Animal Welfare Professionals

This December, as part of our Maddie's Fund 30th Anniversary celebration, we're reflecting on the power of breaking down barriers in animal well-being to create lasting connections between pets and people. From simplifying adoption processes to creating barrier-free foster programs, removing obstacles can transform lives-not just for pets, but for the communities that care for them.

Inspired by the innovative ideas of past Maddie's Fund grant recipients, we're inviting you to share your success stories in removing barriers:

What's one change you've made to remove a barrier and how has it helped pets find homes or receive care?

For example, past Maddie's Fund grant recipients have implemented solutions like:

• Weekend and short-term fostering programs to encourage more community involvement.

• Waiving adoption fees or reducing costs for specific populations, like senior pets.

• Developing foster programs for special medical or behavioral cases, like "fospice" care or behavior modification support.

💬 We want to hear your insights and celebrate your successes! Share your story by commenting on this month's thread during December 2024, and you'll be entered for a chance to win a $1,000 Cuddly prize pack for your organization.

💡Need some inspiration? We encourage you to learn more about the innovative work past grant recipients have implemented in their organizations:

• Innovation grants pay off for the animals, #ThanksToMaddie - October 2016

• Great ideas come from over 100 shelters and rescue organizations receiving Innovation Grants in August - August 2017

• Innovation grant recipients remove barriers to pet adoption and promote foster care - October 2017

• Innovative foster care for the win with Innovation Grants! - April 2018

• Congratulations to over 100 Innovation Grant recipients! - October 2018

📖 Read more about Innovation Grant Recipients 

🏅 Read more about all Grant recipients 

Together, let's continue to build a community where pets and people thrive without barriers. Thank you for all you do to make animal well-being more inclusive, innovative and impactful!

#CaseManagement*
#CommunityPartnerships*
#Diversity,Equity,InclusionandJustice
#PetSupportServices*
#RemoteCustomerService*

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Maddie's Pet Forum Admin
Maddie's Fund
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I'd say the biggest thing I've done that helped animals find homes is save our local animal shelter in Reed City, Michigan from shutting down from bankruptcy back in 2022-2023.  I was like 17 years old, I set up a fundraising jar at my local store and then took it to the shelter when it was full. They took my picture and posted it on their Facebook page then all of a sudden more people were inspired by me to donate, even my old elementary school donated.

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Tabby Dimock
Founder
Demons Saving Animals
MI
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As the supply coordinators my partner and I are constantly looking for ways to be more efficient and effective with what we have and what we need. Working with the staff we are making it easier for our supporters to give. We've found that it's been hard to ask for a specific food need when there's so many brands and flavors. Our idea has been to maximize the use of giving. Instead of asking for physical donations, we ask for monetary support which goes farther if we make the purchase. As a non profit we don't pay sales tax and we are consistently buying enough to not pay shipping. Breaking this barrier has made it easier for our supporters to help the animals in care. We focus our efforts more internally as an org to help communication. The more effective the org, the more good we can do. And someone's gotta do it!

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Erin Mader
Volunteer
Happily Ever After Animal Sanctuary
WI
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The biggest thing our shelter has done over the last year is removing adoption and food pantry barriers. We used to track who came to our pantry for food by calculating how many times they'd been there, how many animals they had, and their sizes, and ask for proof of being low-income. Not only was it a pain for us to keep track of at times, but then we would find that those who struggled were the first to turn their animals in, whether as owner surrenders or as strays.  We still try to keep track of how many times a person comes through but if someone comes to us for food help and we have it, we will absolutely assist. As for the adoption barriers, we used to Facebook stalk, check vet and personal references, and contact leasing offices to verify each applicant was a good enough fit and able to have the animal they were applying for. We are a huge military area and for a while, we wouldn't adopt bully breeds to active duty members. Of course, we thought we were doing what was in the best interest of the animals, but our euthanasia rates and housing numbers showed that what we were doing was hurting us more. We have an application process still and a conversation to help each person find the best animal for their lifestyle, but we do not deny nearly as much as we used to. Do we get returns still? Of course. But we were getting returns, more than we do now when we were thoroughly vetting these applicants. It has made things much easier, and it makes us feel better when we're having these in-depth conversations before sending animals home. Euthanasia rates are down, adoption rates are up and our reviews are MUCH better!

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Aly Martinez
Panhandle Animal Welfare Society
FL
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Over the last two years, we have partnered with our local homeless shelter and sheriff's office to identify needy people and animals.   Our goal is to keep families together.  If someone is arrested and the vehicle is towed or evicted, the sheriff's office contacts us to secure the animals until the family can be reunited.  

For example, recently, a woman and her significant other got into a fight on I-55. The woman, who was wheelchair-bound, did not have a key to her vehicle, so the sheriff's office transported her to the homeless shelter for the night. Since we were full, we arranged for her dog to spend the night in a nearby city animal shelter. The following day, we assisted with securing a key for her vehicle, reuniting her and her dog, and ensuring they could resume their trip home.

Keeping the family unit together sometimes requires more than simply working with the animal.  We are working on continuing to develop our community partners. 

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Connie Ash
Director
Mended Paws Sanctuary
AR
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Good for your organization! That is truly awesome work. I try to help families together too, such as helping to find pet friendly rentals, and providing free behavioral training. I just wanted to say your doing great work keep it up!

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April Cannizzaro
CEO
San Diego Last Chance Ranch
CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-02-2024 10:30 PM
From: Connie Ash
Subject: December 2024 Giveaway: Removing Barriers to Build Stronger Communities

Over the last two years, we have partnered with our local homeless shelter and sheriff's office to identify needy people and animals.   Our goal is to keep families together.  If someone is arrested and the vehicle is towed or evicted, the sheriff's office contacts us to secure the animals until the family can be reunited.  

