Maddie's® Insights are monthly webcasts with practical tips based on current research to help pets and people.  

How do we reduce relinquishment to animal shelters? In the U.S. and Canada, approximately 25-30% of animals that enter shelters are surrendered by owners. However, despite many shelters and rescues providing various pet support services for the past few decades, there has been little demonstratable reduction in owner surrendered animals. Currently, many animal shelters use data collected at intake, such as surrender reasons, to create programs that aim to support pet owners to keep their pets. This presentation will outline research into animal shelters, pet owning communities, self-rehoming platforms, and pet owners to demonstrate the complex system of pet surrender. By the end of this presentation, participants will learn how community data can complement animal shelter data to help divert animals from shelters.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this presentation, you will be able to…

·      Discuss strategies to improve standardization of intake data collection within your shelter

·      Identify ways to connect animal shelter data to community-level demographic data to understand risks of surrender

·      Interpret data from pet support services, self-rehoming platforms, and pet owners to understand how to promote intake diversion

Presenter: Lexis Ly, PhD Student, UBC Animal Welfare 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. It has also been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval. Complete the quiz to earn continuing education credit for CAWA and NACA.

Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/MIWebcast...

keywords  Maddie's Insights, Lexis Ly, intake data collection, animal shelter data, animal shelter intake reduction,owner surrendered animals

Maddie's® Insights are monthly webcasts with practical tips based on current research to help pets and people.  

Debra Olmedo and Greg Miller of the ASPCA provide an overview of recent research aimed at identifying ways to increase awareness and engagement in kitten fostering programs among residents of areas with high intake of kittens to animal shelters. They discuss the project methodology, what they learned about awareness, interest, and concerns related to fostering, and what opportunities this research highlighted for increasing fostering program engagement. 

Learning objectives:

·      What are the experiences with fostering kittens and actions taken for cats by residents living in high kitten intake zip codes in Los Angeles County?

·      How do barriers to participating in kitten fostering programs potentially differ for residents in these areas of LA County?

·      What are the potential benefits of developing and implementing community-informed strategies?

·      What are some strategies to increase awareness and engagement in kitten fostering program among residents of high kitten intake areas?

Presenters: Greg Miller, Senior Director of Research, Strategy and Research Department, ASPCA; Debra Olmedo, RVT, Foster & Community Outreach and Medical Care Senior Manager (Los Angeles), ASPCA

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. It has also been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval. Complete the quiz to earn continuing education credit for CAWA and NACA.

Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/MIwebcast...

keywords  Maddie's Insights, ASPCA, Greg Miller, Debra Olmedo RVT, animal foster care, animal welfare, kitten foster programs, foster programs

Maddie's® Insights are monthly webcasts with practical tips based on current research to help pets and people.  

It is commonplace among those who provide foster care for animals to have a recurring conversation with those who do not.  Upon hearing that one is an animal foster parent, a frequent response is, “Oh, I could never do that.  I would not be able to give the animal up.”  But this is precisely what those caring for animal fosters are called to do.  The ability of animal shelters and rescues to provide critical care through foster homes depends on volunteers who willingly and temporarily take animals into their homes and lives.  Studies of foster volunteers have indicated that they find taking care of animals with medical, and particularly behavioral, issue to be stressful.  And, volunteers that do not feel that their shelter is providing them sufficient emotional support are more likely to think about quitting.  Given these two realities, it becomes important for shelter staff to understand the emotional aspects of providing foster care and to identify ways to better support volunteers so that they are satisfied and more likely to continue to provide this service. 

The presentation addresses these issues with the following learning objectives:

·      What is the nature of attachment (human-animal bond) between volunteers and their foster animals?

·      What emotions do volunteers experience when their fosters leave their care?

·      What coping and resilience strategies appear to reduce the stress of providing foster care?

·      How can animal shelters help foster volunteers cope with the stress inherent to fostering?

Presenter: Laura A. Reese, PhD, Professor, Departments of Urban and Regional Planning, Global Urban Studies, and Political Science, Michigan State University

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. It is also for approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval until 02/06/2026. Complete the quiz to earn continuing education credit for CAWA and NACA.

Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/MIwebcastsFosterCareHumanAnimalBond

keywords  Maddie's Insights, Laura A. Reese, foster care, animal welfare, human-animal bond, coping and resilience strategies for foster caregivers, foster pets, foster caregiving

Maddie's® Insights are monthly webcasts with practical tips based on current research to help pets and people.  

