All aboard The Foster Express Challenge!  Expedite your lifesaving this holiday season with short-term foster care. We will be awarding $55,000 in grants to shelters across the United States! Registration closes Friday, November 8th.  Learn More UPDATE: The application window for Maddie’s® Apprenticeship Program opens on November 11th (not today)!  Maddie’s® Apprenticeship Program is an… Learn More

Communicating urgency without negativity in emergency fostering Emergency foster care initiatives can be a game-changer when an organization or one of its partners is in crisis. Quickly sending pets to foster homes at these crucial times can save lives, but the messaging can be tricky. Emergency foster pleas need to be urgent enough to motivate… Learn More

Have you updated your Shelter Animals Count data lately? You could win a grant! Data plays an important role in the lifesaving of animals. It has enabled our industry to compile a complete picture of the animals entering and leaving shelters. And with that in mind, the Shelter Animals Count October Data Drive is in full swing!… Learn More

Maddie’s® Shelter Compass is like hiring an extra employee Ever feel like you have too much to do and don’t know where to start? Whether it’s cleaning out your closet or saving the lives of more pets, we can relate. Often times we end up not starting a task because we simply don’t have the… Learn More

Getting foster dogs adopted: 5 tips for foster coordinators! This guest blog was written by Rachel Jones, Adult Dog Foster Coordinator for Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) in Tucson, AZ. PACC is in the process of completing a 3-year study on foster care which is funded by Maddie’s Fund and led by shelter researcher Dr.… Learn More

Shelter dog behavior assessments not reliable, reports ASPCA This post originally ran on June 28, 2018. We wanted to share again because we think this topic is very important.  An in-shelter behavior assessment is not a reliable way to determine whether dogs will or won’t be safe in adoptive homes, reports a new ASPCA position… Learn More

How to develop and grow relationships with the media This guest blog was written by Emmy-winning television journalist Nikki Reck, now Public Information Officer for Pima Animal Care Center in Tucson, AZ. It’s a situation that many shelters understand – Agatha and Jukebox were a pair of big dogs that sat at Pima Animal Care… Learn More

Dog field trip program names to inspire your shelter’s next brainstorming session Doesn’t it seem like shelter dog field trip programs are taking the country by storm? We think so, and we love it! As you may recall, we are sponsoring a study that measures the effects of dog field trip programs. The response has… Learn More

Apply for our new ONLINE apprenticeship! Is your shelter or rescue looking to save the lives of more adult dogs? Then the Maddie’s® Short-term Foster and Field Trips Online Apprenticeship is for you! Applicants must apply by Wednesday, September 11th. Learn More How Nashville Humane Association turned a power failure into a win for their… Learn More

New free online course helps keep shelter animals happier Do animal shelters need to be stressful places for pets? Leading shelter medicine and behavior experts say no, and they’ve created a free online course to show staff and volunteers how to make the process from intake to adoption a happy one. The course is part… Learn More