In the literature of persuasion, the act of buying jam turns out to have a lot to tell us about getting more pets adopted. We’ve written before about the so-called “paradox of choice,” and how research on jam sales as well as cat adoptions suggested that having fewer, rather than more, pets on the adoption… Learn More

Once shunned, no-fee pet adoptions have really come into their own. It was once conventional wisdom in the animal shelter world that pets adopted for free would suffer at the hands of diabolical people lurking in the shadows just waiting to abuse them. Surely, we thought, people who get animals for free don’t value them,… Learn More

What do the American Pets Alive! Conference and Maddie’s® Idea Lab project results have in common? They both offer actionable, lifesaving advice that you can use in your community! And our very own Director of Research, Dr. Sheila D’Arpino, will be presenting some of those actionable findings during her session, Maddie’s® Idea Lab: Saving Lives… Learn More

Is making a video of a dog in your shelter or rescue group worth the trouble? Absolutely, says a recent study published in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare. In the study, which was conducted in the UK, 735 people viewed video and photos of four shelter dogs: Two were Staffordshire Terriers, representing dogs who… Learn More

Can you place medium and large dogs with behavioral problems in foster homes and see their behavior improve? Can those dogs eventually be adopted into permanent homes? And can all of that be done safely? Those were the objectives of a 22-month long study conducted by Fairfax County Animal Shelter in Virginia. The result? A… Learn More

When you think of a veterinarian working in an animal shelter, what do you imagine they do there? For many shelter managers who participated in a recent study, that answer is “perform spay/neuter surgery.” However, shelter veterinarians and shelter medicine can play a much larger role in an animal shelter, providing expertise on disease prevention… Learn More

There’s an important tool to help in the fight against puppy mill puppies sold through pet stores: They’re more likely to be aggressive with their owners, strangers and other dogs. They’re also more fearful and suffer more from separation anxiety. In a study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association and led… Learn More

Are there dogs in your shelter or rescue who you honestly think can’t be adopted because of behavior problems? There might be a simple solution — and if it works for them, they’ll have a dog named Patty to thank. Kristen Auerbach, Deputy Chief Animal Services Officer at the Austin Animal Center, told Patty’s story… Learn More

By now you’ve probably seen the research showing dogs in shelters are quieter when they’re listening to soft rock, reggae, and (at least for short periods) classical music. You may have seen programs where children come in and read to shelter dogs. So here’s the question: Do dogs like listening to audiobooks? The answer is… Learn More

Have a great idea that saves lives, improves welfare or keeps pets in homes? Would you love that idea to be scientifically evaluated, and to motivate others to implement it? We have a grant for that! The Maddie’s® Idea Lab is a new initiative that supports the development and assessment of innovative ideas that have… Learn More