Animal Welfare Professionals

Updated 3/2/26 at 1:17 pm - Recording now available to watch on-demand!

Enter here for a chance to win the March Community Conversations giveaway after watching live or on-demand.

Please note: All views expressed on these calls are not necessarily endorsed by Maddie’s Fund. 

We hope to see you on the next Maddie's Community Conversation on Monday, March 2, 2026 at 11am PT / 2pm ET  for " What Happens After They Go Home?" with Dr. @Emily Weiss and Dr. @Mike Greenberg. 

Understanding the early post-adoption experience is critical to supporting animal welfare, strengthening the human–animal bond, and improving shelter practices. While most adopters report high satisfaction, behavioral and care-related challenges are common. Drs. Weiss and Greenberg will share about their recently published study that used the Petszel platform to evaluate early post-adoption outcomes across more than 22,000 dog and cat adopters from 112 shelters and rescue organizations.

This session is especially relevant for adoptions and foster staff & volunteers, return to home & intake prevention staff, behavior staff & volunteers, marketing & communications staff,  and the kitties - but all are welcome! 

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Just because people say "everything is going well" after an adoption doesn't mean that everything is perfect.
• Detailed and subtle questions are required to really understand how things are going in the post-adoption period.
• A relatively high proportion of adopters are seeking and engaging with veterinary care in the first weeks following adoption.
  
  

Don't forget! Maddie's Fund will be giving away up to $10,000 in grants each month! You can enter for a chance to win each time you attend a call or watch it on demand during the month by completing the monthly giveaway drawing entry form. 

Register for Community Conversations hosted via Zoom. 

🧠 Got Topic or Speaker Suggestions?
We want to hear your ideas! If there's a topic you're curious about or a speaker you'd love to hear from, please share your suggestions with us on our Community Conversations Suggestions thread. 

Looking forward to being in community with you! 

#AccesstoCare
#AdoptionsandAdoptionPrograms
#DataandTechnology
#EducationandTraining

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Sheila Kouhkan
Senior Education Specialist
Maddie's Fund
CA
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This was so helpful! We do 2 day, 2 week, 2 month and 1 year follow ups via text to our adopters.  We troubleshoot through those conversations and extend into an in person meeting if needed.  Our rescue has a coordinator and 3 additional foster coordinators who facilitate these interactions.  We also encourage reaching out to us at any time w/questions etc.  So far, it has been successful and we often get random pics and updates as the adopters want to share.  I love the app suggestion, especially for larger organizations.  

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Kristen Streeter
Board member
Leia's Hope Canine Rescue
IL
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I'm curious on average how many adopters you have versus how many actually respond. If our shelter did something like this I feel like it would be overwhelming if even half of the adopters responded. I have heard though that post adoption support like this does reduce returns, do you experience that at your rescue?

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Laurel Wilton
Feline Welfare Supervisor
Nebraska Humane Society
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-02-2026 11:53 AM
From: Kristen Streeter
Subject: Community Conversations - 03/02/2026 - What Happens After They Go Home?

This was so helpful! We do 2 day, 2 week, 2 month and 1 year follow ups via text to our adopters.  We troubleshoot through those conversations and extend into an in person meeting if needed.  Our rescue has a coordinator and 3 additional foster coordinators who facilitate these interactions.  We also encourage reaching out to us at any time w/questions etc.  So far, it has been successful and we often get random pics and updates as the adopters want to share.  I love the app suggestion, especially for larger organizations.  

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Kristen Streeter
Board member
Leia's Hope Canine Rescue
IL
------------------------------

We had around 75 in 2025; there are 4 of us that connect with adopters (based on who facilitated the adoption).  I'd say our response rate is around 95%, especially at the 2 week and 2 month marks.  I expected some to drop off at the one year mark, but our application process is pretty hands on so lots of opportunities to connect with adopters leading up to adoption day. 

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Kristen Streeter
Board member
Leia's Hope Canine Rescue
IL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-02-2026 11:59 AM
From: Laurel Wilton (She/Her)
Subject: Community Conversations - 03/02/2026 - What Happens After They Go Home?

I'm curious on average how many adopters you have versus how many actually respond. If our shelter did something like this I feel like it would be overwhelming if even half of the adopters responded. I have heard though that post adoption support like this does reduce returns, do you experience that at your rescue?

------------------------------
Laurel Wilton
Feline Welfare Supervisor
Nebraska Humane Society
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 03-02-2026 11:53 AM
From: Kristen Streeter
Subject: Community Conversations - 03/02/2026 - What Happens After They Go Home?

This was so helpful! We do 2 day, 2 week, 2 month and 1 year follow ups via text to our adopters.  We troubleshoot through those conversations and extend into an in person meeting if needed.  Our rescue has a coordinator and 3 additional foster coordinators who facilitate these interactions.  We also encourage reaching out to us at any time w/questions etc.  So far, it has been successful and we often get random pics and updates as the adopters want to share.  I love the app suggestion, especially for larger organizations.  

