Measuring the Impact of Conversation-Based Companion-Animal Adoption Policies (On Demand)
Recorded On: 09/16/2026
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This course is part of Maddie's Community Conversations, weekly webcasts for the animal welfare field supporting pets in our community and animal shelters.
This presentation will explore new research from the Institute for Human-Animal Connection on the shelter and community impacts of shifting to conversation-based (‘open’) companion-animal adoption policies. Drawing on 18 years of data from the Wisconsin Humane Society (WHS) and 30 one-hour interviews with WHS community members, the presentation will share findings from three novel studies in an engaging format. WHS has been employing conversation-based adoption policies since 2014. Using data from 2007-2024,the speaker explores the implications of these policies for adopter diversity, community access to the human-animal bond, and animal outcomes from a retention and (re)adoption perspective. Interviews with community members will explore the public’s perspective on open adoption programs, including their strengths, challenges, and impact on the community, and will offer insight into the experience of returning an animal, as well as suggestions for how conversation-based policies can be further evolved to support both animal welfare goals and equitable access to the human-animal bond.
Speaker:
Kaleigh O'Reilly, MSW, Research Associate I, Institute for Human-Animal Connection
This webcast is intended for adoptions and foster staff and volunteers - but all are welcome!
Key Takeaways
• Conversation-based companion animal adoption policies may help increase access to the human-animal bond in your community, as they have been shown to be associated with significantly greater diversity among adopters.
• Moving to an open adoption program was not associated with an increase in returns, but data suggest that returned animals are significantly more likely to have better outcomes under these frameworks.
• Community members view conversation-based adoption policies positively and see them as more accessible to people with diverse social and economic identities.
This webinar has been pre-approved for .75 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/communityconversation091626
If you have any difficulties viewing or completing courses, please email [email protected]. Also check out the FAQs page for more info.
Kaleigh O'Reilly, MSW
Research Associate I
Institute for Human-Animal Connection
Kaleigh O’Reilly is a Research Associate (RA) with the Institute for Human-Animal Connection (IHAC) at the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work. Before becoming an RA, Kaleigh worked full-time as a Research Fellow with IHAC for two years and part-time as a student researcher for two years. As a student, she had impactful internships at Humane Colorado and as a Mutual Aid Fellow engaging in deep community work. In June of 2023, she earned her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver with a concentration in ecological justice and certificates in human-animal-environment interactions in social work and global social work practice.
As an RA, Kaleigh supports IHAC’s Human-Animal Interactions and Equity Portfolio. She has worked on research projects spanning community One Health impacts, animal control law enforcement, pets and housing issues, and, most recently, conversation-based (‘open’) adoption policies. Kaleigh’s expertise lies in using rigorous, mixed-methods research to address historic and ongoing inequities and support evidence-informed decision-making in program and policy design in human-animal-environment interactions.
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