Adopting the Right Dog or Cat for You
Falling in love with a certain shelter dog or cat, and want to adopt him? That’s great — but first of all, find out if he’s the right fit for you and your lifestyle. When visiting an animal shelter or rescue facility, it can be very easy to fall in love with a particular dog or cat. Before filling out the adoption form, though, it’s important to determine if the animal you have your eye on is right for you. Adopting a dog or cat that isn’t a good match for your household, budget, or lifestyle can lead to problems...
Data Insight: What We Learned from a Simple Question About Visible IDs and RTH Rates
Animal shelters are overflowing with pets that have become separated from their people. According to our HASS pilot data, as well as Shelter Animals Count (SAC), “stray” animals make up around 50% of 2023 shelter intake across the United States. It’s not surprising that organizations are looking for answers to the question, “how can we increase return to home (RTH) rates?” Here’s an example from one of the HASS pilot organizations: With stray pets accounting for nearly 80% of total intake and...
Gut Health for Dogs: Support the Whole Body from the Belly!
The gut plays a vital role in immunity and overall health and well-being, and high-quality probiotics can help support gut health for dogs! All dog parents want their pups to live as long as possible, and it may surprise you to find out that by supporting gut health for dogs, you can also help promote longevity and health. Gut health plays a role in digestion and nutrient absorption, but it’s crucial for many other things as well. Immune health, allergies, emotional well-being, and physical health all start with the gut, so let’s...
Register now for Camp Maddie: Dog Foster Edition
Registration for Camp Maddie is now open and free! This is where expanding your dog foster program begins. Camp Maddie is a new learning series beginning with a virtual half-day dog foster edition on Thursday, December 7, 9am-1 pm PT (12 pm-4 pm ET). At Camp Maddie, we will cover various topics in to-the-point presentations, panel discussions, strategy-sharing seminars, videos and question and answer sessions. Presenters will discuss breaking down barriers in the foster field, how they recruit foster caregivers and provide insight into...
Letter From Vincent: A Q4 Dispatch From the Director of HASS
We were recently in Arkansas, visiting our HASS pilot shelter Cabot Animal Support Services. HASS staff and I were there primarily to support CASS in their data collection, so they can do the good things they’re doing even better — but I always learn from our pilots on these road show visits, which I told you about in my last Letter from the Director, and this was no exception. This time, I got to be part of a large-scale, low-cost drive-thru vaccine clinic that Cabot holds twice a year, and that is the HASS mission in...
Wild Alaska Pollock vs. Other Fish in Dog Food: What Sets It Apart?
Did you know that the BBC has ranked wild Alaska Pollock at #19 on its list of the World’s Most Nutritious foods? Bonus points for the fact that this fish is also an excellent addition to your dog’s diet. But what is it about this fish that sets it apart from the ocean’s other culinary contributions? And why should you be adding it to your dog’s dish today? When it comes to choosing the best ingredients for your dog’s food, fish is often a top contender courtesy of its excellent nutritional profile. But with an...
7 Reasons Cats Love Running Water but Hate Their Water Fountains
Cat parents know how much kitties love running water. Yours probably follows you into the kitchen when you’re doing dishes and into the bathroom when you’re brushing your teeth. Maybe they even meow at you when the water is running, jump up on the counter to get a closer look, or stick their head and paw into the flow. Many cats even avoid their own water bowls in favor of running water, so let’s look at seven reasons why your cat loves the tap but not their recirculating water fountain as well as a chance to WIN an AquaPurr...
Do You Have a “Highly Sensitive Pet”?
If your dog or cat seems overreactive, anxious, or easily overwhelmed, she may be a “highly sensitive pet”. Here’s how to tell, and what you can do to help her navigate the world with less stress. Back in 1996, when Dr. Elaine Aron’s book, The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You, was released, you could almost hear the collective sigh of relief. Her research resonated with people around the world who believed there was something wrong with them because they felt things too deeply or...
Learn strategies for challenging ableism in companion animal welfare
Join Professor Katja M. Guenther on Thursday, November 9, 2023 at 12:00PM PT/3:00PM ET for the latest Maddie’s® Insights installment, Strategies for Challenging Ableism in Companion Animal Welfare. Many animal shelters and rescues unwittingly perpetuate ableism through their engagements with disabled animals, even when they are trying to help these animals. In this session, we will explore how animal shelters and rescues contribute to problematic representations of disability and engage in practices that harm these...
Maddie’s Weekly Roundup: Emergency fostering, continuing education and more!
Happy Monday! Below is a brief roundup of resources added over the past week. Continuing education credit now available with these popular courses and webcastsWe’re excited to share that two popular self-paced courses on Maddie’s® University now carry continuing education credits from the Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) program of the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB), in addition to several webcasts: The Journey You Own: Practices for Well-being and Productivity (4 hours of RACE credit)...