For example, recently, a woman and her significant other got into a fight on I-55. The woman, who was wheelchair-bound, did not have a key to her vehicle, so the sheriff's office transported her to the homeless shelter for the night. Since we were full, we arranged for her dog to spend the night in a nearby city animal shelter. The following day, we assisted with securing a key for her vehicle, reuniting her and her dog, and ensuring they could resume their trip home.

Keeping the family unit together sometimes requires more than simply working with the animal.  We are working on continuing to develop our community partners. 

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Connie Ash
Director
Mended Paws Sanctuary
AR
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We provide free spay & neuter specifically to low-income families in our rural community. By protecting limited resources, we hope to create a more equitable world for people and pets. Overpopulation and shelter intake has decreased dramatically and the most vulnerable individuals are able to receive care for their pets.  
www.frcva.org

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Charlene Farthing
President
Friends of Russell County Animals
VA
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Something that we are doing is trying to work and focus on our elderly who care for community cats. They face financial barriers, worry about how they are perceived and often times do not know where to find help. We work to help these individuals and offer as much support as possible. We find that these individuals want to have these community cats fixed and are willing to continue caring for them We work to provide spay/neuter to as many as possible. Being a very small organization that is not very many, but we work to do as much as we can. We also try and provide food for these individuals. We want to be an organization that people see is helpful rather than a group people have to worry will judge them.  

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Kendall hotmer
Founder
Appalachian Feline Foster Network
OH
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If you haven't had a chance to catch the recent Community Cats podcast, they interviewed folks from Meals on Weeks and in rescue who partner together to help clients care for both themselves and their pets! It's a great uplifting listen ☺️

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Cara O'Grady
Rescuer
KitCat Rescue Club
GA
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-03-2024 06:34 AM
From: Kendall hotmer
Subject: December 2024 Giveaway: Removing Barriers to Build Stronger Communities

Something that we are doing is trying to work and focus on our elderly who care for community cats. They face financial barriers, worry about how they are perceived and often times do not know where to find help. We work to help these individuals and offer as much support as possible. We find that these individuals want to have these community cats fixed and are willing to continue caring for them We work to provide spay/neuter to as many as possible. Being a very small organization that is not very many, but we work to do as much as we can. We also try and provide food for these individuals. We want to be an organization that people see is helpful rather than a group people have to worry will judge them.  

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Kendall hotmer
Founder
Appalachian Feline Foster Network
OH
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Always say YES!

I have worked at two very different animal shelters during my time in the field and being able to flex and adapt has helped me get countless animals into foster care or adopted. 

Being able to listen and know what the people are looking for and matchmaking them to their perfect friend is the best way to break down those walls. Let them know you are listening and finding them the perfect match. 

Having a simple procedure to getting people into your programs also helps! Creating a simple sign up process and having them be able to take a foster/ adopt the same day helps them keep their interest high and engagement with your program. 

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Julianne Carmona
Foster Care Coordinator
Humane Society of Southern Arizona
AZ
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This year we removed the requirement to have a lease or landlord permission in order to foster animals. This has allowed our foster numbers to go up. We also created a weekend foster program for our adult dogs as well as a field trip program for  our adult dogs. These two programs have been really popular with our fosters and every dog that has gone out has been adopted shortly after. 

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Erin Robinson
Foster Coordinator
Licking County Humane Society
OH
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Hi Erin,

Thank you for sharing. I love that you have removed the lease or landlord permission requirement.   We have discussed removing this requirement.   Recently, when asking a family if they could get approval for a dog from their landlord, it suddenly felt like we were judging the potential family.   Seeing other rescues move away from the permission issue makes me feel like we can do this!

Connie 

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Connie Ash
Director
Mended Paws Sanctuary
AR
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-03-2024 10:07 AM
From: Erin Robinson
Subject: December 2024 Giveaway: Removing Barriers to Build Stronger Communities

This year we removed the requirement to have a lease or landlord permission in order to foster animals. This has allowed our foster numbers to go up. We also created a weekend foster program for our adult dogs as well as a field trip program for  our adult dogs. These two programs have been really popular with our fosters and every dog that has gone out has been adopted shortly after. 

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Erin Robinson
Foster Coordinator
Licking County Humane Society
OH
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Then what do you do when the landlord finds out and says the dog has to go today!  Then you are struggling to find a place for the dog to go.  To me that does not seem like a good plan.

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Sandy Cole
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-03-2024 10:07 AM
From: Erin Robinson
Subject: December 2024 Giveaway: Removing Barriers to Build Stronger Communities

This year we removed the requirement to have a lease or landlord permission in order to foster animals. This has allowed our foster numbers to go up. We also created a weekend foster program for our adult dogs as well as a field trip program for  our adult dogs. These two programs have been really popular with our fosters and every dog that has gone out has been adopted shortly after. 

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Erin Robinson
Foster Coordinator
Licking County Humane Society
OH
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Replying to the concerns of Sandy Cole:

I think in part of the discussion that leads up to fostering, you stress the importance of not having an angry landlord kick out a fostered animal or litter, and then you treat the potential foster carer as an adult who understands their lease provisions and their legal rights as a tenant.

The program I'm involved with doesn't provide foster care, but if it did we would be prepared to approach landlords with a request from our organization to trial an official  foster program with us and a current resident of their building that would like to foster..  Specify just the current applicant/housing unit, spell out all the supports you provide (most owner/managers worry about fleas, pee/poop, damage to property, and noise), the maximum length of the foster placement (i.e. when the kittens reach 2 pounds, at approximately 10 - 12 weeks of age, they will be sterilized and placed for adoption).   At the end of the first foster experience, the 3 parties--your organization, the foster parent, and the landlord--could evaluate how it went, and whether the landlord would continue to approve foster placements on an indifidual basis.

