Detective, Educator, Mediator: A Holistic Approach to Foster Behavior Support

Recorded On: 11/06/2025

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

Foster insights are invaluable to shelters and rescues, and no concern should ever be dismissed or taken more lightly than the foster presents it. At the same time, that initial presentation of a concern tends to only offer one perspective: the human’s. Zan Lowell's presentation walks you through example cases of their tried and true process of taking an analytical approach that simultaneously gets to the root causes of an animal’s concerning or unwanted behaviors and promotes a more nuanced understanding of those animals’ needs among fosters, all without sacrificing compassion for either.

Presenter: Zan Lowell, Dog Behavior Trainer 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: https://forum.maddiesfund.org/...

Keywords Maddie's Monthly Foster Connection, foster care-givers, foster support, foster training, animal behavior, Zan Lowell

Zan Lowell

Behavior Trainer

Austin Pets Alive!

Zan Lowell got their start in animal welfare as a volunteer with Austin Pets Alive! in 2013 where they quickly discovered a passion for dog behavior and training. They joined APA!’s Dog Behavior Team as an intern in 2014, and in 2017, they became a full-time behavior trainer supporting dogs both onsite at the shelter and with transitioning into their new homes. At the end of 2019, Zan transitioned to APA!’s Dog Behavior Follow-Up Team where they spent the next five years helping to build APA!’s resource library and directly supporting thousands of adopters and fosters with the dogs (and sometimes cats!) in their care. In recent years, they have developed a particular interest in the neuroscience of dog behavior and a trauma-informed approach to addressing behavioral challenges, especially among rescued and rehomed animals. They currently live in Richmond, VA with their medical alum cat and behavior alum (and playgroup success story) pittie mix. 

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Detective, Educator, Mediator: A Holistic Approach to Foster Behavior Support
Recorded 11/06/2025  |  61 minutes
Recorded 11/06/2025  |  61 minutes
You must register to access.
Certificate - CAWA and NACA CE
1.00 CAWA CE, NACA CE credit  |  Certificate available
1.00 CAWA CE, NACA CE credit  |  Certificate available
You must register to access.
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Select the "View Discussion on Maddie's Pet Forum" button to begin. View resources and continue the discussion with the guest speaker on this thread in Maddie’s Pet Forum https://forum.maddiesfund.org/discussion/detective-educator-mediator-a-holistic-approach-to-foster-behavior-support-november-2025-in-maddies-monthly-foster-connection
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