The adoption process is the final step in finding new homes for shelter pets. It begins with getting to know the pet, writing a narrative and posting photos/video, continues to making a match with a potential adopter, and ends with sending the pet home with an adopter and providing support.

This course provides guidance for navigating the adoption process, with an emphasis on adoption counseling. The course demonstrates the general adoption counseling process and then dives into adoption counseling for pets with behavior or medical conditions. Text content is supported by videos, infographics and exercises. All videos are shareable and all infographics are available for download so you can use them in training. 

This course is eligible for 2.0 hours of credit from the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (AAWA) and the National Animal Care & Control Association (NACA). 

This course will give you the inside scoop on successful pet marketing. You'll learn tips and tricks for taking great photos and videos and writing social media posts that will help you find adopters for foster and shelter pets. The course is directed to foster caregivers but is equally useful for shelter staff involved in pet marketing. This course was developed in collaboration with HeARTs Speak. 

This course has been pre-approved for 0.75 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement.

keywords: foster marketing, Pet marketing tips for foster caregivers, effective pet photography for adoption, writing social media posts for pet adoption, shelter pet marketing strategies, HeARTs Speak pet marketing course, how to take great pet adoption photos, promoting foster pets on social media, engaging social media for pet adoption

Housing pets in foster homes lowers their risk of getting sick because it reduces the amount of stress and exposure to infectious disease.Following proper cleaning and disinfection protocols helps lower this risk even further and prevents the spread of disease if a pet in your home is already sick. During this short class your will learn:

• The importance of proper cleaning and disinfection in foster homes
• How the type of housing and supplies affects cleaning and disinfection
• The proper way to clean and disinfect the home and supplies
• Additional considerations for infectious diseases that are harder to get rid of in the foster home

This course is part of Maddie's Monthly Foster Connection, monthly webcasts about foster care - supporting pets in our community and animal shelters. 

Sanitation is one of the most underrated but important factors in maintaining animal wellbeing. We all know how important it is to keep infectious diseases at bay in shelters, but what about foster homes? These temporary havens are a lifeline for our most vulnerable animal populations, giving them a break from shelter stress and infectious disease risk while offering personalized care and attention. But let’s face it, foster homes are busy places! From kids to grandparents, and even resident pets, there can be a lot of interaction going on in foster homes. So, how do we keep these environments safe and healthy for our foster animals? In this webinar, we’ll explore practical, safe, and effective sanitation tips tailored to foster homes. By the end, you’ll know even more than you already do about creating and maintaining clean, nurturing spaces that support your foster animals’ recovery and wellbeing.

Presenter: Mehnaz (Chumkee) Aziz, DVM, DABVP (Shelter Medicine Practice), Outreach Veterinarian, UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program

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: https://maddies.fund/FosterCon...

Keywords Maddie's Monthly Foster Connection, Dr. Mehnaz Aziz, pet foster care, sanitation for pet foster caregivers

There are many causes of diarrhea in cats and dogs. Some, like stress and diet changes, are simple and easy to fix. Others, like inflammatory bowel disease, are more complicated to diagnose and treat. We will not go into detail on causes or prevention, but rather focus on the “how-to’s” of dealing with pets who have diarrhea.

Persistent young kitten diarrhea is one of most challenging problems that foster programs face. While most cases of kitten diarrhea resolve within a week’s time, others don’t. It is not uncommon for a veterinarian to run multiple diagnostic tests without finding a cause, or to try different treatments without resolution of the diarrhea.

Reading dog body language and communicating effectively with our own behavior are practiced skills that we need to mindfully develop over time. In this course you'll analyze videos of dogs and handlers having conversations. The handler needs to understand what the dog is telling them and also communicate their intentions to the dog. The goal is always for the human and the dog to be in agreement that "I'm into you!" Through this course, you'll recognize behaviors that suggest the dog is unsure, and consider how to de-escalate the conversation to "I'm into you!"

Course author: Devan Amundsen, CPDT-KA, is a certified dog trainer with over 15 years of experience working with not just dog owners, but dogs in shelters, assistance dogs and other working dogs

This class will be useful to foster caregivers and adopters, as well as foster care managers. As a foster caregiver, you can have a huge impact on the life of your foster dog. Your care and attention is critical in helping that dog find the right match. As an adopter, your new dog needs your help to make a comfortable transition to a new environment. Short videos model techniques for introducing dogs to new people, interacting with children, house training, dealing with separation anxiety, and more. It is recommended you take this class in conjunction with the class Helping a New Dog Adjust, which will give you even more training tips.

This course has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement.

training, behavior, dogs, puppies, foster, adopter, adoption

In this class, short videos will help you understand your dog's body language and give your dog the basic training they need to be successful in their new home. Presentations cover enrichment and boredom; jumping and mouthiness; and the special challenges of that puppies present. This class is appropriate for fosters, adopters, and the shelter staff members who work with these groups. It is recommended you take this class in conjunction with the class Bringing a New Dog Home. 

This course has been pre-approved for 0.75 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement.

training, behavior, dogs, puppies, foster, adopter, adoption

Many dogs display reactive behaviors while on leash. This course will help you work with leash reactive dogs by identifying and avoiding triggers, noticing threshold levels, using games to give your dog alternative behaviors to practice and providing alternate enrichment activities.