Wishing all a great New Year to come!

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April King
Volunteer and Board Member
Kotor Kitties
+1 206 407 5336
http://www.kotorkitties.org
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-29-2024 11:05 AM
From: Sandy Cole
Subject: December 2024 Giveaway: Removing Barriers to Build Stronger Communities

Then what do you do when the landlord finds out and says the dog has to go today!  Then you are struggling to find a place for the dog to go.  To me that does not seem like a good plan.

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Sandy Cole
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-03-2024 10:07 AM
From: Erin Robinson
Subject: December 2024 Giveaway: Removing Barriers to Build Stronger Communities

This year we removed the requirement to have a lease or landlord permission in order to foster animals. This has allowed our foster numbers to go up. We also created a weekend foster program for our adult dogs as well as a field trip program for  our adult dogs. These two programs have been really popular with our fosters and every dog that has gone out has been adopted shortly after. 

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Erin Robinson
Foster Coordinator
Licking County Humane Society
OH

We switched to Open Adoption / Conversation-based Adoption during COVID and it's been great. We moved to a 1 page application to adopt, more time spent talking with our clients, and shifted the focus to supporting families once the pets go home with them. We do 3 day, 3 week, and 3 month check-ins (just a quick call!) and it's given us great opportunities to help families navigate concerns and get help/advice before they consider returning the pet. We also get a lot of wonderful update stories and photos to share with staff/volunteers as a result too!!! 

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Erin Dams
Community Relations Coordinator
Roanoke Valley SPCA
Roanoke VA
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Hi-

One of the things that our shelter continues to do in Sri Lanka is that we provide transport for the adopted animals. One of the biggest barriers in Sri Lanka is that people do not have reliable means of transportation  as most people use public busses and trains. For adopted animals we have also provided free vaccinations, spay/neuter surgeries.  We've also developed a sponsor dog program where donors are donating funds for the care of the disable dogs that we take care at the sanctuary. We are also building out a bigger initiative reaching out to businesses to sponsor our sanctuary to off set daily costs. 

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Iresha Anderson
President
Baw Baw Animal Welfare
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It was in place before I came to this shelter, but I love our Senior for Seniors program.  A 60+ year old "Senior" can adopt an 8+ year old dog or cat for just $50.   I try to spread the word about it whenever I can.  I think there is an epidemic of loneliness among older people in our society and we have senior animals who really need to be out of the shelter environment for their own well being.  It's a win-win.

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Teri Casem
Save-A-Pet, Inc.
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We are a new shelter, just a couple months old, but we have started a pet pantry. We do not monitor who participates, but we do only have it open the hours that the shelter is open. We have also reduced our adoption fee to $0 for FeLeuk/FIV + cats.  

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Hali Gray
Manager
Almost Home Animal Rescue
IA
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We offer Foster Furlough fieldtrips with our dogs. People are encouraged to foster dogs for a weekend, a week, or for the holidays! This has been great because it gets the dogs out of the shelter for a while and they can be comfortable in a home and outdoors.

We also host a lot of special adoption events where we reduce adoption fees and encourage people to adopt those  that are seniors, ones with special diets and the long term residents. 

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Stefanie Schmidt
Animal Welfare Specialist
Hearts Alive Village
NV
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I volunteer at the animal shelter in our local town.  We have a few programs in our area like reduced fee spay and neuter programs and food distribution. But the shelter also does half price adoptions on dogs once we get to capacity. This allows people to adopt dogs for much cheaper. We also send a bag of dog food, yreats and leaah and collar so that don't have to face that initial cost of getting a new dog.  

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Candice Tousignant
Treasurer
Southern paws animal rescue
KY
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Pilot programs have been developed in collaboration with local government, NFP sector (ie DV, Food referral services). Approximately 69% of Australian households own a pet. However, the current economic climate and housing crisis is leading to increasing number of pet owners having to consider rehoming their pets, or simply not being able to provide the basic level of animal care required due to homelessness, financial hardship, dv, etc. 

We are looking to provide services within the community to these pets and pet owners to ensure they can stay together and not need to access our shelter services, whilst improving the lives of cats and dogs in our community and increasing education levels of responsible pet ownership. 

Snipet of some of our programs 

Healthy Pets - provide Nose to Tail health checks for vulnerable pet owners, including microchipping, vaccinations and preventatives (flea and worming), plus food, equipment and resources provision if needed.

Responsible Pet Ownership Training - training program for pet owners at risk of rehoming their pets and key areas of concern identified through surrender request forms to enable pets and their people to stay together.

Community Desexing and Microchipping - In 2025 we will provide a service that will work with local government to provide vulnerable pet owners with free desexing services, microchipping, vaccinations and preventatives (flea and worming), plus food, equipment and resources provision if needed.

Emergency Boarding - In 2025 we will be providing emergency boarding for dogs and cats via referral service from support agencies

Education programs - Kids activity sessions designed for 5-11 years olds to learn more about how to care for their pet. Animal Care Pathways course as an entry point to working with animals designed for year 10 students who are neurodiverse. 

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Julia Williams
Community Outreach and Education Manager
Animal Welfare League of South Australia
SA
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This December, we're reflecting on how breaking down barriers can change lives. At Daisy's Legacy, we launched our Veterans and Service Dogs Support Program to ensure veterans and their service animals get the care and resources they need.

From providing food and supplies to supporting medical care, this program helps strengthen the bond between veterans and their loyal companions.

