Wishing you joy and peace this holiday season

Happy holidays from all of us at Maddie’s Fund®! We deeply appreciate your tireless efforts throughout the year to help keep pets and people together. The work is not always easy, but the compassion and kindness you and your organizations have shown leave a lasting impact on the lives you touch, both animal and human. May the unconditional love of the animals in your life—whether it’s your family pets, foster animals, shelter and rescue companions, or the community cats finding warmth in insulated straw boxes you put...

    Posted On: Dec 19, 2024 | Category: Chew On This InformationView Details

How animal shelters can overcome barriers when building their community programming

This post was originally published in 2020. Below is the third and final post in a series featuring Gateway Pet Guardians and their progressive approach to reimagining the future of animal sheltering aimed at keeping people and pets together. In the first post in this series, we shared an overview of how they operate and how they’ve pivoted since COVID-19 hit. The second post focused on tactical ways your organization can build community programming, and this post shares ways to overcome common barriers when trying to implement...

    Posted On: Dec 17, 2024 | Category: Chew On This InformationView Details

Maddie’s Weekly Roundup: Behavior modification plans webcast, removing barriers and more!

Happy Monday! Below is a brief roundup of resources added over the past week. Staying flexible with behavior modification plansDo you adjust your training and modification plans to account for location and environmental variation? Then join us on December 19 at 12PM PT/3PM ET for Maddie’s® Monthly Behavior Connection. In “Behavior Modification Plans,” attendees will benefit from certified clinical animal behaviorist Tom Candy’s extensive experience in the UK Shelter Network. You’ll learn how to incorporate...

    Posted On: Dec 16, 2024 | Category: Chew On This InformationView Details

Staying flexible with behavior modification plans

Do you adjust your training and modification plans to account for location and environmental variation? Then join us on December 19 at 12PM PT/3PM ET for Maddie’s® Monthly Behavior Connection. In “Behavior Modification Plans,” attendees will benefit from certified clinical animal behaviorist Tom Candy’s extensive experience in the UK Shelter Network. You’ll learn how to incorporate factors related to the dog and the environment into your behavior modification plans, to create a happier dog. Candy...

    Posted On: Dec 12, 2024 | Category: Chew On This InformationView Details

What’s one change you’ve made to remove a barrier and how has it helped pets find homes or receive care?

As we continue celebrating Maddie’s Fund®‘s 30th anniversary, we’re taking a moment this December to share success stories of removing barriers. This month on Maddie’s® Pet Forum, we’re reflecting on the power of breaking down barriers in animal well-being to create lasting connections between pets and people. From simplifying adoption processes to creating barrier-free foster programs, removing obstacles can transform lives-not just for pets, but for the communities that care for them. What’s more,...

    Posted On: Dec 10, 2024 | Category: Chew On This InformationView Details

Maddie’s Weekly Roundup: Adopting pets from foster homes, Camp Maddie recordings and more!

Happy Monday! Below is a brief roundup of resources added over the past week. 5 tips for adopting pets out of foster homesHave you considered letting your foster caregivers process the adoptions of their foster pets from their homes? This may seem daunting at first, but the benefits are worth considering: multiple studies have shown that pets adopted from their foster homes are significantly less likely to be returned. Having foster caregivers process their foster pets’ adoptions… Learn More Camp Maddie: Pet-Inclusive Housing...

    Posted On: Dec 9, 2024 | Category: Chew On This InformationView Details

Camp Maddie: Pet-Inclusive Housing Edition now available to watch on-demand

The Camp Maddie: Pet-Inclusive Housing Edition presentations are now available to watch at your leisure on Maddie’s® University. This event focuses on topics related to pet-inclusive housing with presentations and question and answer sessions. Four in-depth conversations and presentations are given by some of the nation’s top pet-inclusive housing specialists from My Dog is My Home, My Pitbull Is Family, Housing Equity & Advocacy Resource Team (HEART L.A.) and Michelson Found Animals: Understanding Human Homelessness...

    Posted On: Dec 5, 2024 | Category: Chew On This InformationView Details

5 tips for adopting pets out of foster homes

Have you considered letting your foster caregivers process the adoptions of their foster pets from their homes? This may seem daunting at first, but the benefits are worth considering: multiple studies have shown that pets adopted from their foster homes are significantly less likely to be returned. Having foster caregivers process their foster pets’ adoptions could save hours for adoptions staff, giving them more time to support the adopters they do work with. Lastly, doesn’t it just make sense for the person who knows the pet...

    Posted On: Dec 3, 2024 | Category: Chew On This InformationView Details

Maddie’s Weekly Roundup: Foster recruitment for pets with behavioral needs, certification program and more!

Happy Monday! Below is a brief roundup of resources added over the past week. 6 tips for recruiting fosters for pets with behavioral needs Finding foster caregivers for pets who have behavioral needs can feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are six strategies animal welfare organizations across the country are using to do just this!    1. Prioritize “unicorn” fosters who have ideal home set-ups for some of your more challenging pets (people who don’t… Learn More Addressing the...

    Posted On: Dec 2, 2024 | Category: Chew On This InformationView Details

Maddie’s Weekly Roundup: Rental housing pet policies, resources galore and more!

Happy Monday! Below is a brief roundup of resources added over the past week. Addressing the impact of restrictive pet policies in rental housing on pets, animal shelters and the tenants who love themMaddie’s® Insights is our ongoing webcast series with practical tips based on current research to help pets and people. Our guest speaker for Thursday, December 12 is Lauren Loney, attorney and independent researcher. The webcast is at 12PM PT/3PM ET. Housing insecurity for tenants has increased in severity in the last several years as...

    Posted On: Nov 25, 2024 | Category: Chew On This InformationView Details