abuse and community endangerment.
Please join us to learn from professionals engaged in addressing companion animal cruelty. Real world cases, primary issues, how to best handle canine victims of abuse and the necessity of stakeholder collaboration will be discussed.
Event Details
Date: Wednesday April 15, 2026
Time: 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Location: Equuvation: 196 Old Stagecoach Lane, Statesville NC 28625.
RSVP: joyce@jmgpclaw.com
Continuing Education Credits
- Legal: This event has been approved for 3.5 hours of CLE by the NC State Bar.
- Veterinary: Materials have been approved by the NCVMB for 4 hours CE credit for veterinarians.
- Animal Control: This course aligns with one or more of the Core Competency areas outlined in the National Animal Care & Control Association (NACA) Continuing Education Units (CEU) policy. NACA does not review, approve, endorse, or validate the quality or content of external training providers. National certificate holders may submit this training for CEU consideration in accordance with the NACA CEU policy located at: https://nacatraining.org/
continuing-education- recertification/.
Speakers
Joyce Glass, JD, LLM, MBA
Joyce has been a practicing attorney for 28 years, with the last 14 dedicated to addressing companion animal cruelty and the Link to interpersonal violence through education, legislation and collaboration.
Joyce worked in New York, enjoying a long-standing partnership with law enforcement and the Suffolk County DA’s office, is an attorney advocate under Desmond’s Law in Connecticut and is now focused on working in North Carolina.
Joyce has drafted legislation addressing cruelty, speaks frequently on issues surrounding companion animal cruelty, was named a Top Defender by Animal Legal Defense Fund in 2024 and published a report analyzing data on cruelty cases under Desmond’s Law in 2025.
Dr. Clarissa Noureddine, DVM, MS, MS
Dr. Noureddine is the owner of ForensiVet Mobile Veterinary & Forensic Consulting, PLLC, an Adjunct Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and a practicing veterinarian. In 2017, she completed a Master of Science degree program with a concentration in Veterinary Forensic Science through the University of Florida / ASPCA distance learning graduate program. Dr. Noureddine has worked in general practice, shelters, and emergency clinic settings. From July 2019 to June 2021, she was the Veterinary Medical Director for Guilford County Animal Shelter. As a forensic veterinarian, Dr. Noureddine provides assistance with animal abuse casework, including veterinary forensic examinations and diagnostics, creating veterinary forensic reports, evidence collection and handling, guidance with crime scene processing, case review and consultation, and expert testimony. She is passionate about raising awareness in the community about animal abuse while also providing education and resources for pet owners, veterinarians, law enforcement, animal control, shelters, and the legal community.
Stasia Dempster, CDBC
Stasia is the founder and lead trainer at Synapse Canine Learning Center. She grew up training dogs for sport and began training professionally 17 years ago. Stasia is a certified dog behavioral consultant with the IAABC who has extensive experience working complex behavioral cases. She has worked within the veterinary industry producing protocols to help protect veterinary staff and improve patient experiences in the clinical setting, and frequently works in conjunction with veterinarians to treat maladaptive behavior in dogs. In 2022, Stasia led a task force program for a large animal welfare organization in Wisconsin striving to minimize behavioral decline in long-stay shelter dogs. Stasia has been training detection and SAR K9s for law enforcement and civilian handlers since 2019, and is currently pursuing her MSc to PhD in clinical animal behavior with a specialization in companion animals through the University of Edinburgh’s School of Veterinary Studies. She is extremely passionate about helping humans understand dogs and improving the human-animal bond.
