Can your children see the world from the point of view of a dog, cat or other animal? Would they more easily experience empathy and compassion if they could? A new app designed to take young readers into an animals-eye view of the world while getting and keeping their attention is designed to help children… Learn More
What can an animal shelter do without the trust of the community? Not much. That’s why transparency and accountability are absolutely required to save all the healthy and treatable pets who come in the doors of your organization. But what can you do if not only the community but your own staff and volunteers already… Learn More
Deliah the pitbull was heavily pregnant when she found herself surrendered at an Austin area shelter by her owner. Typically, she would have been spayed, terminating the pregnancy. But Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) heard about her and brought her into their maternity ward instead. It’s a good thing they did, because the world soon fell… Learn More
How much of the “conventional wisdom” about adoption and foster programs makes sense, and how much of it just keeps your organization from saving as many animals as it could? That was the question on Sherri Franklin’s mind as she first created Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, a San Francisco organization that has saved thousands of… Learn More
What is the biggest obstacle to helping more animals in the community? Sometimes, it’s the policies of the animal shelters that are supposed to be helping those same animals. That was the big Aha! Moment that drove Scott Trebatoski to embark on a journey to re-think the animal control and adoption policies of Hillsborough County,… Learn More
Can inspiration turn into lasting change for animals? Absolutely! Here’s one shelter director’s journey from “Aha!” to “Oh Yeah!”, as presented in the Maddie’s Fund sessions at the 2016 HSUS Animal Care Expo. We’ll begin with the “Aha!”, the moment when Austin veterinarian Dr. Ellen Jefferson had an awakening that inspired her to help lead… Learn More
When the Charleston Animal Society faced a massive scandal after years of high kill rates in the shelter, it might have been the end of the line. Thanks to the courage to recognize and act on its Aha! Moments, the organization and the community it serves have never been more in sync, and the animals… Learn More
Most of us in animal welfare are on board with the concept of community cats — unowned cats who live in neighborhoods, some feral, some social. Can that concept work for dogs, too? It’s not an idea that sits easily with most people. Communities with large numbers of stray dogs in the U.S. are rare,… Learn More
What’s better than summer vacation for kids? Summer vacation spending time with and helping animals! If your kids are crazy about animals, and you want to encourage the development of empathy and compassion, summer programs working with homeless pets should be at the top of your family to-do list. Consider these possibilities. Reading programs are… Learn More
Dane County, WI, is a good place for homeless pets, thanks to Maddie and the hard work of local animal adoption organizations. The Maddie’s® Pet Rescue Project in Dane County was a seven-year, collaborative effort to end the euthanasia of healthy and treatable shelter animals in the community. Four organizations came together during different periods… Learn More