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Krasi Mircheva
President
Daisy's Legacy
VA
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We've started waiving adoption fees for pets that have been available for adoption for two weeks or more. We don't really have enough data yet to determine whether it's making a statistical difference, but I feel like it's getting the longer stay pets out faster.

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Sam Maurice
Humane Society of Jefferson County
Jefferson WI
https://hsjc-wis.com
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Our team has worked tirelessly to ensure our outreach programs to the homeless continue no matter how cold it is. We deliver blankets, animal beds, food and dog clothing to the unhoused and their pets. We have been able to do a few short term fosters for medical emergencies, we would love to expand this program so that we can have available fosters for those wanting to go into addiction treatment programs.  As always our pet food bank is always available however it hits harder over the holidays. We strive to help without stigma or judgment. 

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Nicola DeSousa
Founder
Just Four Paws Rescue
NY
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This month we will be opening the first shelter for homeless that will allow their pets.  There will be an onsite Pet Care Center that will provide basic supplies, enrichment tools, routine veterinary care and behavior training for those guests who would like assistance.  

Dianne Canafax, CPDT-KA; KPA-CTP

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Dianne Canafax
Co-founder, President
KARE (Kitsap Animal Rescue & Education)
WA
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I think an obstacle for many people in just about every aspect of animal welfare is the physical accessibility of applications. My organization provides financial assistance for prescription medication for pets of owners who are facing financial hardship. We get many referrals from different social services organizations and there have been scenarios where someone doesn't have internet access, or applicants who have internet access on their phone, but do not have access to their email. Additionally, I have enountered other applicants who have difficulty filling out the application due to a physical disability. I think that having the flexibility to accomodate these scenarios can strengthen the relationship of organizations and the pet owners that they serve.

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Sarah Fuqua
Director
The Bobo Fund
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In 2024, we've finally had the staffing ability to hold open adoption hours instead of scheduling all visits by appointment. We are open two weekdays 1-7pm and Saturdays 1-5pm. This has greatly increased the number of visitors and adoptions, and has helped to reduce our length of stay from 296 days in 2023 to 110 days in 2024 (our LOS is higher than it might be because we take in some less adoptable cats, including seniors and cats that are FeLV+). 

Pam Adelmann, President

Eden Animal Haven, cage-free, no-kill cat rescue

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Pamela Adelmann
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We have expanded our program for pets of the unhoused every year. We started with basic exams and vaccinations and we now can offer some surgeries such as dentals and additional veterinary care with grants. We have added the services of trainers to help with behavioral issues, gift cards for grooming and vouchers for transportation to the outside vets. This has helped the guardians keep their pets and helped them get into permanent housing with these much loved dogs and cats.

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Roxane Fritz
Veterinary Program Coordinator
San Mateo County
CA
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While I know we still have work to do, we are taking baby steps to bring down adoption barriers and get more dogs into adoptive homes. 

Some examples: 

• Increased our number of adoption coordinators. At one time, we only had a couple.  We're now up to 11. These volunteers help evaluate our applicants and match them to the dogs that would be best for their families. We've definitely seen an improvement with our dogs' duration of stay (fewer days), and in customer service to our applicants. 
• Opening our adoption area to accommodate more out-of-state applicants.  We always prefer in-person home visits, but we're now more comfortable doing virtual visits. 
• Giving more applicants the benefit of the doubt and being more understandable  (e.g., a lapse in preventive care with their other pets).  When reviewing applications, we're  becoming more confident with starting with YES, instead of automatically starting with NO.

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Deirdre Jack
Lone Star Bulldog Club Rescue
dfwbulldogrescue.org
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One thing that San Diego Last Chance Ranch does to reduce barriers to adoption is eliminate adoption fees. We also try to find the least expensive but reputable vets to get spays/neuters, and vaccines at so that it reduces costs of caring for the kitties because if we can spend less on one kitty we can help another kitty in need. This way we are able to adopt out more kitties. We also do the same with other animals but 90% of our adoptions are kitties. Another thing we do to increase adoptions is to post the kitties in various places on the internet, and locations where the public can view them like partnering with Petco.

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April Cannizzaro
CEO
San Diego Last Chance Ranch
CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-10-2024 11:24 AM
From: deirdre jack
Subject: December 2024 Giveaway: Removing Barriers to Build Stronger Communities

While I know we still have work to do, we are taking baby steps to bring down adoption barriers and get more dogs into adoptive homes. 

Some examples: 

• Increased our number of adoption coordinators. At one time, we only had a couple.  We're now up to 11. These volunteers help evaluate our applicants and match them to the dogs that would be best for their families. We've definitely seen an improvement with our dogs' duration of stay (fewer days), and in customer service to our applicants. 
• Opening our adoption area to accommodate more out-of-state applicants.  We always prefer in-person home visits, but we're now more comfortable doing virtual visits. 
• Giving more applicants the benefit of the doubt and being more understandable  (e.g., a lapse in preventive care with their other pets).  When reviewing applications, we're  becoming more confident with starting with YES, instead of automatically starting with NO.

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Deirdre Jack
Lone Star Bulldog Club Rescue
dfwbulldogrescue.org
------------------------------

My rescue this year has worked really hard to help spay/neuter as many cats as we possibly could!! We worked with a local spay and neuter clinic to get kitties fixed!! The stray population in our area is a huge problem and there are no affordable places to get your pets fixed in our town. We drive 40 mins to a different county in order to get these cats fixed! Spay and neuter saves lives! 

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Kali Remington
President
Southern Paws Rescue
KY
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We also drive about 2 hours for spay and neuter surgeries at a largely reduced rate.  People are begging for a spay and neuter clinic, which badly needed, but nothing has been done. It is exhausting when it seems like there is no end to it.

