research

Marketing and Adoption Counseling Survey Results

September 6, 2022

The Marketing and Adoption Counseling Survey was launched in January 2022 and distributed by Maddie's Fund®. It was created to learn more about the communications methods being used by animal shelters and rescue organizations to convey information about pets who are available for adoption to the public.

blog

Today is a fine time to enter your Shelter Animals Count data!

September 16, 2021

Data plays a crucial part in decision making, which is why today is why we are reminding you to please input your Shelter Animals Count (SAC) data! Data has enabled our industry to compile a complete picture of the animals entering and leaving shelters. You can see how your data compares to those in other…

blog

Data tells a story: Enter your Shelter Animals Count data!

August 3, 2021

Data tells an invaluable story, which is why today is why we are reminding you to please input your Shelter Animals Count (SAC) data! Data has enabled our industry to compile a complete picture of the animals entering and leaving shelters. You can see how your data compares to those in other states or look…

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Take the time to enter your Shelter Animals Count data!

June 29, 2021

It’s a great day to enter your Shelter Animals Count (SAC) data! Data plays an important role in the animal welfare sector. It has enabled our industry to compile a complete picture of the animals entering and leaving shelters. You can see how your data compares to those in other states or look up the…

blog

Now’s the time to enter your Shelter Animals Count data!

April 29, 2021

This is your friendly reminder to enter your Shelter Animals Count (SAC) data! Data plays an important role in the animal welfare sector. It has enabled our industry to compile a complete picture of the animals entering and leaving shelters. You can see how your data compares to those in other states or look up…

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Enter your Shelter Animals Count 2020 data now!

January 19, 2021

We are more than halfway done with January, so you know what that means. It's time to enter your Shelter Animals Count (SAC) 2020 data! Enter your January – December 2020 data now and enter to win part of $20,000 in grants for your participation. The deadline to enter your data and qualify for a…

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Don’t forget to report your monthly data to Shelter Animals Count

December 8, 2020

Have you submitted your monthly shelter data to Shelter Animals Count (SAC) yet? This is your friendly reminder to do so!  Submitting your data on a monthly basis allows for the most relevant data collection that gives our field insight on where our movement is headed. If your animal shelter has been submitting your data…

webcast

Million Cat Challenge: Going Home

Dr. Sara Pizano, DVMSeptember 3, 2020

Learn how to take your matchmaking game from the adoption floor to the worldwide web.

webcast

Caring from Across Town: Practical Telehealth for Shelters & Clinics

Dr. Michael (Mike) Greenberg, Brenton Minish, Julie Ryan-Johnson, DVM, Aimee St.Arnaud and Beth HarrisonJune 4, 2020

Come learn more about the telehealth landscape and how best to implement this tool in your shelter or clinic.

webcast

Ideas for Safely Offering Spay/Neuter and Wellness: Q&A session

Jennifer Bolser, DVM, Natalie Corwin, Melanie deHaan, DVM, Cynthia (Cindy) Karsten, DVM, Cate Lemmond and Aimee St.ArnaudMay 27, 2020

Join this discussion on how can we do spay/neuter in a manner that is safe for staff, clients and animals in this new "normal".

presentation

Data for Activists: Get the Information You Need

Rory Adams, Content Manager, American Pets Alive!April 2020

Leave this presentation knowing what data you need and how to get it, through the use of public information requests.

presentation

Adopters Are Out There! Market Your Way Out of Space Crises

Teresa Johnson, CEO/Executive Officer and Chief Lifesaving Officer, Kansas City Pet Project and Cheryl Schneider, Director of Animal Services, Williamson County Regional Animal ShelterApril 2020

Learn how adopters can be your biggest lifesavers when your shelter is experiencing space crises.

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How to Use Research to Save Lives

Kevin Horecka, Lead Data Scientist, American Pets Alive! and Walmart TechnologyApril 2020

Learn which research is the most important to know about and what it tells us about animal sheltering.

presentation

Daily Decision Making and Accountability: Identifying Key Performance Indicators

Mark Sloat, Program Manager, Field Services, Austin Animal Center and Don Bland, Chief Animal Services Officer, Austin Animal CenterApril 2020

Learn what it means to set KPIs and goals to instill an organizational lifesaving philosophy.

presentation

What Do We Do About Our Long Stays?

