November 2025 Maddie's Monthly Foster Connection
Detective, Educator, Mediator: A Holistic Approach to Foster Behavior Support
Foster insights are invaluable to shelters & rescues, and no concern should ever be dismissed or taken more lightly than the foster presents it. At the same time, that initial presentation of a concern tends to only offer one perspective: the human’s. Zan’s presentation will walk through example cases of their tried and true process of taking an analytical approach that simultaneously gets to the root causes of an animal’s concerning or unwanted behaviors and promotes a more nuanced understanding of those animals’ needs among fosters, all without sacrificing compassion for either.
Guest Speaker: Zan Lowell
Zan Lowell got their start in animal welfare as a volunteer with Austin Pets Alive! in 2013 where they quickly discovered a passion for dog behavior and training. They joined APA!’s Dog Behavior Team as an intern in 2014, and in 2017, they became a full-time behavior trainer supporting dogs both onsite at the shelter and with transitioning into their new homes.
At the end of 2019, Zan transitioned to APA!’s Dog Behavior Follow-Up Team where they spent the next five years helping to build APA!’s resource library and directly supporting thousands of adopters and fosters with the dogs (and sometimes cats!) in their care. In recent years, they have developed a particular interest in the neuroscience of dog behavior and a trauma-informed approach to addressing behavioral challenges, especially among rescued and rehomed animals. They currently live in Richmond, VA with their medical alum cat and behavior alum (and playgroup success story) pittie mix.
About Maddie's Monthly Foster Connection:
Join us on the first Thursday of every month to discuss successful foster innovations and programs, collaborate with others in the field, answer questions and talk through complex foster-related issues.
Who should join: Foster managers, coordinators, volunteers and any staff who are interested in learning about what’s working in foster programs.
Register here: https://maddies.fund/MonthlyFosterRegistration
Can't attend live? Register anyway and you will get a link to the recording within a day or two after each meeting.
All recordings and resources shared during the webcast will also be available in the Maddie's Monthly Foster Connection group on Maddie's Pet Forum https://maddies.fund/monthlyfosterconnectionMPF
Maddie's Fund does not share registration information.
The opinions expressed by webinar presenters are their own and do not necessarily represent those of Maddie’s Fund.
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