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Kim Jackson
Dog Trainer
For The Puppies Foundation Inc
MS
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-12-2024 07:45 PM
From: Kali Remington
Subject: December 2024 Giveaway: Removing Barriers to Build Stronger Communities

My rescue this year has worked really hard to help spay/neuter as many cats as we possibly could!! We worked with a local spay and neuter clinic to get kitties fixed!! The stray population in our area is a huge problem and there are no affordable places to get your pets fixed in our town. We drive 40 mins to a different county in order to get these cats fixed! Spay and neuter saves lives! 

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Kali Remington
President
Southern Paws Rescue
KY
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Hi I'm new to the forum and about 7 months into fostering/rescuing.  My first fosters were street kittens who were not yet feral but not humanized.  I have a small room with calming music and a baby monitor dedicated to my new passion. I would start out every day by bringing them wet food and softly talking to them while spoon feeding them until I gained their trust.  I also used the "kitty likables" however I cut them in half a place a popsicle still in each one then froze them.  They absolutely loved this and couldn't wait for it every day.  They are thriving with their new mommy.  I then had someone I knew who couldn't find a home for her 5 adult cats.  I took them in until a rescue could take them.  Unbeknownst to me they were not humanized at all.  Again I worked with them every day, multiple times a day and loved them until they didn't have a choice to love my back.  I found a home for 2 of the 5 prior to the rescue having space for them. This one was super tough for me being that they were forced to leave their home after 8 years  then receiving love and care by me. I cried like a baby but I see them regularly.  The rescue that took them is allowing me to get cats off the street,  humanize them and then they take and fully vet them for adoption. I recently took this beauty who was dumped and had a chunk missing from her neck.  Someone on social media reached out for help and I immediately took her in. They treated her wound (scanned her and she was chipped the owner doesn't want her) she had been on the streets for months.  She stayed with me until they had a spot for her. She is doing well.  I know tjis is long and I'm sorry.  I have to say that the relationships you form while rescuing/fostering has been life changing.  The love and gratitude is more more than I can ever express and I wouldn't change a thing 💜

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Christina Wagar
Foster
None
Rochester NY
------------------------------

That is super awesome that you are helping socialize the feral cats I try to do that too so that they can get good homes. It is horrible that people leave their animals on the streets and then don't want them back. I am so glad they found you and that you found a rescue to work with. That kitty with the chunk missing was very lucky you took her in. Keep up the good work!!! Also not sure where you are but I have 3 ferals right now and my fosters are quitting so I need to get them into another home. Any chance you have room? 619-200-5967 thanks!

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April Cannizzaro
CEO
San Diego Last Chance Ranch
CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 12-15-2024 07:18 AM
From: Christina Wagar
Subject: December 2024 Giveaway: Removing Barriers to Build Stronger Communities

Hi I'm new to the forum and about 7 months into fostering/rescuing.  My first fosters were street kittens who were not yet feral but not humanized.  I have a small room with calming music and a baby monitor dedicated to my new passion. I would start out every day by bringing them wet food and softly talking to them while spoon feeding them until I gained their trust.  I also used the "kitty likables" however I cut them in half a place a popsicle still in each one then froze them.  They absolutely loved this and couldn't wait for it every day.  They are thriving with their new mommy.  I then had someone I knew who couldn't find a home for her 5 adult cats.  I took them in until a rescue could take them.  Unbeknownst to me they were not humanized at all.  Again I worked with them every day, multiple times a day and loved them until they didn't have a choice to love my back.  I found a home for 2 of the 5 prior to the rescue having space for them. This one was super tough for me being that they were forced to leave their home after 8 years  then receiving love and care by me. I cried like a baby but I see them regularly.  The rescue that took them is allowing me to get cats off the street,  humanize them and then they take and fully vet them for adoption. I recently took this beauty who was dumped and had a chunk missing from her neck.  Someone on social media reached out for help and I immediately took her in. They treated her wound (scanned her and she was chipped the owner doesn't want her) she had been on the streets for months.  She stayed with me until they had a spot for her. She is doing well.  I know tjis is long and I'm sorry.  I have to say that the relationships you form while rescuing/fostering has been life changing.  The love and gratitude is more more than I can ever express and I wouldn't change a thing 💜

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Christina Wagar
Foster
None
Rochester NY
------------------------------

Hi April.  I truly hope I'm replying to you.  Sorry I'm just seeing this as the holidays were crazy as usual.. I am in Rochester Ny. Which is close to Buffalo and Niagara Falls. I hope this helps.  I'm getting a new foster today who is a 6mth or so old street kitty. Socializing her then  she will go to Pet Pride here in Mendon NY. 

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Christina Wagar
Foster
None
Rochester NY
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 12-16-2024 02:04 PM
From: April Cannizzaro
Subject: December 2024 Giveaway: Removing Barriers to Build Stronger Communities

That is super awesome that you are helping socialize the feral cats I try to do that too so that they can get good homes. It is horrible that people leave their animals on the streets and then don't want them back. I am so glad they found you and that you found a rescue to work with. That kitty with the chunk missing was very lucky you took her in. Keep up the good work!!! Also not sure where you are but I have 3 ferals right now and my fosters are quitting so I need to get them into another home. Any chance you have room? 619-200-5967 thanks!

