A strong foster program can be the single factor that finally brings a community to no-kill. Just ask Ann Lindholm of Austin Pets Alive!, who took their foster program from a one-person operation to a team of more than 35 volunteers. In only three years they were supporting a network of over 1,200 foster parents… Learn More

Can one photo save the life of a long-standing pup? Absolutely, says Summer Huggins, volunteer photographer for Austin Pets Alive! But not just any photo will do. How about beginning a dog’s profile with an abbreviation? Not likely, says Elizabeth Doyle, senior creative copywriter for Best Friends Animal Society. At the American Pets Alive! 2015… Learn More

It’s the most important step you can take to help a newly adopted puppy mill dog adjust, say experts: If you don’t already have one, get another dog. While patience is the quality most needed by puppy mill rescue adopters, research conducted by Dr. Frank McMillan and presented at the University of Florida Maddie’s® Shelter… Learn More

Loose lips may sink ships, but loose bowels make life miserable for shelter pets and the people who care for them. How can you get a handle on this runny problem? At the 2015 Maddie’s Cornell Shelter Medicine Program, Dr. Holly Putnam took attendees over everything related to shelter animal diarrhea, from nutritional to viral… Learn More

So you think your shelter’s already doing everything it can to get its dogs adopted. Maybe there’s one new trick you can learn from a bunch of dedicated runners! RuffTail Runners is an Austin, Texas, based running group that teamed up with a local sportswear store to get shelter dogs out for some exercise and… Learn More

Can food time be play time for shelter dogs? Not only can it, but it’s better that way! That’s just one of the enrichment tips shared by Rebecca Lohnes, Lollypop Farm’s behavior and training manager, at the 2015 Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference. In her presentation, she demonstrated how positive reinforcement training and enrichment exercises reduce… Learn More

Every nonprofit needs to have a board of directors, and that includes animal shelters and rescue groups. But how do you put your board together, and what can you expect from them? At the recent Best Friends National Conference, Sandy Rees, founder of GetFullyFunded, shared a series of hands-on exercises designed to unleash the best… Learn More

Few things strike as much fear into the hearts of shelter veterinarians and staff as an outbreak of respiratory disease. While successful management of stress and provision of preventive medicine can dramatically decrease the incidence of this troubling condition, it can still spiral into serious disease. Dr. Elizabeth Berliner, Director of the Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program at… Learn More

Do you avoid conflict? Do you hate to even think about it? If you do, and you work in an animal shelter, rescue group or animal welfare organization, you’re not alone. It may be time to change how you think about conflict. Conflict can actually strengthen relationships, increase creativity and lead to top-notch solutions. At… Learn More

Housing dogs who show aggression to other dogs can be challenging for shelters and rescue groups, particularly in terms of ensuring they get ample exercise and enrichment. Do you know what to do if a dog fight breaks out at your shelter? Ehren Melius oversees all aspects of emergency sheltering for the ASPCA’s Field Investigations… Learn More