Remember last year when we took a page out of REI’s handbook and asked: What if, instead of battling the madness at the mall this year, you spent the day after Thanksgiving with the ones who warm your soul? It seems we struck a chord, as hundreds of thousands of people across America eagerly vowed… Learn More

Shelter cats are happier, more playful, friendlier with each other, and less stressed when they have more room — 4 square meters, or 43 square feet, per cat, to be precise. In a study published in the June 2016 issue of Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Swedish researchers tested the play, mutual grooming, and inter-cat aggressiveness… Learn More

Do you want to reduce shelter intake by 20 percent in one year at your local animal shelter? Try providing underserved communities with the resources they need to keep pets in their homes. That’s exactly what Saving Sunny, Inc., did in a community in Kentucky. Co-founders Maureen Keenan and Kelsey Westbrook shared their story of… Learn More

Were you at the American Pets Alive! conference this past weekend? If so, you probably heard about the Avanzino Leadership Award, Maddie’s Fund®’s new national leadership award named after the Dog-father himself, Rich Avanzino. This award recognizes outstanding leadership in the animal welfare community – and we interrupted the opening session to present the award!… Learn More

Want to grow your shelter vet skills or boost the credentials on your resumé? VetFolio is offering a free online Shelter Medicine Certificate Course, “dedicated to improving shelter medicine by offering participants information on everything from parasites, to infectious diseases to vaccination and more!” Students will receive a CE certificate after completing each self-paced class,… Learn More

Did a recent study really suggest animal shelters stop evaluating dogs for temperament and adoption? Not exactly. The study, authored by Dr. Gary J. Patronek of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts and Janis Bradley of the National Canine Research Council, was published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior in August. Its central… Learn More

If you want to help animals but don’t have the time to physically volunteer at your local shelter or rescue organization, what can you do? Look no further than your resume! There are plenty of ways you can help just by utilizing your natural talents. Whether you’re a tech-savvy social media maven, an introverted writer,… Learn More

There’s renewed interest in identifying shelter dogs not by breed but by their physical and personality traits. What’s prompted that, and is it an idea whose time has come? The idea itself isn’t new. Some adoption organizations did away with breed labels long ago, with some simply calling them “All American Shelter Dogs.” In fact,… Learn More

One of our favorite days – National Cat Day – is just around the corner this Saturday, October 29! Along with bringing attention to cats who need homes, this holiday also marks the one-year anniversary of MaddieCam, where we decided to stream live from Cat Town, America’s first cat café. Today, MaddieCam streams live from… Learn More

Lifesaving just got a whole lot more innovative! After the 2016 Humane Society of the United States Expo, we invited attendees to submit Innovation Grant proposals in various categories from adoptions and technology to public engagement. It’s no surprise the proposals came pouring in, and we just awarded more than $307,000 to 60 organizations across the U.S.!… Learn More