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  • 1.  Community Conversations - 03/23/2026 - Expanding Your Community

    Posted 03-17-2026 03:10 PM

    Updated 3/23/26 at 1:54 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 23, 2026 at 11am PT / 2pm ET  for a conversation on "Expanding Your Community" with the PR Animals team. 

    PR Animals is a dog and cat sanctuary located in Cayey, Puerto Rico, dedicated to rescuing animals and advocating for the island's stray dogs, Satos. As a small organization, one of its greatest challenges is finding meaningful ways to involve the community in its mission.


    Through this conversation, they will share how creative community engagement can transform animal well-beingwork. Their focus is not only rescue, but also education-helping people of all ages understand the importance of compassion, responsible care, and the powerful bond between humans and animals.


    Their programs aim to reach a wide range of community members: children, young adults, professionals, educators, government employees, seniors, families, and school and college groups. By creating experiences that are welcoming and accessible, they open doors for people to become volunteers, adopters and advocates.


    Some of the initiatives include unique community events such as Sato Yoga, Sato Jangueo, Sato Relajación, Anti-Valentine's Day gatherings, grief support groups, and seasonal activities like our "Find Your Eggs" Easter event. These programs invite people to connect with the rescue dogs and cats in meaningful and joyful ways.


    PR Animals will also discuss how animal welfare organizations can expand their reach by participating in community events that are not strictly animal-related, helping introduce new audiences to the mission and inspiring future volunteers and adopters.


    This talk will explore creative strategies for:

    • Building stronger connections between animals and the community
    • Designing innovative programs that encourage participation
    • Recruiting volunteers through partnerships with schools, colleges, and corporations
    • Using education, workshops, and adoption events to create lasting impact
    • Sometimes traditional approaches are not enough. By thinking outside the box, we can create new opportunities for communities to come together and support the animals who need us most.

    This session is ideal for adoptions and foster staff & volunteers, behavior staff & volunteers, field services & animal control officers, marketing & communications staff, veterinary professionals, grant writers and fundraisers - but all are welcome! 

    🔑 Key Takeaways:

    • Participating with your communities in non animals related events will help recruit volunteers and adopters out of the regular community members that relates to your animal welfare organization
    • Thinking out of the box to create programs and events that promote the animal-human bond between your community and the adoptable dogs and cats of your shelter/sanctuary
    • Effective group volunteers recruitment by engaging the communities schools, colleges and corporations in education programs, workshops, and adoption events
    • Adoptions increase when organizations embed themselves in broader community spaces - schools, universities, wellness events, cultural festivals - not just animal-focused settings
    • Humane education and emotional literacy programs reduce abandonment long-term
    • Promote the human–animal bond as public health
    • At PR Animals, we witness firsthand how the lack of widespread spay and neuter contributes directly to animal overpopulation. Expanding access to sterilization is essential to reducing abandonment and creating long-term, sustainable change
    • Adoption is one of the most immediate ways the public can support PR Animals. Every adoption not only saves a life, but also allows us to continue rescuing and caring for other animals in urgent need
    • The sustainability of PR Animals depends on volunteers, community support, and collaborative partnerships. Meaningful change is only possible when individuals and organizations work together to strengthen rescue efforts and build a more compassionate future for animals in Puerto Rico

    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
    #Diversity,Equity,InclusionandJustice
    #EducationandTraining

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    Sheila Kouhkan
    Senior Education Specialist
    Maddie's Fund
    CA
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  • 2.  RE: Community Conversations - 03/23/2026 - Expanding Your Community

    Posted 03-23-2026 12:00 PM

    Thanks to our speakers, Dr. @Ursula Aragunde Kohl, @Maria Rivera, and @Iris Irizarry Rivera  - and everyone who joined us today! 

    We would love to hear from you in response to today's reflection question: What cultural narratives in your community need to be reframed to strengthen both animal welfare and human connection?



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    Sheila Kouhkan
    Senior Education Specialist
    Maddie's Fund
    CA
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  • 3.  RE: Community Conversations - 03/23/2026 - Expanding Your Community

    Posted 03-26-2026 07:27 AM


    In Detroit and its surrounding communities, the intersection of animal welfare and human connection is deeply tied to how we perceive "responsible" ownership and community resources. Strengthening these bonds often requires shifting away from judgment-based models toward ones rooted in equity and shared humanity.

    Here are a few of my ideas on this , based on my current community. 