The Family Bondedness Scale (FBS) was designed to measure scores which represent the degree to which a person is emotionally and affectionately bonded to a pet as a member of their family. This presentation will cover the development and use of and research to date on the FBS when measuring equivalence between cat and dog owners. Dr. Nugent will go over the rationale for the scale, what it is intended to measure, how it was developed, how scores on the scale should be interpreted and how it should be scored and used. He also discusses current research on the scale and the implications of the results in both veterinary research and practice.

Presenter: William R. Nugent, PhD, Professor at the College of Social Work, The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN

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. It has also been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval. Complete the quiz to earn continuing education credit for CAWA, NACA and RACE. RACE CE (non-medical) is available until 10/23/2025.

Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/MIwebcast...

keywords  Maddie's Insights, William R. Nugent, Family Bondedness Scale, animal well-being, keeping pets and people together

Maddie's® Insights are monthly webcasts with practical tips based on current research to help pets and people.  

Animal shelters can be stressful for dogs, but human interaction, such as foster caregiving, can improve their experience. In this webcast, Dr. Gunter will discuss multiple studies she and her team have carried out as part of the Arizona State University/Virginia Tech Maddie’s Nationwide Fostering Study in which we studied the effects of field trip and sleepover programs on the welfare of dogs living in shelters. Their initial studies investigated the physiological impacts of these programs, and their published study examined how field trips and sleepovers influenced dogs’ likelihood of adoption and length of stay. They also explored factors related to the performance of these programs. Overall, their findings support the implementation of these programs. Learn how you can use short-term fostering programs to improve the welfare of dogs in your shelter as they await adoption.

Learning objectives:

•  Describe potential stressors that make shelters stressful for dogs

•  Relate how human social interaction can improve the welfare of dogs in the shelter

•  Extrapolate the different activities dogs likely engage in during field trips and sleepovers

•  Discuss the research findings about field trips and sleepovers

•  Differentiate how field trips and sleepovers impact dogs’ proximate and distal welfare

Presenter: Lisa Gunter, PhD, Assistant Professor of Animal Behavior and Welfare, Virginia Tech

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. It has also been submitted for approval for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval. Complete the quiz to earn continuing education credit for CAWA, NACA and RACE. RACE CE is available until January 10, 2026.

Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/MIwebcast...

keywords  Maddie's Insights, Lisa Gunter, animal foster care, animal welfare, human-animal bond, shelter dog field trips, shelter dog sleepovers, stress in shelter dogs

Maddie's® Insights are monthly webcasts with practical tips based on current research to help pets and people.  

Catherine Kisavi-Atatah PhD will share the findings of her publication, Examining the Relationship between BIPOC Communities and Their Companion Animals. This study explored the relationship between BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities with their companion animals, using Attachment Theory as a lens of analysis. Findings suggest that public and private policy decision-makers should develop and implement holistic, across-the-board, companion animal policies that are user-friendly to all.

 Learning Objectives:

·      Understand the complexities of the multifaceted aspects of the relationship between Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities and their companion animals, including historical, cultural and socio-economic factors

·      Identify the unique challenges and barriers that BIPOC communities encounter in accessing veterinary care, resources and support for their companion animals, and evaluate the implications for both the animals and communities

·      Understand the significance of cultural competency and diversity in veterinary medicine and animal welfare; analyze how these factors influence the provision of care and support to BIPOC individuals and their communities

·      Evaluate policy recommendations and practical insights presented in the paper to better support BIPOC communities in their relationship with companion animals, and consider the broader implications for public policies, animal welfare organizations, and community initiatives

Presenter: Catherine Kisavi-Atatah Ph.D., Professor, Health and Human Performance Department, Prairie View A&M University 

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. It has also been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval. Complete the quiz to earn continuing education credit for CAWA, NACA and RACE. RACE CE is valid until 9/18/2025.

Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/MIwebcast...

keywords  Maddie's Insights, Catherine Kisavi-Atatah PhD, BIPOC communities and their pets, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities and their companion animals, challenges and barriers that BIPOC communities, cultural competency and diversity in veterinary medicine and animal welfare, resources and support for BIPOC communities and their pets,

Maddie's® Insights are monthly webcasts with practical tips based on current research to help pets and people.  

Little is known about the social behavior of cats living in group housing at shelters. In a series of studies, Dr. Suchak and her research team recorded all the social behavior occurring between cats living in group housing and compared cats who were introduced at the shelter versus those who were surrendered together. They then followed up by specifically examining social behavior between cats who were labeled as bonded pairs or adopted together. Cats who were labeled as bonded pairs had a longer time to adoption, but the relationship between this designation and social behavior was weak. Recommendations will be provided for identifying bonded pairs.

