Return to Owner (RTO) is an important component of lifesaving. When pets are reunited with their owners, that’s one less kennel that is being occupied.   Michelson Found Animals Foundation is conducting a national survey on RTO. With this survey, they are hoping to learn what RTO rates truly are and what strategies are being used for… Learn More

Over the past few years, the Maddie’s® Fund Idea Lab has been funding numerous projects to help advance the welfare of homeless pets across the country. While we’ve shared some of the findings as we received them (you’ve likely heard of the short-term foster sleepover study by now), we’re excited to finally have the summary results of 39 Maddie’s® Idea… Learn More

Does your shelter have a great field trip program? Are you ready for the next step? Arizona State University (ASU) & Virginia Tech (VT) are currently enrolling shelters that want to implement a sleepover program for science in their Nationwide Fostering Study! Shelters that participate in this study will receive free apprenticeship training from Maddie’s Fund®… Learn More

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 statement. Instead, such evaluations need to be based… Learn More

Button had been at the Kansas City Pet Project for about a month, and he wasn’t doing well. He was displaying alarming signs of kennel stress, including pacing, spinning, vocalizing and jumping up and down over and over. The shelter has an excellent enrichment program that includes play groups, walks, puzzle toys and more, but… Learn More

In honor of Maddie’s Fund® 25th anniversary, we are taking a trip down memory lane and revisiting some early blog posts that we think are still relevant today. This post originally ran on December 11, 2012.  Are your adoption listings full of information about a pet’s past? Do you focus on the sad story of… Learn More

HSUS Animal Care Expo in New Orleans, LA, will soon be upon us! One important topic of conversation will be access to veterinary care, and there will be two sessions with Dr. Michael Blackwell that will tackle this important topic. His mission is to improve access to veterinary care, especially for families with limited means.… Learn More

Learning about shelter and rescue organizations’ programs can help us save more lives everywhere, so we’re looking to collect information on programs across the United States in this short survey. By completing it, you could win one of ten $500 grants! The survey will ask you about your organization’s policies and structure related to foster care, but… Learn More

Is there anything you haven’t tried to save your long-stay dogs who are getting kennel-stressed? Read Kathy’s story and see if what helped her will work for your dogs, too. As Kathy’s stay at Louisville Metro Animal Services (LMAS) crept beyond 80 days, multiple signs of kennel stress began to appear: jumping, frantic barking at… Learn More

No one wants to see pets born who will end up homeless or unwanted. But in areas where veterinary practices are already facing a tough economic landscape, the opening of nonprofit spay/neuter clinics can feel threatening. Are those fears realistic? A new study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association suggests the… Learn More