Maddie's Fund

Join us on March 20 and April 3rd from 9 - 1 pm PT/ noon - 4 pm ET for Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition, a FREE online event devoted to dog behavior in animal shelters. We have an amazing line-up of speakers, including Michael Shikashio, Dr. Wailani Sung, and Dr. Chris Pachel. Check out this link to learn more! https://forum.maddiesfund.org/campmaddiebehavior

Having trouble finding foster caregivers? These six questions can help guide you toward a successful strategy.

Does your animal organization need more foster caregivers? These 6 questions can help Having trouble finding foster caregivers? These six questions can help guide you toward a successful strategy. 1. Is it easy to become a foster caregiver at your rescue organization? Research shows that the organizations with the biggest foster programs have quick and easy onboarding processes.

Animals staying in shelters longer, staffing shortages and lack of access to veterinary care have driven animal shelters and rescue organizations to find new ways to move animals out of the shelter and into homes prior to spaying/neutering.

PetSmart makes bold change to spay/neuter policy Animals staying in shelters longer, staffing shortages and lack of access to veterinary care have driven animal shelters and rescue organizations to find new ways to move animals out of the shelter and into homes prior to spaying/neutering. That’s why starting in July 2023, PetSmart Charities is...

Happy Monday!

Maddie's Weekly Roundup: Free stock photos, "Bad pet portraits," grant opportunities and more! Happy Monday! Below is a brief roundup of resources added over the past week. Introducing PetsandPeoplePhotos.org, a FREE image library This FREE stock image library was created for animal well-being organizations by HeARTs Speak with . The goal of this ongoing stock photo projec

“The people on the street are just like us,” Dr. Stewart said. “An act of kindness can change someones day. But a gesture of kindness, a spontaneous random act of kindness, can change someones life.”

Dr. Kwane Stewart: "Kindness is a super power" Dr. Kwane Stewart, veterinarian and co-founder of Project Street Vet recently spoke at the Weekly Community Conversations call. You'll be inspired as he talks about his journey from private practice veterinarian, to contemplating leaving shelter medicine behind to walking the streets solo, helping t

“If I could place every single dog into foster care, I absolutely would."

Research study: Foster care has an impact on dogs’ welfare and adoption 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

Is your animal organization working to become more community-centric and need a little help? Maddie's University can help!

Learn how to become more community-centric with these free courses on Maddie's University Is your animal organization working to become more community-centric and need a little help? Maddie's® University now offers Human Animal Support Services (HASS) curriculum, covering the most important concepts of the community-centric model. From lost pet reunification, pet support services, intak...

Get your week started with the weekly round-up.

Maddie's Weekly Roundup: Funding resources, Canine Science Symposium and more! Happy Monday! Below is a brief roundup of resources added over the past week. Fundraising resources for your animal organization Fundraising is a crucial aspect for animal well-being (welfare) organizations to continue their mission of providing services for people and pets. Successful fundraise

The virtual Re-Boot Camp is a half day seminar geared to all workers in a foster based rescue or shelter to help make incorporating the Guidelines attainable for more organizations.

Learn the updated Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters 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 Guideline

Happy birthday to sweet Maddie!

Tomorrow, we celebrate Maddie! Tomorrow, April 26, we celebrate the little dog who started a revolution. She was bold, feisty and not afraid to take chances. Although she is no longer with us, we continue to give thanks to Maddie in the form of grants, resources and striving for inclusivity in everything we do. We know she'd be e

Customer service is a vital component of animal sheltering.

Customer service course for animal shelters now available in Spanish Providing excellent customer service at your animal shelter or rescue organization is a vital component of keeping pets and people together. The impact that customer service has on our communities is vast, and whether or not that service is great or poor, can affect your organization. "Customer Ser

Does your animal well-being organization use an editorial calendar to strategize and organize its marketing efforts? If not, or if you want some inspiration for your current plan, be sure to check out this toolkit from HeARTs Speak and Human Animal Support Services.

A free editorial calendar template for your animal organization’s marketing efforts Does your animal well-being organization use an editorial calendar to strategize and organize its marketing efforts? If not, or if you want some inspiration for your current plan, be sure to check out this toolkit from HeARTs Speak and Human Animal Support Services. Throughout the past year, the org

As a result of the practices implemented during the last Open Arms Challenge, Salem Friends of Felines noted changes in the demographics of both volunteers and adopters.

How the Open Arms Challenge allowed this rescue organization to become more accessible The Open Arms Challenge starts next month, and we’re highlighting Salem Fiends of Felines (SFOF) in Oregon to provide a little inspiration! SFOF is a rescue organization that won a grant for the Most Effective Use of Open and Welcoming Menu Items in the 2021 Open Arms Challenge. The Challenge was ...

Join Monique Udell, Ph. D., CAAB on Thursday, April 13 at 12:00PM PT/3:00PM ET for “Becoming a Secure Base: Using science to improve human-animal bonds and welfare,” the latest offering in the Maddie’s Insights webcast series.

Using science to improve human-animal bonds and well-being Join Monique Udell, Ph. D., CAAB on Thursday, April 13 at 12:00PM PT/3:00PM ET for "Becoming a Secure Base: Using science to improve human-animal bonds and welfare," the latest offering in the Maddie's® Insights webcast series. Many people feel that they have shared a strong bond with a dog, and

Happy Monday! Here's a brief roundup of resources added over the past week.

Maddie's Weekly Roundup: Welcoming practices, Black animal activism and more! Happy Monday! Below is a brief roundup of resources added over the past week. Resources to incorporate more welcoming practices at your animal organization With the Open Arms Challenge kicking off next month, the Maddie’s® Pet Forum resource drive for March is focused on welcoming practices. We

With the Open Arms Challenge kicking off next month, the Maddie’s Pet Forum resource drive for March is focused on welcoming practices.

