Are you part of Maddie’s^® Pet Forum yet? Or are you a member but haven’t logged on in a while? Either way, we hope you’re taking full advantage of this free resource to for the animal well-being field.

During our most recent user-survey, we asked people what they like most about Maddie’s^® Pet Forum. Below are just a handful of (anonymous) responses, all serving as good reminders to log on if you haven’t in a while. Whether your favorite thing is connecting with folks from around the country, asking questions in a judgement-free space, or digging through the resource center and on-demand recordings – we’re glad you’re here!

Survey answers to the question: What do you like most about Maddie’s^® Pet Forum?

• It provides an opportunity and space for people all over the country within the animal welfare industry to connect. With collaboration, animal welfare organizations can learn new things from each other and build lasting relationships with one another. This collaboration is essential to the industry and allows shelter members to get new ideas and strategies for programs, resources, fundraising, and much more.
•  Great moderators, informative presentations/access to presentations in the forum after the events, respectful discussion even when folks do not have the same goals or opinions
• Wealth of information and educational opportunities. I appreciate the fact that time as a small shelter thru Maddie’s^® Pet Forum I feel like a part of the “bigger picture” and know that many of the challenges I face are also challenges for many other rescues. It is wonderful to have access to solutions (and a different perspective) from well educated and experienced contributors.
• That it’s non-judgmental and forward thinking.
• It is a large group with a broad representation from the industry so there is a lot of valuable inputs. The Forum topics are timely and deal with complex and current issues.
• There is a boatload of information and it’s very well run and you can find answers to just about everything animal related!
• Help to think outside the box by learning how other people deal with different situations that arise in this field.
• I can get ideas and whatnot from people in my field from shelters and rescues across the country. It’s nice to be able to read about things going on in other places. Other shelters may be struggling with some of the same things we are so it’s good to see how certain struggles are being dealt with.
• The open sharing of information and knowledge relevant to my work.
• I like the friendly atmosphere and the dedication to non judgmental discussions. The entire team seems really relatable and approachable.
• I like many things – That you can choose and customize which topics interest you (not everything that people post is relevant or useful to me/us), that the layout of the forum is easily navigable, the upcoming events being listed in an easy-to-see place, etc. I also like that everyone is very friendly.
• I like the diversity of discussions and people participating.
• Being able to connect with groups all around the country and learn from them. It’s also nice to know there are people all around the country dealing with some of the same issues and struggles as our town and that we’re all doing our best to get through this tough time.
• Questions can be asked and answered judgement free, sharing knowledge between members
• The feeling of community and knowing the issues I face in Southern California are not very different from the issues in South Carolina and what works for other can be configured to work with our same challenges.