Catalog Advanced Search
-
Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits
Practical strategies and inspiration that show what’s possible when shelters invest in fostering.
Join us for a dynamic look at some of the 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 fostering.
Who should attend? Everyone is welcome! This webinar is perfect for those interested or involved in existing foster care programs, foster coordinators, marketing, leadership and operations enthusiasts.
Host: Kelly Duer, Senior Shelter Solutions Specialist, Maddie's Fund
This webinar has been pre-approved for 2.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by the National Animal Care & Control Association.
Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/2025FosterSpotlight
Keywords Foster 50, Foster 50 challenge gran, pet fostering, animal shelter foster programs
Kelly Duer (Moderator)
Senior Community Solutions Initiative Specialist - Foster Care Specialist
Maddie's Fund
As Senior Community Solutions Initiative Specialist, Kelly's focus is on helping shelters and rescue organizations increase lifesaving through the implementation of robust foster care programs. Her role includes consulting with shelters, creating and providing training for organizations and their foster coordinators, writing and assisting with research on foster care.
Kelly previously coordinated a foster program that brought orphaned children to the United States in order to find them permanent adoptive homes, worked as the Foster Expansion Coordinator for a national study of foster care, and assisted with the behavioral foster study that was conducted at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter. Her work with foster care and social media has been featured in many national publications, websites and networks, including Animal Sheltering magazine, the Huffington Post, Best Friends magazine, BarkPost, iheartdogs.com, HuffPost Live and Fox News.
-
Enroll
- All Users - Free!
- More Information
-
Enroll
-
Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits
This presentation explores how a coordinated, multi-strategy approach—developed through the case of a reactive shelter dog named Cypress—can reduce reactivity, improve coping, and increase adoption success, ultimately leading to a replicable “Cypress Protocol” for other dogs.
This course is part of Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection, monthly webcasts about pet behavior - supporting pets in our community and animal shelters.
This webinar is for anyone working in or around animals in shelters.
When reactive dogs are confronted with their triggers at every turn in the shelter setting, how do we make progress? This presentation will go over a special shelter dog, Cypress, and the multifaceted approach his shelter team took to help him overcome his reactivity and find his way into a home. From finding ways to control his environment, to playgroups, to training volunteers to continue working with him, his team pulled out every tool in their box to teach him how to cope in the shelter setting– and eventually in his new home. His case created what his shelter now calls the “Cypress Protocol” and has helped many dogs in the shelter setting succeed.
Speakers from Orphans of the Storm:
Lindsay Echito, Dog Behavior and Foster Manager
Marie Lombardo, Behavior SpecialistThis webinar has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by the National Animal Care & Control Association.
Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, access the resources, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/BehaviorC...
keywords Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection, Orphans of the Storm, Lindsay Echito, Marie Lombardo, canine reactivity behavior
Lindsay Echito
Dog Behavior and Foster Manager
Orphans of the Storm
Lindsay Echito can’t remember a time when she wasn’t obsessed with dogs, even memorizing her book of dog breeds as a little kid. When she fell into animal welfare during college, she never looked back. While she’s worn many hats over the years, from counselor to management, she now serves as Orphans of the Storm’s Dog Behavior and Foster Manager. Lindsay specializes in creating enrichment programs to increase quality of life for dogs in the shelter and setting them up for success in their new homes.
Marie Lombardo
Behavior Specialist
Orphans of the Storm
Marie Lombardo has worked with animals since 2016 and currently serves as the Behavior Specialist at Orphans of the Storm. She develops individualized behavior plans, supports enrichment and welfare initiatives, and works closely with adopters and staff to promote successful, lasting placements. Marie holds a Master’s degree in Animal Science and Behavior: Canine and Feline Health and Care from Unity University and is dedicated to creating practical, humane behavior solutions that improve outcomes for both animals and the people who care for them.
-
Enroll
- All Users - Free!
- More Information
-
Enroll
-
Contains 5 Component(s), Includes CreditsRACE CE
A study that highlights the most common adopter-reported concerns, use of behavior support (and reasons it's declined), and return-to-kennel rates, including when and why dogs are returned.