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify positive social (prosocial, affiliative) behavior in cats
2. Understand that being surrendered together is not adequate evidence for bonding
3. Recognize the link between behavior and social bonding in cats

Program Agenda:

• General overview of social behavior in cats
• Review of research regarding social behavior in group housed shelter cats and the impact of bonded pairs on adoption times
• Limitations of identifying bondedness in cats
• Recommendations for identifying bonded pairs

Presenter: Malini Suchak, PhD, Associate Professor of Animal Behavior, Animal Cognition and Animal Well-being at Canisius University in Buffalo, NY.

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. It has also been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval. Complete the quiz to earn continuing education credit for CAWA, NACA and RACE. RACE CE is valid until 9/6/2025.

Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/MIwebcastsBondedPairs

keywords  Maddie's Insights, Malini Suchak, PhD, , animal well-being, animal welfare, scientific assessment of animal well-being, care for shelter animals, mental experiences of animals, animal behavior, cats living in group housing at shelters, bonded pairs, positive social behavior in cats, behavior and social bonding in cats, impact of bonded pairs on adoption times, identifying bonded pairs of cats

Maddie's® Insights are monthly webcasts with practical tips based on current research to help pets and people.  

Many animal shelters and rescues unwittingly perpetuate ableism through their engagements with disabled animals, even when they are trying to help these animals. In this session, we will explore how animal shelters and rescues contribute to problematic representations of disability and engage in practices that harm these animals. We will explore strategies for challenging ableism and better serving disabled animals.

Learning Objectives:
By the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to

- Define ableism and the dis/ability system
- Recognize ableist representations of animals and people
- Identify and rework personal or organizational practices that support ableism to support better outcomes for disabled animals

Presenter: Katja M. Guenther, Professor of Gender & Sexuality Studies, University of California, Riverside, and author of The Lives and Deaths of Shelter Animals

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. It has also been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval. Complete the quiz to earn continuing education credit for CAWA, NACA and RACE.

Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/MIwebcastsAbleism

keywords  Maddie's Insights, Katja M. Guenther, animal well-being, animal welfare, scientific assessment of animal well-being, care for shelter animals, mental experiences of animals, animal behavior, disabled animals, animal sheltering, serving disabled animals, problematic representations of disability, animal care, behavior, training & enrichment, case management

Maddie's Insights are monthly webcasts with practical tips based on current research to help pets and people.

In this program, Dr. Michael Hennessy, Professor in the Department of Psychology, Wright State University, is joined by Regina Willen, Founder and Director at HALO K9 Behavior. They discuss how basic scientific research informs our understanding of the stress dogs undergo in a shelter environment. They also examine immediate effects of entry to a shelter as well as potential long-term consequences. How basic research findings suggest practicable means for reducing or preventing these outcomes was also considered.

The information contained in webinars and related materials has been prepared, compiled, or provided by Maddie’s Fund as a service to webinar participants and is not intended to constitute the rendering of legal, consulting, or other professional services of any kind. The opinions expressed by webinar presenters are their own and do not necessarily represent those of Maddie’s Fund.

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/MIwebcast...

keywords canine stress in dog shelters, canine behavior, shelter dogs, foster care for shelter dogs, animal sheltering, foster care, canine training, dog behavior, cortisol in dogs, managing stress in shelter dogs, reducing stress in shelter dogs

The experience of unpleasant emotions is often referred to as “emotional pain”, such as when someone loses a loved one. The emotions that arise when one’s social bonds with another are impaired or lost – such as feelings of isolation, loneliness, and rejection – comprise one type of emotional pain, called “social pain”. Recent research has found that the term “pain” is not just a metaphor but is based on the finding that social pain is processed in the same brain regions where physical pain is processed. In addition, similar drugs can alleviate both physical and social pain. For social species, like elephants, horses, sheep, rats, guinea pigs, dogs, and humans, social pain plays a powerful role in one’s well-being and quality of life. For today’s domestic dog, the issue may be of greater importance than for any other species on Earth. Evidence indicates that through domestication the emotional bonding propensity of dogs toward humans has been greatly amplified, which appears to have resulted in both greater joy for dogs when in the company of humans, but also greater suffering when denied human companionship. Only by educating all those who care for dogs will “man’s best friend” receive the care they so strongly deserve.

Presenter: Franklin D. McMillan, DVM

Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/MIwebcast...

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.

keywords shelter dogs, canine behavior, stress in dogs, social pain in dogs, emotional pain in dogs, emotional bonding with animals, human animal bond, Franklin D. McMillan, Dr. Frank McMillan