Dear Animal Advocate,

After collecting scientific data on hundreds of shelter dogs, Dr. Amy Marder and her team at the Center for Shelter Dogs created Match-Up II, an effective new way for shelters to reliably evaluate canine personality and behavior traits. Read more about this breakthrough concept in Seeing Dogs as Individuals Key to Managing Behavior Problems.

New, practically relevant, shelter medicine research is bubbling up quickly at Purdue University, thanks to the graduate and PhD veterinary students, residents, post-DVM fellows, and the Program Director of Maddie's^® Shelter Medicine Program. Learn a little about who these folks are and what they're discovering in these articles:

• Dr. Annette Litster: Supercharged by a Love of Cats and Research
• Research Rules at Purdue
• Meet Dr. Rebecca Bukowy, Maddie's^® Post-DVM Fellow

In his latest editorial, Our Hearts Are Ready, Are Our Shelters?, Maddie's Fund President Rich Avanzino reminds animal shelters that big-hearted pet lovers will step forward to adopt the neediest dogs and cats.

If you haven't seen the new PSAs from The Shelter Pet Project, check them out right now - the reviews have been awesome! Like this one:

Wow! As an animal lover, shelter adopter and TV/film writer/director, I have to give you 5 stars for your new videos. They are fabulous!

Save the Date: On January 26, Dr. Julie Levy will give a presentation on community cats as part of the Maddie's Institute^SM webcast series. Watch for more information at www.maddiesinstitute.org.