Sarah Aguilar, Deputy Director, Pima Animal CareApril 2020

Learn how to analyze length-of-stay data and know what to do with it.

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Have you updated your 2019 Shelter Animals Count data lately? You could win a $5,000 grant!

February 13, 2020

Data plays an important role in the lifesaving of animals. It has enabled our industry to compile a complete picture of the animals entering and leaving shelters.   And with that in mind, the Shelter Animals Count February Data Drive is in full swing! Update your January – December 2019 data now and enter to win part of $20,000…

blog

Registration for Maddie’s Shelter Compass is now open! 

July 23, 2019

The wait is over! Animal shelters can now build a custom lifesaving roadmap within minutes, thanks to Maddie's® Shelter Compass. Registration for this free web-based tool is now open and is easy to do. All you need to do is enter some basic shelter data and answer a few questions, and woof there it is! If you…

video

Decreasing Intake with Targeted Community Engagement

July 19, 2019

Watch how the Austin Animal Center used their intake data to find ways to reduce ever-increasing incoming strays.

presentation

Using Metrics to Care for Shelter Populations

Janet Scarlett, DVM, MPH, PhD, Professor Emerita of Epidemiology/ Founder of Shelter Medicine Program, Cornell UniversityJuly 2019

In this session, disease surveillance, and the assessment of the frequency of common diseases in shelters are discussed. This presentation was recorded at the 2019 ASPCA Maddie's® Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference.

presentation

Making Better Use of Shelter Data

Janet Scarlett, DVM, MPH, PhD, Professor Emerita of Epidemiology/ Founder of Shelter Medicine Program, Cornell UniversityJuly 2019

In this workshop, we look at examples of where data can be used to help control overcrowding, maximize the use of shelter housing, monitor the effectiveness of spay/neuter programs, detect shifts in the health of incoming community animals, improve the welfare of fostered animals and target efforts to improve outcomes. This presentation was recorded at the 2019 ASPCA Maddie's® Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference.

presentation

Local, State and Federal Animal Response Capabilities in a Disaster

Tim Perciful, Disaster Response Manager, Field Investigations & Response, ASPCAJuly 2019

This talk discusses the major findings from three major surveys and how those results may guide local jurisdictions in determining and enhancing animal response capabilities. This presentation was recorded at the 2019 ASPCA Maddie's® Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference.

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Animal shelters can build a custom lifesaving roadmap with Maddie’s Shelter Compass

July 9, 2019

Did your animal shelter come with an instruction manual? We didn't think so! Do you want to save more lives and increase efficiency but aren't exactly sure where to begin? Maddie's® Shelter Compass is here to help! This free web-based tool will provide your shelter with a custom roadmap to save more lives, all in…

presentation

Fundraising for Animal Welfare Organizations - Part 5: Who is a Prospect?

Kim KleinMarch 2019

This presentation is appropriate for quick-learning beginners as well as seasoned fundraisers who are eager to learn how to engage others in fundraising. Part 5 of 7: Who is a Prospect?

presentation

Animal Protection Officers: Using a Community-based Approach to Measurably Reduce Intake in the Field

Mark Sloat, Program Manager, Austin Animal Center and April Moore, Engagement Manager, Austin Animal CenterMarch 2019

This session will teach approaches that value the human-animal bond, redefine 'animals in need,' and engage community members, shelter staff, and volunteers to solve problems together.

presentation

Analyzing Length of Stay: Make Your Animals Ready and Move Them Fast

Teresa Johnson, CEO/Executive Officer and Chief Lifesaving Officer, Kansas City Pet Project and Michele Figueroa, Operations Manager, Pima Animal Care CenterMarch 2019

Time wasted means animal lives lost, leave this session with a plan to move animals through your shelter more quickly.

presentation

Momentum in Texas Sheltering Communities

Michael Bricker, Jay Garrett, Jr., Steven Greene, Paula Powell, Ed Jamison and Dr. Michael WhiteMarch 2019

Learn from animal welfare experts about how Texas is getting to no-kill status.

presentation

Evolution of the Animal Welfare Movement

Jim Tedford, President and CEO, The Association for Animal Welfare AdvancementDecember 2018