Maddie's® Insights are monthly webcasts with practical tips based on current research to help pets and people.
Each year, thousands of dogs are relinquished to rehoming organizations and adopted into new homes. Like many dog owners, adopters often encounter early health and behavior concerns-but for adopted dogs, these challenges can sometimes lead to returns.
In 2018, Dogs Trust, the UK's largest dog welfare charity, launched a post-adoption support program. Adopters from any UK Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre receive follow-up calls about their dog's health and behavior at 2 days, 2 weeks, and 4 months after adoption.
This presentation reviews the program's methodology and participant cohort, highlights the most common adopter-reported concerns, examines use of behavior support (and reasons it's declined), and explores return-to-kennel rates, including when and why dogs are returned.
Key learning objectives:
• Understand common health and behavior concerns in dogs post-adoption in the UK
• Learn where adopters in the UK may seek advice from after adopting a dog
• Explore how embedding post-adoption support into the adoption process in the UK impacts engagements with the service.Presenters:
Eleanor Jordan, BSc, MSc, PhD, Data Science and Analytics Manager, Dogs Trust, UK
Lauren Samet, BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD, DTTLS, Welfare & Rehoming Services Research Manager, Dogs Trust, UKThis webinar has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (CAWA) and by the National Animal Care & Control Association (NACA). It has also been approval for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval until 3/9/2028. Complete the quiz to earn a certificate of attendance to use for CAWA, NACA and RACE CE.
Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/InsightsApril2026
keywords Maddie's Insights, Dr Eleanor Jordan, Dr. Lauren Samet, Dogs Trust, canine behavior, canine rehoming, dog adoptionEleanor Jordan, BSc, MSc, PhD
Data Science & Analytics Manager, Operational Data & Research
Dogs Trust, UK
Eleanor Jordan, BSc, MSc, PhD is the Data Science and Analytics manager at Dogs Trust. She has worked in rehoming research for the last 4 years and played a major role in the digitalization of rehoming operations at Dogs Trust. Her current role involves delivering advanced analytics and data insights to support Dogs Trust's operations, services and strategy.
Lauren Samet, BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD, DTTLS
Research Manager
Dogs Trust, UK
Lauren Samet, BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD, DTTLS, is the Welfare & Rehoming Services Research Manager at Dogs Trust, she leads and delivers mixed-methods research projects, as well as operational data integrity and insight development, both of which help inform rehoming strategy and dog welfare standards. She currently has specific research interests in dog welfare and behavioural assessment, human-animal interactions, re-relinquishment, and optimising the adoption process for dogs, staff, and adopters.
-
Enroll
- All Users - Free!
- More Information
-
Enroll
-
Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits
How animal shelters can shift from a kennel-centric medical model to a foster-centric clinic that effectively supports animals living in foster homes.
This course is part of Maddie's Monthly Foster Connection, monthly webcasts about foster care - supporting pets in our community and animal shelters.
In this discussion, we will review how animal shelters can shift from a kennel-centric medical model to a foster-centric clinic that effectively supports animals living in foster homes. As more shelters place 50% or more of animals in foster care, clinics must adapt their infrastructure, staffing, communication, and workflows to serve both people and pets. The discussion emphasizes guiding principles such as prioritizing quality of life, valuing foster caregivers as essential partners, transparency in decision-making, and treating foster care as a core organizational function.
Presenter: Jordana Moerbe, Director of Lifesaving Partnerships and Medical Care at Austin Pets Alive!
This webinar has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by the National Animal Care & Control Association.
Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: http://maddies.fund/FosterConnectionApril2026
Keywords Maddie's Monthly Foster Connection, foster care-givers, foster support, Jordana Moerbe, Austin Pets Alive!
Joanna Moerbe
Director of Lifesaving Partnerships and Medical Care
Austin Pets Alive!
Jordana brings more than 19 years of experience in animal welfare and is a founding staff member of Austin Pets Alive!. During her tenure, she created the Medical Triage and Wellness Clinic, which has grown into the largest foster-centric medical clinic in the country, treating more than 7,500 medical cases annually.