------------------------------
Kristen Streeter
Board member
Leia's Hope Canine Rescue
IL

Awesome info!  Thank you for providing this for us volunteers to use!  

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C Hayes
volunteer
ARK of McCurtain County
OK
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Our system sends out an automatic email three weeks after the adoption just to check in.  Not everyone does but there are some heartwarming stories.  At adoption as part of our counseling, we always inform the adopter to contact us for any questions or concerns and have a hand out in their adoption packet as a front page with that information.  

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Beverly Paladinetti
Philanthropy Director
Purrfect Peaches Cat Rescue
Douglasville, GA
www.purrfectpeaches.org
------------------------------

Thanks to our speakers, Dr. @Emily Weiss and Dr. @Mike Greenberg - and everyone who joined us today! 

We would love to hear from you in response to today's reflection question: What is our organization currently doing to support our adopters in the weeks and months after they've adopted their new family members?

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Sheila Kouhkan
Senior Education Specialist
Maddie's Fund
CA
------------------------------

 What is our organization currently doing to support our adopters in the weeks and months after they've adopted their new family members? Hi so within my organization, I am not a shelter facing org. But I do volunteer at an at face shelter org and we are actually looking at better ways to support our adopters. So this was very helpful to watch! 

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Tonya Smith
Founder
LC'S Foundation
Michigan
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-02-2026 01:17 PM
From: Sheila Kouhkan
Subject: Community Conversations - 03/02/2026 - What Happens After They Go Home?

Thanks to our speakers, Dr. @Emily Weiss and Dr. @Mike Greenberg - and everyone who joined us today! 

We would love to hear from you in response to today's reflection question: What is our organization currently doing to support our adopters in the weeks and months after they've adopted their new family members?

------------------------------
Sheila Kouhkan
Senior Education Specialist
Maddie's Fund
CA
------------------------------

Thanks to the 110+ people and paws who joined us on today's Community Conversations call! The recording is now available to watch on-demand. Below you'll find a recap of today's call and the resources shared. 

Call Recap

Welcome from hosts

• @Miguel Ruelas, Community Resources Manager, Pasadena Humane
• @Amber Eby, Senior Grants Specialist, Maddie's Fund
  
  

Question of the Day:  What upcoming conference or webinar are you excited about that others should know about?

• "My Dog is My Home virtual conference!" - Allison Cardona
• "Yearly Pet Friendly for Indiana" - Janette Martin
• "I'm excited for the New England Fed Conference!" - Kristen Petrie
• "Looking forward to going to Texas Unites for the first time in April! https://www.operationkindness.org/texas-unites-conference/" - Charlotte Otero
• "VA Fed!" - Dana Hawks
• "Texas unites & Best Friends" - Cara Hutson
• "Best Friends and Expo" - Amara Cordero
• "Hispanics in Philanthropy in LA this June!" - Allison Cardona
  

National Updates

• Maddie's Monthly Foster Connection: Join at 12pm PT / 3pm ET for a powerful conversation about finding fosters for the animals who need us most.  🎤 Ryan Miller, Grants Manager at The Animal Foundation, will share how their team empowers their community to foster two of the highest-risk populations in shelters: neonatal kittens and adult dogs with long lengths of stay. Register to attend and you'll also receive notifications about future webcasts and be able to participate in post-webcast discussions.
• Petszel is hosting a webinar: Join this Wednesday March 4. Join us to look at some of the data from an existing partner (Dane County Humane Society) - all are welcome. Register here. 
• TNR Certification Workshop: This Saturday starting at 2:00PM ET. - Come learn best practices and some cool trapping tricks with us and Neighborhood Cats! Register here.  
• We invite you to share on our latest giveaway thread on Maddie's Pet Forum. Commenting on the thread in February or March will enter you into a giveaway to win $1,000 in unrestricted funds. We can't wait to celebrate your wins with you!
• Maddie's Community Conversations Giveaway: Now you can enter for a chance to win up to  $10,000!  Enter here for a chance to win.  Open to all who are watching live or on-demand! Be sure to enter each week you attend! You must be registered in Maddie's Pet Forum to enter. 
• Maddie's Pet Forum Monthly Giveaway: Maddie's Fund® is giving away a $3,000 grant each month to one lucky Maddie's® Pet Forum member. You'll automatically be entered to win each month when you start a new discussion, reply to a new post. Learn more here. 
• We would love to hear from you! Have an idea for Maddie's Community Conversations? Interested in hosting? Have a topic or speaker you would like to hear from? Let us know on Maddie's Pet Forum via the Community Conversations Suggestions discussion thread. Or, you can contact us directly by emailing CommunityConversations@maddiesfund.org.

