Want to learn how to set up a microchip scanning station in your community?
Do you know how to set up a microchip scanning station in your community? One in three pets go missing in their lifetime, amounting to about 10 million lost animals each year, according to Petco Love. Microchip scanning can help reunite lost pets with their families faster and help keep more pets from needing to enter the shelter system. In fact, research shows that dogs with microchips are more than twice as likely to be returned to their owners, while microchipped cats are more than twenty times as likely to be returned to their owners!...
Maddie’s Weekly Roundup: Shelter rehoming survey, low-barrier foster program and more!
Happy Monday. Below is a brief roundup of resources added over the past week. How one foster-based organization is implementing a low-barrier foster programLowering barriers is a key element to attracting and keeping foster caregivers. Kelly Duer, Senior Community Solutions Specialist, here at Maddie’s Fund® spoke with Becky Costner, Executive Director of Let Love Live, a foster-based rescue organization in Wadena, Minnesota, to ask her about their low-barrier foster program. Using a… Learn More Shelter rehoming surveyHome To...
Maddie’s Weekly Roundup: Resource guarding, turning finders into fosters and more!
Happy Tuesday. Below is a brief roundup of resources added over the past week. Transforming finders into fostersWhat is your shelter’s biggest resource? If you didn’t say “our community,” then let’s talk. On our next Maddie’s® Monthly Foster Connection presentation on June 4, Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter’s Animal Services Director, Misty Valenta, will explore how your community can transform the way you look at your intake counter. Building a community-based team… Learn More...
Transforming finders into fosters
What is your shelter’s biggest resource? If you didn’t say “our community,” then let’s talk. On our next Maddie’s® Monthly Foster Connection presentation on June 4, Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter’s Animal Services Director, Misty Valenta, will explore how your community can transform the way you look at your intake counter. Building a community-based team through fostering benefits the everyone involved – especially the pets! You’ll learn how the Williamson County Regional...
Resource guarding in shelter and rescue dogs
Resource guarding is a common behavior seen in dogs entering rescue and shelter environments, often arising from stress, uncertainty and past experiences around scarce or valuable resources. “Sharing Isn’t Easy: Resource Guarding in Rescue and Shelter Dogs” presentation explores the current research on resource guarding and how it applies to real-world rescue settings. Join us on Thursday, May 28 at 12PM PT/3PM ET for the latest in the Maddie’s® Monthly Behavior Connection series. Participants will learn how to...
Maddie’s Weekly Roundup: Lessons from award-winning foster programs, grant winners and more!
Happy Monday. Below is a brief roundup of resources added over the past week. The April Weekly Community Conversations grant giveaway winners are…Earlier this week, Maddie’s Fund® gave four organizations at random a $2,500 grant for attending the April Weekly Community Conversations for a total of $10,000 in grants. Join us in congratulating the four people who won a grant for their organization: Debra DeVries, K9 Battle Buddies (Hinesville, GA) Carol Fleming, Upper Valley Humane Society (Enfield,… Learn More Foster...
Foster Spotlight: Lessons from Award-Winning Programs
The webcast recording from “Foster Spotlight: Lessons from Award-Winning Programs” is now available now on Maddie’s® University. This webcast focuses on winning strategies from the 2025 Foster 50 Challenge. Through a series of short videos and Q&A, you’ll learn how grant funding helped spark new ideas, expanded foster programs and created measurable change for communities and animals in need. You’ll walk away with practical strategies and inspiration that show what’s possible when shelters invest in...
Maddie’s Weekly Roundup: Recruiting foster caregivers, weeklong fostering and more!
Happy Monday. Below is a brief roundup of resources added over the past week. Does your animal organization need more foster caregivers? These 6 questions can helpHaving 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. Organizations that require things like… Learn More Implications of...
Implications of weeklong fostering and co-housing on shelter dog welfare
Meeting both the physical and psychological needs of dogs living in animal shelters is a challenging proposition. Negative environmental inputs, such as excessive noise, restrictive kenneling, and social isolation, contribute to compromised canine welfare. Human-animal interaction, such as a temporary stay in a caregiver’s home, has been shown to reduce dogs’ cortisol levels and increase their rest. What is not well understood, though, is if longer durations of foster care could extend those benefits. In addition, co-housing in...
Maddie’s Weekly Roundup: Maddie’s Tail Wag, the Go-To Guide for Animal Services and more!
Happy Monday. Below is a brief roundup of resources added over the past week. Get this free activity book for kids, #ThanksToMaddie!Summer is just around the corner and we have just what you need to keep the kids entertained (for a little while anyways). Maddie’s® Tail Wag activity book is available for two different age groups and is designed to spark empathy, creativity and a love for animals. Children six and under will find these fun… Learn More Download the Go-To Guide for Animal Services today!We’re excited to...