    1.  From "Rehoming as Failure" to "Supported Keeping"
    There is a long-standing narrative that if someone cannot afford a sudden $500 vet bill or high-quality grain-free food, they shouldn't have a pet. This creates a barrier between the animal welfare community and the people it serves.

    The Reframing: View pet ownership as a right, not a luxury. When we shift the focus to providing accessible vaccines, food pantries, and low-cost grooming, we preserve the human-animal bond instead of breaking it through forced surrenders.

    2. Overcoming the "Stray vs. Owned" Binary
    In many urban areas specially witting the Detroit area and surrounding area, were roaming  dogs are often viewed as a nuisance or a sign of neglect. This narrative often ignores the reality of community-supported pets or owners who may be struggling with secure fencing or housing instability.

    The Reframing: Move toward Community-Centric Sheltering. Instead of just "picking up" animals, the narrative should be about "getting them home." This builds trust between residents and animal control, turning officers into resources rather than just enforcement.

    3. Redefining "Dangerous" Breeds and Neighborhoods
    Narratives around specific breeds, particularly those common in Detroit are often mirror systemic biases about the neighborhoods they live in. This leads to housing discrimination and social isolation for owners.

    The Reframing: Focus on Individual Behavior and Humane Education. By teaching animal body language and bite prevention at a grassroots level, we replace fear-based stereotypes with knowledge, empowering residents to feel safe and connected to the animals in their environment.

    4. Grooming as Healthcare, Not Just Vanity
    A common cultural narrative is that professional grooming is an optional "spa day" for those who can truly afford it for their pets. In reality, for many breeds, lack of grooming leads to severe matting, infections, and pain.

    The Reframing: Elevate Hygiene as Essential Welfare. When grooming is framed as a vital health requirement, it opens the door for more vocational training and apprenticeship programs that can provide both living-wage jobs for humans and relief for animals.

    Again this is just the surface of things, there is so much more, but this is based off my current community and what I see often.



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

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Community Conversations - 03/23/2026 - Expanding Your Community

    Posted 03-23-2026 01:41 PM

    Unanswered question from the chat: 

    "Can you refer me to some resources I can use to educate, in a non-critical but very engaging way, these owners on good husbandry and better bonding with their animals? I am in appointments and would appreciate someone emailing a resource list to me at rmfpost@gmail.com." - Rina Fernandez



    ------------------------------
    Community Conversations
    Community Conversations Committee
    Maddie's Fund
    CA
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Community Conversations - 03/23/2026 - Expanding Your Community

    Posted 03-23-2026 03:49 PM

    Hi Rina,

    Here on Maddie's Fund page in the Maddie's University place you can have access to a lot of resources about adoptions process, human animal bonding and decision making factors. I can recommend from the ones I have searched, this one that I have used to help with new adopters.

    https://university.maddiesfund.org/products/dog-dog-matchmaking-setting-adopters-and-their-dogs-up-for-success



    ------------------------------
    Maria Rivera
    Sanctuary Director
    PR Animals
    PR
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Community Conversations - 03/23/2026 - Expanding Your Community

    Posted 03-23-2026 03:19 PM
      |   view attached

    Thanks to the 116+ 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


    Question of the Day:      How do you make your community feel like a part of your mission?

    • "Being transparent with them." - Steve Marrero
    • "Being open and inviting.  We hold many community events that aren't animal shelter related such as our upcoming easter egg hunt." - Kristin Moro
    • "We make sure to show the successful adoptions and animal transfers weekly on facebook for celebrating the successes." - Amanda Weddle
    • 'Talk honestly about challenges and successes." - Caryn Fugatt
    • "One way is to create and co-host events that benefit per owners in our neighborhood catchment area, like our community vet clinic days. While we focus on cat rescue, events like these help us be a key community pillar in terms of everything animal related." - Daniella Leon
    • "To keep our community involved, we continuously tell stories upon stories and are honest about what we are facing challenge wise." - Mary Flores
    • "Candid Platinum Status, feline education, holiday posts on social media." - Quenby A Broitzman
    • "I'm in Thailand, so the biggest thing I do is speak in Thai.  Most people don't, so it means a lot when I try." - Essie Spaulding
    • "Always educating the community and always asking for volunteers to help with the animals and always staying involved with the community." - Kimbra Lotz
    • "We take in and house, feed, provide vet care and other necessities to animals belonging to people going through very challenging circumstances, such a leaving a dv situation, entering rehab, deployment etc. once those people are able, we reunite them with their animal." - Jennifer Miller


