The 2022 National Foster Survey conducted by Maddie’s Fund®, provides valuable insights into the utilization and support of foster care programs for dogs and cats in the United States. The survey examined the dynamics of foster care programs and identified important factors impacting foster care placement. Versions of the survey have also been conducted for… Learn More

This post was originally published in 2019. We are republishing today as foster care is as important as ever.  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… Learn More

In 2010 the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) published the first Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters, which quickly became the gold standard in how to care for animals shelters and foster homes alike. In December 2022, the revised “Guidelines” were introduced. The Guidelines is understandably a comprehensive and lengthy document, yet many… Learn More

Cats entering shelters often experience fear, anxiety, and stress while in care. Mitigating negative states in cats is critical to their health and well-being, especially in populations of fearful cats that are already at risk for poor outcomes. One particularly at-risk population are fearful cats rescued from animal hoarding environments. In the next Maddie’s® Insights… Learn More

Join Dr. Lisa Gunter, PhD, CBCC-KA, Assistant Professor, Coastal Carolina University on Thursday, November 3rd at 12:00PM PT/3:00PM ET for a Maddie’s® Insights webcast on foster recruitment, trial adoption programs, caregiving practices, and behavioral support that can be utilized in our post-pandemic world. “Emergency fostering during the pandemic; Takeaways for a post-pandemic world,” will run… Learn More

You may remember us mentioning we have a few surveys coming your way this winter. Here’s a NEW one about shelter behavior practices. Supporting and making outcome decisions for dogs with behavioral concerns is a challenge for many shelters, so we’re looking to do an assessment of current shelter behavior practices. This survey primarily focuses on dogs,… Learn More

As we wrap up 2021 and plan how to keep more people and pets together in 2022, Maddie’s Fund® will be distributing several surveys over the next few months. We’d appreciate your help! The purpose of these surveys is to gain understanding of policies and practices so that people in our industry can: identify support… Learn More

Earlier this summer, the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement conducted research on the current state of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in animal welfare. More than 2,600 respondents took the survey. The results are in (shown below), revealing the six key takeaways below. Lack of cohesive vision and commitment to DEI in animal welfare Lack of… Learn More

Hospitalizations can be stressful for patients for a number of reasons. One reason that may not be so obvious? Care for their pets while they’re away from home. A recent survey was conducted at the University of Michigan Health on this very topic. The purpose of the survey was to understand how a need to… Learn More

Data plays a crucial part in decision making, which is why today is why we are reminding you to please input your Shelter Animals Count (SAC) data! Data has enabled our industry to compile a complete picture of the animals entering and leaving shelters. You can see how your data compares to those in other… Learn More