There’s no question that spaying and neutering are critical components of pet population control. But some of the science on its risks and benefits isn’t as supportive, and more and more pet owners are asking questions about routine spay/neuter that those of us in animal welfare may not be able to answer. Recently, the American… Learn More

If the animals in our communities, whether currently in a home, at a shelter or in the care of a rescue group, are going to be healthy and happy, we need the services of veterinarians. But bad relations between animal organizations and private practice veterinarians can put that outcome at risk. In a survey published… Learn More

Want to reduce stress and illness in sheltered cats? Take a spotty approach to cleaning and sanitation! However counter-intuitive it might seem, some of the steps we take to prevent disease in animal shelters might have the opposite effect. One such practice is the thorough cleaning of cat cages, including removing the cat, bedding, bowls,… Learn More

If your animal organization is serious about saving lives, preventing suffering, and treating animals with their physical and emotional well-being in mind, here are five resources you can’t do without: 1. The Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) Guidelines to Standards of Care in Animal Shelters Available as a free download, this is the bible of… Learn More

It never fails. You’re bottle-feeding one in a litter of hungry kittens, and put the bottle down to help the one you just fed relieve himself. And then the bottle spills — probably all over your bed, given the round-the-clock nature of bottle-feeding. That was an all too common occurrence for Niki Gottesman, foster care coordinator… Learn More

Are you making it hard for people to give money to your animal organization? If you’ve ever watched a real estate show on HGTV and seen home stagers go through a house that’s about to go on the market, you’ve probably wanted to yell at the homeowners. Dirty dishes in the sink, unmade beds, clutter… Learn More

Animal shelters and rescue groups have gained a reputation of being unwelcoming to people seeking pets. Saving more pets than we’re currently saving depends on finding a way to turn that perception around. But now? As part of its new “Adopters Welcome” program, Animal Sheltering Magazine and HSUS are presenting a series of free webinars… Learn More

Does music created specifically for the feline hearing range, using their natural pitch and tempo, actually help them feel happier? Science says it just might. Actually, whether they’re happier or not is open to discussion, but they certainly reacted positively to such musical compositions in one recent study reported on by the Winn Feline Foundation:… Learn More

Your animal organization has a website, a Facebook page, Petfinder or Adopt-a-Pet accounts, and maybe a few other social profiles. Does it also need a blog? Maybe and maybe not. “The main benefit of a blog over all those other options is the ability to immediately get information posted in a way that itself can… Learn More

There’s great news from the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, where the Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Residency was just approved by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners! This residency is part of Maddie’s Fund®‘s ongoing commitment to shelter medicine. We know that it’s not possible to save this country’s healthy and treatable pets without… Learn More