Can a few days at an apprenticeship change your perspective on no-kill sheltering and foster care for large dogs? After attending Maddie’s® Medium and Large Adult Dog Foster Program Apprenticeship at Austin Animal Center, Patricia Zimmerman from Prince George’s County Animal Services in Maryland says it sure can. And it did. “It was amazing,” she… Learn More
Can a dog in your shelter benefit from just one sleepover with a foster? You bet, and we’ve got the research to back it up! A little over a year ago, Maddie’s Fund® gave a grant to Carroll College to answer that very question, funding the first sleepover pilot study at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary… Learn More
What can you learn from kittens? For Kat Hamlin, cat adoption specialist for PetsConnect! in northern Indiana and southern Michigan, the answer is hands-on experience, lifesaving techniques and a new perspective. Her only complaint after attending Maddie’s® Kitten Lifesaving Apprenticeship Program at Humane Society Silicon Valley? “I wish I could have stayed longer,” she said. The… Learn More
If you’ve paid attention to the news or our social media since Hurricane Harvey hit, you’re likely aware of some of the awe-inspiring actions from shelters, rescue organizations and volunteers in the affected areas. After assessing the needs and committing $1 million to support those helping the animals, we sent a few of our own… Learn More
“Ramp up your medical programs for seniors, folks – soon enough you’ll be seeing far more of those than adoption age kittens.” Those words were posted by Karina King, Director of Operations for the Dakin Humane Society, on a Million Cat Challenge discussion forum. For communities at the height of their kitten season, the thought… Learn More
Can a partnership with local veterinarians save orphaned kittens’ lives? You bet, when they’re moved from foster care to local veterinary practices, where they’re provided with love, socialization and care. That’s what the Humane Society of Southern Wisconsin (HSSW) did, and they share how you can, too, in our latest MaddieTalk: Vet Pets! “We were struggling… Learn More
The Million Cat Challenge is a partnership of Maddie’s Fund®, the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program, Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida, and the ASPCA®, formed to help shelters save the lives of 1 million more cats. It is based on five key initiatives which bring forward those approaches that have… Learn More
The unprecedented animal lifesaving we see sweeping the country today came about hand in hand with the rise of shelter medicine. Richard Avanzino, the first president of Maddie’s Fund® and the man widely considered the “godfather of the no-kill movement,” reflected a decade ago on the role of the veterinarian in animal sheltering. Here is… Learn More
The future of animal welfare leadership is looking bright with leaders like Sheila Kouhkan, Miranda Hitchcock, Matt Chan and Sarah Humlie at the forefront. All four individuals work in animal shelters across the U.S. and have been selected as fellows for Maddie’s® Executive Leadership Fellowship program, an intensive professional opportunity for individuals committed to developing and… Learn More
Nina Stively wanted to increase welfare and lifesaving for shelter animals. She also believed it was crucial to the goal that the level of professionalism in the sheltering field rise. When she heard about the Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program online Masters in shelter medicine, she knew that was how she’d make both goals a reality… Learn More