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April Cannizzaro
CEO
San Diego Last Chance Ranch
CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-15-2024 07:18 AM
From: Christina Wagar
Subject: December 2024 Giveaway: Removing Barriers to Build Stronger Communities

Hi I'm new to the forum and about 7 months into fostering/rescuing.  My first fosters were street kittens who were not yet feral but not humanized.  I have a small room with calming music and a baby monitor dedicated to my new passion. I would start out every day by bringing them wet food and softly talking to them while spoon feeding them until I gained their trust.  I also used the "kitty likables" however I cut them in half a place a popsicle still in each one then froze them.  They absolutely loved this and couldn't wait for it every day.  They are thriving with their new mommy.  I then had someone I knew who couldn't find a home for her 5 adult cats.  I took them in until a rescue could take them.  Unbeknownst to me they were not humanized at all.  Again I worked with them every day, multiple times a day and loved them until they didn't have a choice to love my back.  I found a home for 2 of the 5 prior to the rescue having space for them. This one was super tough for me being that they were forced to leave their home after 8 years  then receiving love and care by me. I cried like a baby but I see them regularly.  The rescue that took them is allowing me to get cats off the street,  humanize them and then they take and fully vet them for adoption. I recently took this beauty who was dumped and had a chunk missing from her neck.  Someone on social media reached out for help and I immediately took her in. They treated her wound (scanned her and she was chipped the owner doesn't want her) she had been on the streets for months.  She stayed with me until they had a spot for her. She is doing well.  I know tjis is long and I'm sorry.  I have to say that the relationships you form while rescuing/fostering has been life changing.  The love and gratitude is more more than I can ever express and I wouldn't change a thing 💜

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Christina Wagar
Foster
None
Rochester NY

Thank you for doing this

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Sandy Cole
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-15-2024 07:18 AM
From: Christina Wagar
Subject: December 2024 Giveaway: Removing Barriers to Build Stronger Communities

Hi I'm new to the forum and about 7 months into fostering/rescuing.  My first fosters were street kittens who were not yet feral but not humanized.  I have a small room with calming music and a baby monitor dedicated to my new passion. I would start out every day by bringing them wet food and softly talking to them while spoon feeding them until I gained their trust.  I also used the "kitty likables" however I cut them in half a place a popsicle still in each one then froze them.  They absolutely loved this and couldn't wait for it every day.  They are thriving with their new mommy.  I then had someone I knew who couldn't find a home for her 5 adult cats.  I took them in until a rescue could take them.  Unbeknownst to me they were not humanized at all.  Again I worked with them every day, multiple times a day and loved them until they didn't have a choice to love my back.  I found a home for 2 of the 5 prior to the rescue having space for them. This one was super tough for me being that they were forced to leave their home after 8 years  then receiving love and care by me. I cried like a baby but I see them regularly.  The rescue that took them is allowing me to get cats off the street,  humanize them and then they take and fully vet them for adoption. I recently took this beauty who was dumped and had a chunk missing from her neck.  Someone on social media reached out for help and I immediately took her in. They treated her wound (scanned her and she was chipped the owner doesn't want her) she had been on the streets for months.  She stayed with me until they had a spot for her. She is doing well.  I know tjis is long and I'm sorry.  I have to say that the relationships you form while rescuing/fostering has been life changing.  The love and gratitude is more more than I can ever express and I wouldn't change a thing 💜

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Christina Wagar
Foster
None
Rochester NY
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We are a brand new rescue, just founded in October this year after leaving a large rescue, so we do not have a lot of funds or a foster base.  We are foster based only. So we decided to offer all of our adopters a "foster to adopt" option if they were not sure. Because we are small we do meet and greets, and spend a fair amount of time interacting with adopters.  We take extra steps to make sure pets are a good match to avoid returns...no glossing over any potential issues so adopters are aware (ie, high energy, separation anxiety, etc.)  Also, because we are small we are able to respond quickly to any adoption applications or inquiries. 

We have also partnered with another local "medium" sized rescue for adoption events, medical questions, etc. We have done several adoption events together and it really helps build a community...some rescues seem to see it all as a competition or talk behind each others' backs, which is counter productive. 

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Enger Dickey
Co-director
Emerald Coast Pet Rescue
FL
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Enger~ I absolutely love this: "....some rescues seem to see it all as a competition or talk behind each others' backs, which is counter productive. "

PREACH! ♥

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Deirdre Jack
Lone Star Bulldog Club Rescue
dfwbulldogrescue.org
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-19-2024 07:48 AM
From: Enger Dickey
Subject: December 2024 Giveaway: Removing Barriers to Build Stronger Communities

We are a brand new rescue, just founded in October this year after leaving a large rescue, so we do not have a lot of funds or a foster base.  We are foster based only. So we decided to offer all of our adopters a "foster to adopt" option if they were not sure. Because we are small we do meet and greets, and spend a fair amount of time interacting with adopters.  We take extra steps to make sure pets are a good match to avoid returns...no glossing over any potential issues so adopters are aware (ie, high energy, separation anxiety, etc.)  Also, because we are small we are able to respond quickly to any adoption applications or inquiries. 

We have also partnered with another local "medium" sized rescue for adoption events, medical questions, etc. We have done several adoption events together and it really helps build a community...some rescues seem to see it all as a competition or talk behind each others' backs, which is counter productive. 

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Enger Dickey
Co-director
Emerald Coast Pet Rescue
FL
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There has been a huge increase in strays over the past 3 years in my community. Most of them are from people being evicted or moving away and leaving their cats behind. The beginning of the East Rochester Meowscue was when I started trapping these terrified kitties after an eviction. I thought there were 3 cats. Turns out they left 7 behind and one of them was pregnant. Within 2 weeks I had 10 strays in my care who needed medical attention and basic care. 
The way I am breaking boundaries with my work is  by reaching out to people who are struggling to keep their pets due to the rising costs of spay and neuter and rent. I help them find programs that are within their budget and offer them food and resources in the meantime. I also encourage them to work with landlords and not leave their pets behind. In a few cases I have taken their beloved pets and rehomed them because there was no other option. It's easier to tackle the problem head on than wait for the consequences of poor decisions. I've also allowed lower income family to foster to adopt and reduced the adoption fees.  