Resources to incorporate more welcoming practices at your animal organization With the Open Arms Challenge kicking off next month, the Maddie's® Pet Forum resource drive for March is focused on welcoming practices. We know that making changes to your organization's existing practices can sometimes be challenging, so the goal with this resource drive is to share and learn fro...

If you’re looking to create change at your shelter, but unsure on where to begin, Maddie’s Million Pet Challenge Learniverse Spring 2023 Shelter Summit and Fast Tracks may be the opportunity you’re looking for.

Register now for the free Spring 2023 Shelter Summit! If you're looking to create change at your shelter, but unsure on where to begin, Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge Learniverse Spring 2023 Shelter Summit and Fast Tracks may be the opportunity you're looking for. The half-day, live online summit on March 14, 2023 from 9AM PT - 12:30PM PT, will foc

My Dog is My Home (MDIMH) is back with their annual Co-sheltering Conference, taking place virtually on March 21-23, 2023.

Register now for My Dog is My Home's Co-sheltering Virtual Conference My Dog is My Home (MDIMH) is back with their annual C0-sheltering Conference, taking place virtually on March 21-23, 2023. Maddie's Fund® is proud to sponsor this unique conference focused on how co-sheltering people and animals together fits into the wider struggle for a more just society. Durin

Happy Monday! Check out our brief roundup of resources added over the past week.

Maddie's Weekly Roundup: March Community Conversations, senior dog grants, and more! Happy Monday! Below is a brief roundup of resources added over the past week. March Community Conversations are all about being open and inclusive With the Open Arms Challenge a little over a month away, now is the time to prepare. In addition to the dozens of resources available on the website, w

Join us on Mondays in March for Open Arms Challenge focused Community Conversations!

March Community Conversations are all about being open and inclusive! With the Open Arms Challenge a little over a month away, now is the time to prepare. In addition to the dozens of resources available on the website, we have FOUR barrier busting centric Community Conversations during the month of March! Even if you are not participating in the Challenge, your organ

It may be a short week, but Maddie's Weekly Roundup is packed with good stuff!

Maddie's Weekly Roundup: Incentivizing foster caregivers, foster survey, and more! Happy Tuesday! Below is a brief roundup of resources added over the past week. How Dallas Animal Services placed 160 dogs in 3 days by incentivizing foster and rescue transfers Dallas Animal Services (DAS) was in a tight spot. Like many shelters in late 2022 and despite their best efforts, the num

A little incentive can go a long way.

How Dallas Animal Services placed 160 dogs in 3 days by incentivizing foster and rescue transfers Dallas Animal Services (DAS) was in a tight spot. Like many shelters in late 2022 and despite their best efforts, the number of pets they were caring for had been high for months. They’d been asking their community for emergency adopters and fosters for some time. When dogs began showing symptoms ...

Whether you're looking to start community partnerships, or have resources to share, Maddie's Pet Forum has you covered!

Community Partnership Resources for your animal organization When animal services agencies connect with other organizations, both benefit to better support people and pets where they live. Creating relationships with human and environmental organizations that may not traditionally help animals offers a more holistic approach to care. That's why the February M

Maddie’s Fund is looking to collect accurate information about foster programs at shelters and rescue organizations based in the United States. This survey will take about 15 minutes and should be taken by the person most familiar with your organization’s policies and structure.

Please take our National Foster Survey! Maddie's Fund® is looking to collect accurate information about foster programs at shelters and rescue organizations based in the United States. If this sounds familiar to you, that's because we conducted this same survey several years ago. Our goal is to learn what has changed since then. You

Happy Monday!

Maddie's Weekly Roundup: Animal Care Expo, free help and more! Happy Monday! Below is a brief roundup of resources added over the past week. Animal Care Expo is coming in April! The Humane Society of the United States Animal Care Expo 2023 will be in New Orleans, Louisiana, April 3-6! The annual conference will have nearly 100 sessions, with a select number

Hope to see you there!

Animal Care Expo is coming in April! The Humane Society of the United States Animal Care Expo 2023 will be in New Orleans, Louisiana, April 3-6! The annual conference will have nearly 100 sessions, with a select number being live-streamed this year. If you're making the trip to Louisiana this year, you won't want to miss the followi

Community engagement is a key part of becoming a more welcoming and inclusive animal organization. As we prepare for the 2023 Open Arms Challenge (Registration ends January 30th!), we’re sharing some of the stories from the winners of the last Open Arms Challenge in 2022.

How these Open Arms Challenge winners improved their community engagement Community engagement is a key part of becoming a more welcoming and inclusive animal organization. As we prepare for the 2023 Open Arms Challenge (Registration ends January 30th!), we’re sharing some of the stories from the winners of the last Open Arms Challenge in 2022. From reaching new groups ...

The registration period for the Open Arms Challenge begins on Monday, January 23! Twenty-three national organizations are joining forces to encourage animal shelters and foster-based organizations to pilot new approaches that welcome your entire community during the month of April.

And, there's $420,000 in grant prizes available!

Join 23 national organizations for the Open Arms Challenge! Get ready for the Open Arms Challenge! This Challenge is all about opening our hearts and minds to more accessible and inclusive practices. Twenty-three national organizations are joining forces to encourage animal shelters and foster-based organizations to pilot new approaches that welcome your ent

Find out how a short-term foster program can benefit your felines at the next Maddie's Insights.

Are short-term foster programs for shelter cats beneficial or problematic? Join Dr. Kristyn Vitale on Thursday, February 9 at 12:00PM PT/3:00PM ET as she presents the findings from her shelter cat foster program study. During this Maddie's® Insights webcast, "Short-Term Foster Programs for Shelter Cats: Beneficial or Problematic?," attendees will learn more about the st