In this presentation, you will hear thoughts on how animal welfare is changing, from a veteran in animal welfare.

presentation

The Role of Public Health in Animal Sheltering

Jeanette O'Quin, DVM, MPH, Clinical Assistant Professor, Shelter Medicine and Veterinary Public Health, Ohio State University College of Veterinary MedicineDecember 2018

This presentation discusses how sheltering practices in the U.S. are impacting public health internationally, in particular Ethiopia.

webcast

Lifesaving Webcast Series: Intake Mitigation and Managed Intake

Sarah Boyd and Joe HellebrandThursday, November 15, 2018

In this webcast, Brevard County Sheriff's Office Animal Shelter personnel Dr. Sarah Boyd and Joe Hellebrand let you in on the secret that Animal Control shelters can operate as no-kill.

blog

Webcast: Enhance support for your foster caregivers with Maddie’s Pet Assistant

October 30, 2018

How would you like to provide amazing support to your foster caregivers and adopters from day one? Maddie's® Pet Assistant (MPA) does this for you and we have a webcast, How the Maddie’s® Pet Assistant App is Revolutionizing Support for Pet Foster and Adoptive Homes on November 6 at 6pm PT/9pm ET to tell you all about…

video

Maddie's Idea Lab: Saving Lives and Spreading Good Ideas

Sheila Segurson D'Arpino, DVM, DACVBMarch 2018

Maddie's® Idea Lab supports the implementation and assessment of innovative ideas that have a high likelihood of advancing lifesaving of dogs and cats, the utilization of foster care for dogs and cats or animal welfare leadership. Come to this lecture to find out what we've learned and how these ideas are saving lives.

presentation

Data: Why It Is Critical to Success and How to Keep Up with It - Part 1

Lindsay O'GanFebruary 2017

Learn how data can improve the care of your animals and provide you with vital reporting necessary to improve your organization.

presentation

Data: Why It Is Critical to Success and How to Keep Up with It - Part 2

Lindsay O'GanFebruary 2017

Learn how data can improve the care of your animals and provide you with vital reporting necessary to improve your organization.

presentation

Making Technology Work for You: How Smart Decisions Can Save Lives And Money

Greg LucasFebruary 2017

How properly managing data will save you more money.

research

Community Pet Adoption Survey Results - Pet Owner Rehoming

August 2016

Game-changing ‘pet retention’ and ‘safety net’ programs to keep pets in homes are gaining tremendous traction; however, pet relinquishment is still a very common occurrence in our nation’s shelters. In the instances where staying in a home is not possible, to what extent are pet guardians part of the rehoming process? What strategies are being employed to find a new home without having the pet step foot in the shelter? In this survey report, we examined beliefs around ‘pet owner rehoming,’ the extent to which guardians are empowered to find resolutions on their own, and the types of tools organizations provide to support the rehoming process.

presentation

Data Power: How to Get it, How to Use it to Save Lives

Aimee Gilbreath, April HarrisJuly 2016

Hear important information about data collection and why it is crucial to saving shelter pets' lives.

research

Data Collection Survey Results

February 2016

At Maddie’s Fund, we believe that tracking numbers is the key to success and lifesaving. To that end, we collect data from many of our grantees. Read the results of the online survey, see what data is currently collected and the effort involved in that collection.

research

Community Pet Adoption Partnerships Survey Results: Stray Kitten Scenario

June 2015

During the Summer of 2014, Maddie’s Institute® conducted a survey to assess strategies that may prevent animals from entering shelter facilities. One such strategy involves asking community members who bring in kittens to care for them until organizational resources are available or they are old enough to be placed for adoption.  This report addresses the extent to which organizations encourage community member care, the frequency of community members who elect to provide care, how organizational resources link to involvement and more.

presentation

Foster Faster: Growing Your Dog Foster Program

Faith WrightFebruary 2015

Learn how to expand your foster program to save the even harder to place big dogs, often considered "the last 10%".

presentation

Fundraising 2.0: From Grass Roots to a Multi-Million Dollar Organization

Diane BlankenburgFebruary 2015

Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) started off as a very grassroots organization, raising every dollar through word of mouth.  Five years later, APA! has grown and the needs of fundraising have, too.  This presentation addresses how to plan for bigger funds.