Presentation: 

• Speakers:
  • Dr. @Emily Weiss, Applied Animal Behaviorist, EWC Inc.
  • Dr. @Mike Greenberg, DVM, Co-founder and Chief Veterinary Officer, Petszel
• Resources: 
  
  • Shelter to Home: Surveys of Early Post-Adoption Experiences with More Than 22,000 Dog and Cat Adopters

Highlights from the Chat

• "For going to the vet: I know the shelters I've worked with, we recommend folks take their new companion to the vet in the first two weeks to get established" - Jenna Riedi
• "I love the app and have just sent this information to the adoption directors at our shelter in North Georgia. What great data to have!" - Patti Denny
• "I love the idea of having that data to drive where we go educating our community in building relationships with their newly adopted pets." - Patti Denny
• "I tried to get a grant to buy the machine for the shelter to automatically tag all pets but I am not sure this is valued anymore. The grant was denied. 🙁" - Michelle Russillo
• "If anyone has suggestions on a pet tag engraver, please share on this thread! https://forum.maddiesfund.org/discussion/pet-id-engraving-machine" - Charlotte Otero

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Sheila Kouhkan
Senior Education Specialist
Maddie's Fund
CA
------------------------------

GetBuddy has already built an AI veterinarian trainer that gives adopters instant guidance on health and behavior.

Next month we will launch a new version that helps adopters:

• Evaluate and discover ethical pet food brands

• Find independent veterinary clinics

• See transparent pricing for veterinary care

Later this year we will add automated adopter follow-ups. Rescues will be able to set timelines such as three, six, or nine months, and our system will automatically check in with adopters. The responses will flow directly back into our free rescue management system.

We're excited to roll this out and would love feedback from the community on how we can improve it. Thank you in advance.

------------------------------
Ryan Howard
CEO
GetBuddy.com
NY
------------------------------

I'm curious how reliable this vet advice is. Is there a disclaimer or a waiver they have to sign in case the information the AI gives is incorrect or not the best path forward for the animal? What kind of advice is the AI giving and what is it trained on? I can see how this may be useful but I am a little weary.

------------------------------
Laurel Wilton
Feline Welfare Supervisor
Nebraska Humane Society
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-05-2026 06:33 AM
From: Ryan Howard
Subject: Community Conversations - 03/02/2026 - What Happens After They Go Home?

GetBuddy has already built an AI veterinarian trainer that gives adopters instant guidance on health and behavior.

Next month we will launch a new version that helps adopters:

• Evaluate and discover ethical pet food brands

• Find independent veterinary clinics

• See transparent pricing for veterinary care

Later this year we will add automated adopter follow-ups. Rescues will be able to set timelines such as three, six, or nine months, and our system will automatically check in with adopters. The responses will flow directly back into our free rescue management system.

We're excited to roll this out and would love feedback from the community on how we can improve it. Thank you in advance.

------------------------------
Ryan Howard
CEO
GetBuddy.com
NY
------------------------------

Laurel -Great questions. Our AI veterinarian is designed as a support tool for adopters, not a replacement for professional veterinary care. The system was developed with input from seasoned veterinarians and trained on reputable veterinary resources (publicly available veterinary guidelines, peer-reviewed literature, and established animal care resources) aligned with current veterinary standards and best practices. It helps answer common questions about health, behavior, nutrition, and early warning signs that may indicate a pet should see a veterinarian. 

A few important safeguards are built in:

• Clear disclaimers explain that the tool provides educational information only and does not diagnose or replace a licensed veterinarian.
• Escalation guidance is included. When symptoms suggest a potential medical issue, the system directs users to contact a veterinarian or emergency clinic (again, we only refer to independent veterinarians and will be providing price transparency soon). 
• The system is designed to avoid giving definitive diagnoses or prescribing treatments.

The goal is to help new adopters get reliable guidance in moments when they might otherwise search random forums or social media for answers. Many rescues struggle with post-adoption support, and tools like this can help owners recognize issues earlier and seek proper care.

We absolutely agree that veterinary decisions should ultimately be made with a licensed professional, and the system consistently reinforces that.

------------------------------
Ryan Howard
CEO
GetBuddy.com
NY
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-06-2026 10:29 AM
From: Laurel Wilton (She/Her)
Subject: Community Conversations - 03/02/2026 - What Happens After They Go Home?

I'm curious how reliable this vet advice is. Is there a disclaimer or a waiver they have to sign in case the information the AI gives is incorrect or not the best path forward for the animal? What kind of advice is the AI giving and what is it trained on? I can see how this may be useful but I am a little weary.

------------------------------
Laurel Wilton
Feline Welfare Supervisor
Nebraska Humane Society
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 03-05-2026 06:33 AM
From: Ryan Howard
Subject: Community Conversations - 03/02/2026 - What Happens After They Go Home?

GetBuddy has already built an AI veterinarian trainer that gives adopters instant guidance on health and behavior.

Next month we will launch a new version that helps adopters:

• Evaluate and discover ethical pet food brands

• Find independent veterinary clinics

• See transparent pricing for veterinary care

Later this year we will add automated adopter follow-ups. Rescues will be able to set timelines such as three, six, or nine months, and our system will automatically check in with adopters. The responses will flow directly back into our free rescue management system.

We're excited to roll this out and would love feedback from the community on how we can improve it. Thank you in advance.

------------------------------
Ryan Howard
CEO
GetBuddy.com
NY