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Tracy Diperri
Owner
East Rochester meowscue
NY
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At Daisy's Legacy, we're dedicated to removing barriers to improve animal well-being. Inspired by Maddie's Fund, we recently launched a new Veterans Support Program, aiming to provide resources for veterans, their emotional support animals (ESAs), and service dogs. Although this program is still in its early stages and without dedicated funding, it reflects our commitment to fostering lasting bonds between pets and their people.

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Krasi Mircheva
President
Daisy's Legacy
VA
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Whn we founded Kotor Kitties 6 years ago our goal was to remove all barriers to spay-neuter for Montenegro's cats.  We provide free sterilization surgeries, with no questions asked regarding where the cat came from, ownership status, or income of owners.  We encourage everyone to make a donation if possible, but without pressure.  If people tell us they can't afford a donation,  we suggest that they catch another cat in their neighborhood,  tell their friends and family about how the sterilization went, or hang one of our "reasons to spay or neuter your pet" flyers in a local shop.   We have found that word of mouth has been the best promotion of spay-neuter--and it doesn't cost us anything!

There are many ways people can contribute to the cause!  And when they contribute they tend to feel some "ownership" of the cause.

In addition to direct funding of surgeries, we loan traps and carriers for transport to the vets, provide free TNR training, help arrange rides to the vet, and provide ongoing and accurate education about cat reproduction (backed up by research and recommendations from organizations outside Montenegro),  cat care, and colony care.

We also provide translated information for veterinarians to help them catch up with modern knowledge (i.e.Feline Fix by Five--most vets don't believe they can get pregnant at 4 or 5 months, and when we started, many vets recommended waiting until 12 months to sterilize.  Now most are saying 6 - 8 months for cats), protocol for vaccinating community kittens, how to scan for a microchip (they learned to put it in the left should and assume it will stay there), etc.  In addition, we provide free training in "small incision" sterilization and free equipment for working safely with feral cats.

The two barriers we've been unable to overcome so far are

1. Geography-large parts of the country are remote and rural, requiring a mobile unit to serve.  Others would be best served with a transport van.
2. The social isolation  (and demonization) of the Roma community

We're well over 13,200 spay-neuter surgeries now, and still going strong!  I love seeing our impact, as more cats are adopted off the streets once they are ear tipped, people are now willing to adopt female cats, there is less persecution by restaurants and other businesses (some even adopt them once they're ear tipped!) and we seem to see fewer poisonings and cruelty cases these days.  Still lots and lots of kittens being abandoned, from newborn on up, but that will take many more years, more funding, and more social pressure to change!

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April King
Volunteer and Board Member
Kotor Kitties
+1 206 407 5336
http://www.kotorkitties.org
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Miroslava Mircheva
Director
Daisy's Legacy
VA
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One thing that has made a huge difference is a wider network of fosters that have been thoroughly vetted. And also ensuring paperwork is complete including surrendering of pets. With the  vast network of volunteers and fosters it enables us to not necessarily require animals to be housed at the shelter. This helps with future adoptions 

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Michele Haslett
Volunteer
Mobi cat rescue
MA
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Our shelter is young. Some of the changes we have made in the last year are:

•  starting a foster program that includes overnights and weekends
• Getting medical cases out to fosters as soon as possible  so they can get the care and attention they need. 
  
• inviting school groups and specialty camps (autism day camp) to the shelter to talk about pet safety and responsible pet ownership; speaking at events to encourage the same- many parents brought their kids back to visit or volunteer 
• saying yes to adopters unless they have a history of several returns at our shelter 
• "spay and neuter trade"- when people want to surrender mothers/pups we offer to spay and vaccinate the mother at no cost and return her to the owner. We then keep the pups and find homes or rescues. Most of the time, people are very attached to the mother but not so much the puppies, but they feel like they have to surrender all of them. This allows them to keep the dog they love but without the risk of more unwanted litters.

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Devon Avery
Head Volunteer
Hart County Animal Shelter
KY
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This year, we've worked on removing barriers from our adoption programs. One significant change we've made is allowing adoptions from older people. Our organization previously declined applications from individuals exceeding a certain age. However, over time, we realized that these individuals were among our most successful adopters. Not only did these pets find wonderful homes, enabling us to take in more animals, but these adoptions also brought immense joy to the elderly adults.

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Abigail Batic
Outreach Coordinator
The Milk Drunk Foundation
FL
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Operation Blankets  of Love  (OBOL) is a one of a kind animal welfare emergency non profit since 2008.  We act like the RED CROSS for animal rescues, shelters and for pets of the homeless organizations.  How are we getting more homeless dogs and cats adopted and breaking the barriers?  OBOL provides at no cost to about 75 animal rescues  a month that totals to more than 5,000 animals that are getting what they need to get healthier, stronger and happier which is proven that it increases their chances of being adopted. Many of the rescues depend on us monthly for pet food, and other critical items they need for the many animals they have in their care.  We hear everyday how we are helping their animals to get adopted because they could not afford the basics like pet food, pet beds, medical and grooming supplies, leashes, collars, harnesses and also carriers, crates.  Our website for more information is obol.info  Founder and CEO Eileen Smulson

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Eileen Smulson
Founder and Ex. Director
Operation Blankets of Love (OBOL)
CA
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Can't say enough good things about OBOL and the incredible people who run the organization. I can personally attest to the hundreds of pets that OBOL has helped START Rescue save over the years - be it through food for community cats, beds for shelter dogs, leashes for foster dogs, food for puppies being fed adult dog food in overcrowded shelters, treats for shelter dogs ... you name it. They are always helping us help others.  We need more people and organizations like OBOL. They are working miracles!