    National Updates

    • Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection: Navigating Behavior Returns, Risk, and Humane Outcomes with Stacy Price. FREE webcast this Thursday, March 26 at noon PT/3 pm ET. Sign up here.
    • From Community Cats Central: Have you ever wished you had the right words to help someone keep their cat instead of surrendering them? Dr. Rachel Geller's Reducing Surrenders with Feline Behavior Support Certification Workshop is happening Wednesday, March 25 from 2:00–3:30 PM ET - and it's packed with practical, compassionate strategies for tackling the behavior challenges that most often lead to surrender.Through real case studies, we'll cover litter box issues, destructive scratching, inter-cat aggression. There will be a live Q&A with Dr. Geller, and a digital certificate - all for just $10. If you need help covering the cost a limited number of #ThanksToMaddies scholarships are available for those helping cats in the US!
      Register here or apply for a scholarship here.
    • 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.
    • We invite you to share on our latest giveaway thread on Maddie's Pet Forum. When has temporary or safety net fostering (even just a few days or weeks) made a real difference for a pet, person, or community?
      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!


    Presentation:     Expanding Your Community

    Speaker:


    Highlights from the Chat

    • "This is really fascinating and so helpful to understanding the comfort-level needs of those around me who care, but are fearful of getting involved. it's helping me brainstorm! thank you so much!!" - Julia Clodfelter
    • "Wow.  That really puts words to something I see on our island in Thailand as well.  Especially around the expats and visitors.  People are interested in helping, but the situation is so far beyond what they are used to from where they are from and they have no connection to the local community that they don't know how to help and get overwhelmed by the idea. Expats and visitors end up doing a lot of lecturing about how the problem SHOULD be solved based on their own home country.  But they don't know how to connect with the local community to get involved and help in the way that is actually being done on the island." - Essie Spaulding
    • "I have a doggy kissing booth at all of the community events that we attend." - Jennifer Miller
    • "Reading to shelter dogs is very popular around my neighborhood. Kids will go in and read to the dogs and the dogs love it. Jennifurshelpinghandsfarm.com" - Jennifer Miller
    • "Thank you all for the information and helpful examples! Excellent presentation." - Lisa Pearce
    • "Thank you for all the great advice!! I'm always going to events, so this was really helpful." - Kimbra Lotz


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



  • 7.  RE: Community Conversations - 03/23/2026 - Expanding Your Community

    Posted 03-25-2026 11:46 AM

    I appreciated this session so much. I am interested in hearing more from the team that presented about how they engaged in grief support in the community. What did that look like and how was it communicated? 



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    Patti Denny
    BCAR Volunteer
    Big Canoe Animal Rescue
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Community Conversations - 03/23/2026 - Expanding Your Community

    Posted 03-26-2026 05:04 AM
      |   view attached

    Hi Patty,

    Hope you are doing well. Thanks for participating in our conversation this past monday. We where very happy to share what has worked for us and our community.

    Our grief support groups where created thru Dr. Ursula Aragunde Kohls work, partnering with grief counselors psychologists, we promote the event as a safe place to share the loss of your pet or to just be surrounded by other people that are going thru the grief of their beloved pets, we do the events every other months and share the invitation thru our social media accounts and the partners grief counselors social media. Last year we decided we wanted a special place in our sanctuary, a place that we can remember the ones we have lost and we created an event to build the rainbow bridge with everyone that needed support thru their grieving process, it was a beautiful event where everyone got the chance to paint a color of the rainbow for the  bridge and left their collars or symbolic collars that will represent their pet  companion passing. Then we sat down and let everyone that wanted share their story. We want our community to feel supported specially if they don't have that support for the grief of their pets around them. And it's also an open space they can come and spend time at if they fill the need to.



    ------------------------------
    Maria Rivera
    Sanctuary Director
    PR Animals
    PR
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Community Conversations - 03/23/2026 - Expanding Your Community

    Posted 03-26-2026 06:45 AM

    What a beautiful and sustainable idea. I love that members of the community have a special place to come to in memory of their pet. Has your team developed an agenda for these gatherings that you would be willing to share? 



    ------------------------------
    Patti Denny
    BCAR Volunteer
    Big Canoe Animal Rescue
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


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