presentation

Data: Why It Is Critical to Success and How To Keep Up with It

Lindsay O'GanFebruary 2015

Believe it or not, data is the cornerstone of a healthy organization. Learn how Austin Pets Alive! keeps so many moving pieces in communication through end-of -day reporting, overnight data entry and checks and balances.

presentation

Cats and Capacity for Care, Part 1

Kate Hurley, DVM, MPVMMay 2014

What if there was a magic wand we could wave over animal shelters to increase cat adoptions while cutting daily care costs, reducing stress for staff, creating a more welcoming environment for volunteers and visitors, and dramatically improving the health and welfare of shelter cats? It's not quite as easy as a magic wand, but Capacity for Care (C4C) can have these benefits and more.

presentation

Cats and Capacity for Care, Part 2

Kate Hurley, DVM, MPVMMay 2014

In part 2 of Cats and Capacity for Care (C4C), the good news is that it can apply to any shelter, small or large, rich or poor, open or limited intake. Attaining Capacity for Care in the shelter frees resources to invest in building C4C in the community as well.

webcast

The Dollars and Sense of Sheltering: A Tool for Financially Evaluating Your Shelter's Programs

Nicole Olynk Widmar, PhDAugust 2013

Sheltering isn't just about good intentions. It's about planning and developing programs that have a good chance of keeping animals healthy and happy, as well as maximizing adoptions and lifesaving.

presentation

Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to Target Spay/Neuter Efforts

Janet M. Scarlett, DVM, MPH, PhDJuly 2013

Large numbers of kittens entering shelters continue to be a major problem for many shelters. Geographic information systems (GIS) technology can be used to identify geographic areas that repeatedly are a source of kittens.

article

Community Cat Advocacy through a Lawmaker's Eyes: Tips from Jennifer Fearing

Jennifer FearingAugust 2012

Maddie's Institute spoke with Jennifer Fearing, California Senior State Director for the Humane Society of the United States, about how learning to see the community cat issue through a lawmaker's eyes can lead to success.

presentation

Metrics as a Tool for Disease Management

Janet M. Scarlett, DVM, MPH, PhDJuly 2012

Metrics are essential to monitoring population health and evaluating the effectiveness of changes in protocols and management strategies.

presentation

Metrics as a Tool for Managing Infectious Disease in the Shelter

Janet M. Scarlett, DVM, MPH, PhDJuly 2012

Population management involves the integration of disease recording as it occurs, and the calculation and monitoring of key disease metrics over time.

webcast

Magical Metrics and Dazzling Data: How Medical Fact-Finding Guides Shelters to Improved Animal Health

Janet M. Scarlett, DVM, MPH, PhDMarch 2012

Ever wish you had a road map to saving more lives in your shelter? Gathering and understanding data will provide you with exactly that. In part-one, Dr. Jan Scarlett, Director of Maddie's® Shelter Medicine Program at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, discusses the collection and use of medical data in animal shelters, and how this can significantly improve the health of individual animals and the shelter population.

article

Data-Smata, Who Cares About Data?

Barbara Carr, Executive Director, SPCA Serving Erie County, NYFebruary 2012

Are you on the fence about the importance of publishing shelter data? Barbara Carr of the SPCA Serving Erie County in Buffalo, NY explains why she became a firm believer in revealing the good, bad and the ugly, and describes how transparency has helped her organization save more lives.

presentation

Using Shelter Metrics to Measure and Set Goals

Janet M. Scarlett, DVM, MPH, PhDAugust 2011

Dr. Jan Scarlett presents Using Shelter Metrics to Measure and Set Goals at the 2011 ASPCA/Maddie's Shelter Medicine Mini Conference. Learn about what data you can get interesting information from and why it is important to collect data.

research

Web-Based Educational Resource Survey Results

January 2011

We asked our funded partners and newsletter subscribers to complete an online survey regarding educational resources available on the web.

presentation

Know Your Capacity for Humane Care

Julie Levy, DVM, PhD, DACVIM and Jan Scarlett, DVM, MPH, PhDMay 2010

It's tempting to admit more animals than shelters can reasonably care for. After all, there are so many animals in the community that need help. Yet most shelters face limitations of space, staffing and financial resources. To help you face this challenge, our experts share methods for creating faster flow-through in the shelter - and ultimately save more lives.