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Kaja Gula-Thomas
Grants & Special Projects
START Rescue
VENTURA CA
917-655-0545
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-24-2024 09:38 PM
From: Eileen Smulson
Subject: December 2024 Giveaway: Removing Barriers to Build Stronger Communities

Operation Blankets  of Love  (OBOL) is a one of a kind animal welfare emergency non profit since 2008.  We act like the RED CROSS for animal rescues, shelters and for pets of the homeless organizations.  How are we getting more homeless dogs and cats adopted and breaking the barriers?  OBOL provides at no cost to about 75 animal rescues  a month that totals to more than 5,000 animals that are getting what they need to get healthier, stronger and happier which is proven that it increases their chances of being adopted. Many of the rescues depend on us monthly for pet food, and other critical items they need for the many animals they have in their care.  We hear everyday how we are helping their animals to get adopted because they could not afford the basics like pet food, pet beds, medical and grooming supplies, leashes, collars, harnesses and also carriers, crates.  Our website for more information is obol.info  Founder and CEO Eileen Smulson

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Eileen Smulson
Founder and Ex. Director
Operation Blankets of Love (OBOL)
CA
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Hi Everyone!

We are Maddy and Sven's Animal Sanctuary. While we have cats and dogs, we also have horses, donkeys, goats and pigs. We work with other local organizations in rehoming animals. I believe the best way to help animals that we have taken in, is to use social media targeted in our community. I believe a lot of times in the past we didn't focus on our local community. While we may not have the thousands of followers some sanctuaries and rescues have, we have a strong local community that wants to help. We are known in the community and have developed relationships with local rescues. We work together to find homes for animals. One situation comes to mind is a pig hoarding situation that was in our town. The individual ended up with 100+ pigs that he was originally breeding to feed to exotic reptiles but never got any fixed and ended up with so many. We personally took in 3 pigs from this situation- Bubbles, Yoshi and Fruitloops. They are very timid but sweet boys who deserve love. We didn't stop there. Being that we were local we then continued to feed the pigs left in the situation until we networked and found homes with other rescues and sanctuaries for all pigs. Never underestimate yourselves. We had messaged probably over 150 sanctuaries on the east coast to help find these pigs a home and it worked. While many said no, there were enough that said yes. Social media has helped in this regard as did the local community to which people took in pigs. I think breaking the barrier of social media focusing on mass likes/shares and targeting the local community and using it as a networking resource to find the rescues to work with is a major tool to success. - Meeghan Rogers

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Meeghan Rogers
CEO
Maddy and Sven's Animal Sanctuary
NJ
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We implemented open adoption/drop-in hours at our shelter, including on Saturday and 2 evenings a week. It's brought in a lot of people who weren't ready to fill out an adoption consultation form, couldn't go to one of our in-store events, or just wanted to see our wonderful cage-free cat shelter!

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Pamela Adelmann
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We are a TNVR organization but this last year we were able to secure grant money to sterilize and vaccinate owned cats.  The goal was to eliminate the barriers that keep people from sterilizing cats.  There are so many more than just financial.  We found that during the first grant period, over 80% of the clients we worked with did not have transportation.   Some that did could not take off work to meet the schedule of the low cost spay/neuter clinics.  We provided transportation as needed, carriers for the cats, followup for recovery and basic education as necessary on the importance of sterilization for the pets.   Also, there is a great bonus to doing these indoor (many indoor/outdoor) owned cats... as we believe they are ground zero for the community cat population which is out of control in our city.  In 2024, we have provided services for 3,063 cats... 398 of those were through the owned cats program!

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Samantha Polen
Executive Director
T-Town TNR, Inc.
Tulsa OK
https://www.ttowntnr.com/
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At Husky Education and Rescue Team we integrated a trainer into our program to assist with evaluating our incoming dogs and working on positive behavior. Our trainer is involved with all new intakes, provides basic training to both our dogs and the volunteers. He has been an invaluable resource for getting to know our rescues and preparing them for their new forever homes. 

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Diane martin
Volunteer / Fundraiser
Husky Education and Rescue Team
MD
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Happy 2025!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who joined in on our December Cuddly Giveaway thread! Your ideas and stories blew us away and reminded us how breaking down barriers isn't just about helping pets - it's about bringing people and pets together in the best way possible. 🐾💛 Every comment, idea, and example you shared shows how powerful it is when we remove obstacles and create opportunities for people and pets to thrive together. We're so grateful for all the energy, creativity, and heart you bring to this community.

A special shoutout to our December giveaway winner, @Aly Martinez (she/her), Shelter Manager at Panhandle Animal Welfare Society, who shared the strides her shelter has made by removing barriers for adoptions and food assistance. By focusing on trust and meaningful conversations instead of restrictive policies, her shelter has seen reduced euthanasia rates, increased adoptions, and better relationships with their community. It's a powerful reminder that when we put people and pets first, everyone benefits! 

Our January giveaway thread is now available for another chance to share and enter to win the next Cuddly prize of $1,000 in supplies for your organization! To enter to win the January giveaway, head to the new discussion thread and share a goal you have for 2025! Whether it's a skill you'd like to develop, a program your organization is planning, or a new way to keep pets and people together, we'd love to hear about it: maddies.fund/30YearsGiveawayJanuary2025

Keep being amazing and breaking down those barriers no matter how big or small they may seem. You're making a difference for pets and people alike. ❤️🐾

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Maddie's Pet Forum Admin
Maddie's Fund
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