In 2017, Jordana expanded her work nationally, specializing in shelter clinic management, disease management, and outbreak response. She has partnered with shelters and rescues across the country to improve medical practices, increase live outcomes, and enhance operational efficiency through innovative programming and practical solutions. She also served as an instructor for the American Pets Alive! Maddie’s Medical Program, developing both in-person trainings and online coursework.
Currently, Jordana is the Director of Lifesaving Partnerships and Medical Care at Austin Pets Alive!, where she oversees both the Medical Program and the Austin Pets Alive! Transport Program. Her passion lies in outside-the-box problem-solving and equipping people with realistic tools and strategies to tackle complex industry challenges.
Jordana lives just outside Austin, Texas, with her husband, daughter, five dogs, three barn cats, and a variety of farm animals.-
Enroll
- All Users - Free!
- More Information
-
Enroll
-
Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits
How to guide adopters through private rehoming when appropriate, the questions they ask before accepting a behaviorally complex return, and how they incorporate professional assessments into their decision-making.
This course is part of Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection, monthly webcasts about pet behavior - supporting pets in our community and animal shelters.
This webinar is for anyone working in or around animals in shelters.
Navigating dog adoption returns can be a complex and difficult issue, especially when a dog exhibits unsafe behaviors in their home. For Stacy Price, Chief Operating Officer at One Tail at a Time, her organization has developed a system that does everything possible to support and respect people and pets during these circumstances.
While our goal is always to keep adopted animals in homes, there are times when a return is requested, and the shelter environment may not be in the dog's best interest-or safe for staff and volunteers. Stacy will walk through how to guide adopters through private rehoming when appropriate, the questions they ask before accepting a behaviorally complex return, and how they incorporate professional assessments into their decision-making. The session will also cover how they provide compassionate support and clear guidance when behavioral euthanasia is the most humane option.
Speaker:
Stacy Price, Chief Operating Officer at One Tail at a TimeThis webinar has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by the National Animal Care & Control Association.
Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, access the resources, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/BehaviorConnectionMarch2026
keywords Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection, Stacy Price, One Tail at a Time, dog adoption, rehoming
Stacy Price
Operations Director
One Tail at a Time
Stacy Price has over 15 years of animal welfare experience, starting her career studying techniques to prevent stress behaviors in zoo animals. Her focus was forever changed in 2009 when she adopted an overlooked senior white shepherd from a county shelter. With Vlad as her inspiration, Stacy has spent the last 10 years in leadership positions at various open intake and managed admission facilities before landing the job as One Tail at a Time's Operations Director. When she’s not working, you can likely find Stacy at home with her five cats, three dogs, rabbit, horse and incredibly tolerant husband.
-
Enroll
- All Users - Free!
- More Information
-
Enroll
-
Contains 5 Component(s), Includes CreditsRACE CE
How early-life stress such as inadequate nutrition, maternal separation, unreliable access to shelter, threats/abuse, and disease affects rescue kittens' behavior and health.
Maddie's® Insights are monthly webcasts with practical tips based on current research to help pets and people.
Across species, early-life stressors, such as inadequate nutrition, maternal separation, unreliable access to shelter, threats/abuse, and disease, profoundly affect brain development and behavior. Research has shown these stressors can impair cognitive, emotional, and social functions as well as alter the body's stress response systems, particularly the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In kittens specifically, early nutritional stress and maternal separation have been linked to learning deficits, abnormal fear responses, increased aggression, and altered play behavior.
At the end of this webinar, you will :
- be able to identify several different examples of early life stressors
- understand why hair cortisol concentration (HCC) may be useful to measure
- be able to provide potential reasons for high and low HCC
- understand why relative telomere length (RTL) is measured
- be able to provide potential causes for shortened telomeres
- be able to provide examples of how early life stressors were associated with the behaviours that rescue kittens displayed during testingPresenter:
Jennifer Vernick, DVM, Behavioural Medicine Resident at Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEIThis webinar has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (CAWA) and by the National Animal Care & Control Association (NACA). It has also been approval for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval until 2/23/2028. Complete the quiz to earn a certificate of attendance to use for CAWA and NACA.
Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/InsightsMarch2026
keywords Maddie's Insights, rescue kittens, kitten behavior, kitten health, Jennifer VernickJennifer Vernick, DVM
Behavioural Medicine Resident
Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI
Jennifer Vernick, DVM is a Behavioral Medicine Resident at Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI. Jennifer has eight years of diverse veterinary experience spanning emergency medicine, primary care, and large animal practice, combined with a dedication to client education and compassionate, kind, evidence-based patient care. She specializes in behavioral medicine and clinical research, focusing on early-life stressors and anxiety-based pathologies in puppies and kittens. Currently, she is completing a dual residency in Behavioral Medicine (ACVB-approved) and PhD in Animal Behaviour at the Atlantic Veterinary College under the mentorship of Dr. Karen Overall. Her proven expertise in clinical case management, psychopharmacology, and translating research findings into evidence-based treatment protocols is evident a numerous peer-reviewed veterinary journals.
-
Enroll
- All Users - Free!
- More Information
-
Enroll
-
Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits
This presentation focuses on two of the highest risk animal groups in your shelter and how to make them a core part of your foster program: dogs with extended lengths of stay and neonatal kittens.
This course is part of Maddie's Monthly Foster Connection, monthly webcasts about foster care - supporting pets in our community and animal shelters.
Fostering is a critical lifesaving pathway for most municipal shelters, but too often at-risk populations are overlooked in favor of highly adoptable animals. This presentation will focus on two of the highest risk animal groups in your shelter and how to make them a focus of your foster program: dogs with extended lengths of stay and neonatal kittens.
Short term fosters, or "Foster Field Trips" as they are known, help dogs by giving them a psychological reset from the shelter with minimal effort from foster families. Foster Field Trips help you set up these high-risk dogs for success in two major ways - they help improve kennel presentation and overall behavior upon their return to the shelter as well as provide your team with valuable personality insights that matter to potential adopters.
Empowering your community to foster kittens before they even enter your shelter can not only increase your capacity for care, but also set these kittens up for the best shot at a healthy life. For the kittens already in your shelter, overcoming the barrier of "I've never fostered kittens before!" is often the first and only step you'll need towards increasing your live release rate within this population.
Presenter: Ryan Miller, Grants Manager, The Animal Foundation
This webinar has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by the National Animal Care & Control Association.
Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions:
Keywords Maddie's Monthly Foster Connection, foster care-givers, foster support, Ryan Miller, The Animal FoundationRyan Miller
Grants Manager
The Animal Foundation
Ryan Miller is currently the Grants Manager for The Animal Foundation, and has been with the company for nearly six years. He graduated from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln in 2010 with a degree in Mathematics and further pursued Master’s coursework in Industrial Engineering with an emphasis in Project Management.
He has an educational and professional background in project management, financial forecasting, program development, and operational auditing. He refined these skills in large-scale retailers and technological law firms, gaining experience and has since carried this knowledge over into the nonprofit sector.
He left the for-profit corporate world in 2019 to pursue his lifelong passion in animal welfare. Starting in the animal admissions department and working his way through multiple areas including foster, community outreach, and accounting, he ultimately ended up in the Development department. In his current role, he works heavily with nearly all departments within the shelter, helping to create or enhance programs with funding, planning, and implementation.
In his off time, he enjoys hiking desert trails of the Mojave Desert, training his AmStaff soul dog, and reading fantasy novels.-
Enroll
- All Users - Free!
- More Information
-
Enroll
-
Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits
Ditch outdated traditional assessments and implement an eight-step protocol for assessing dog behavior through everyday interactions
When we assess dogs through everyday interactions, we can gather well-rounded information about the dog's personality, preferences and needs, leading to more informed decisions and better outcomes for the dogs in our care. This course introduces an eight-step protocol for assessing dog behavior through everyday interactions and provides automated forms for collecting behavior information.
This course was authored by Kristen Brown, CPDT-KA, VSA-CDT, Lifesaving Programs Specialist, Lynchburg Humane Society.-
Enroll
- All Users - Free!
- More Information
-
Enroll
-
Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits
Help dogs who arrive at the shelter struggling with fear, anxiety and stress build trust through "Social Time" activities
Some dogs arrive at the shelter struggling to cope with fear, anxiety and stress, and may not be ready to accept handling or leave their kennel for a walk. These dogs may benefit from Social Time: low-pressure, positive interactions that build trust from outside the kennel. The positive association built through Social Time can then serve as the foundation for a trusting relationship that may eventually help the dog accept more handling, go out for walks and cope better with the shelter environment. Through a series of videos, this quick course presents three Social Time activities along with automated forms to help you collect behavioral information.
This course was authored by Kristen Brown, CPDT-KA, VSA-CDT, Lifesaving Programs Specialist, Lynchburg Humane Society.
-
Enroll
- All Users - Free!
- More Information
-
Enroll
-
Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits
No one wants to experience a serious dog fight, but knowing how to safely and effectively break them up can save lives and prevent injuries.
This course is part of Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection, monthly webcasts about pet behavior - supporting pets in our community and animal shelters.
No one wants to experience a serious dog fight, but knowing how to safely and effectively break them up can save lives and prevent injuries.
One of the most important ways we can meet shelter dogs' needs and reduce behavior problems is to allow our dogs contact and playtime with their own species. Many staff and volunteers are concerned about giving dogs this vital exercise, enrichment, and important natural behavior outlet because of a fear of dog fights. While dog fights can sound scary, most are just "spit and noise" and cause little to no damage, many of us have seen fights that caused more damage, or fights where a person was also injured. Most of the ways we naturally approach breaking up a dog fight can actually make things worse, so teaching people how to break dog fights up efficiently and safely is an important part of onboarding any employees who may supervise dog interactions.
Laurie Lawless (of Shelter Behavior Integrations) and Trish McMillan (of Shelter Behavior Hub) are shelter behavior experts with decades of experience monitoring and facilitating dog play in many different contexts, but especially with shelter dogs. This webinar will review the tools and techniques they believe shelters should have on hand and employees should be taught to use, so that dogs can be cared for more safely, and so that they can have their needs met and behavior improved through social contact with their own kind.This webinar is for anyone working in or around animals in shelters.
Speakers:
Laurie Lawless (Shelter Behavior Integrations)
Trish McMillan (Shelter Behavior Hub)This webinar has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by the National Animal Care & Control Association.
Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, access the resources, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/BehaviorC...
keywords Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection, dog fights, breaking up dog fights, self-care, Laurie Lawless, Trish McMillan
Trish McMillan, MSc
Owner
Trish McMillan holds a master of science degree in animal behavior, and is a certified professional dog trainer. She worked for the ASPCA for nearly eight years, first as director of animal behavior at their NYC shelter, then helping assess and rehabilitate dogs from cruelty cases, dogfighting and hoarding situations, and researching, writing and presenting on animal behavior topics. Sh owns McMillan Animal Behavior in North Carolina, run from her small farm, Pibble Hill. There, she does training and behavior modification work with dogs, cats, and horses. Trish speaks and consults nationally and internationally on animal sheltering issues, dog, cat, and horse behavior, dog aggression, and defensive handling.
When she’s not on the road, Trish shares her life with three horses, two goats, four dogs, way too many chickens, and two cats as well as a rotation of foster animals.Laurie Lawless, CDBC
Founder
Shelter Behavior Integrations
Laurie Lawless, CDBC, is a nationally recognized expert in shelter dog behavior, with over 16 years of in behavior, sheltering, leadership, consulting, and animal cruelty response. Her career was sparked in 2008 when she rescued an 85 lb Boxer named Charlie - his behavioral challenges launched her into the world of professional dog behavior work, and she’s been “blaming Charlie” ever since.
In 2023, Laurie founded Shelter Behavior Integrations to help shelter teams implement behavior-forward practices in ways that are accessible, practical, and deeply impactful. Her passion lies in finding calm within the daily chaos of sheltering by streamlining operations and positive outcomes while improving behavioral support for the animals.
-
Enroll
- All Users - Free!
- More Information
-
Enroll
Search this site