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December 28, 2006 - Maddie's Room Celebrates 700th Adoption

Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Tuscaloosa, Alabama was thrilled when the local Pet Supplies "Plus" pet store offered them a separate Maddie's Adoption Room to showcase homeless pets from the Metro Animal Shelter. But, no one envisioned the huge success the location would become -- Maddie's Adoption Room celebrated its 700th placement on December 16th after only eighteen months in operation!



December 21, 2006 - New Shelter in New York's SoHo District

A former machine shop in Manhattan's trendy SoHo neighborhood has been converted into an inviting boutique-style adoption center that will open to the public in January. The Animal Haven SoHo adoption center will increase the shelter's capacity to find permanent homes for the animals in its care. Located where heavy walk-by traffic will keep adoptions brisk and turnover high, the 7,000-square-foot space will accommodate 25 to 35 cats and 10 to 15 dogs and be open seven days a week. It will also offer retail pet supplies, grooming, training and educational facilities.

Animal Haven is a founding member of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, and a Maddie's Pet Rescue Project Partner.



December 13, 2006 - Maddie's Good Samaritan

Driving home for Thanksgiving, Alachua County Humane Society Director Becky Goodman pulled over to the side of the road when she spotted a yellow dog walking dangerously close to traffic. The dog was very nervous and wouldn't let her approach. As luck would have it, Becky's truck was full of dog biscuits, and with each toss of a biscuit, the reluctant canine came closer until Becky was finally able to coax the dog into the back seat of the truck.

Gypsy, as she has been named, had horrible yeast infections all over her body. She also had demodectic mange. The combination caused her to scratch herself raw; secondary infections caused a great deal of hair loss.

Gypsy is now in the loving hands of a foster parent at the Alachua County Humane Society, lead agency of Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Alachua County, Florida. She's been given medical treatment and is finally putting some weight on her bare bones thanks to a diet of high protein dog food (eight cups per day) enriched with omega 3 fatty acids. Her coat is coming back, too. Although still far too skittish to be placed in a new home, Gypsy does have a new best friend -- a deaf, neurologically challenged cat named Iota.



December 5, 2006 - Cornell Approves New Shelter Medicine Course

A new course in the Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program will be offered to Cornell's first and second year veterinary students in Spring 2007. Titled Companion Animal Welfare Issues, the class will cover a wide range of topics, including the no-kill movement and trap-neuter-return programs for cats. With the addition of this course, Cornell will have a three-course shelter medicine series.



November 27, 2006 - Maddie Competes in Mascot Games

A private school in Gainesville, Florida, (home to Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Alachua County), recently invited Maddie and an assortment of other mascots to participate in their Animal Day games. Each mascot teamed up with a child who shot a basketball, jumped rope for 30 seconds, then ran and tagged their mascot. The mascot then jumped on a trampoline, spun around a bat 3 times and raced to the finish. Albert the Alligator won the event, but Maddie put up a great showing!



November 15, 2006 - Alachua: Above Goal in Every Category

In the first quarter of Project Year Five (July - October) Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Alachua County, Florida exceeded goal in every category. While intake declined 30% at Alachua County Animal Services, the Maddie partners increased their adoptions by 513% over the baseline quarter, ending the period 78 adoptions over goal. And, in addition to maintaining zero healthy shelter deaths throughout the quarter, partners reduced treatable deaths 52% compared the baseline quarter!



November 9, 2006 - Maddie's in Far Flung Corners

While Maddie's Fund President Rich Avanzino was at the Animal Grantmakers Conference in Vancouver, Canada, Maddie's Fund Field Representative Lynne Fridley spoke to the Board of the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy in Alexandria, Virginia. Lynne stayed on in Alexandria to attend the Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs' (ACCD) Third International Symposium.



November 3, 2006 - Maddie Graces NYC Halloween Float

KISS was Grand Marshall of the Village Halloween Parade in Manhattan, but right behind was a float celebrating the people and pets of New York and featuring Maddie. The float was sponsored by New York Tails Magazine, BellaStarletDog, and Street Treats. Writes Tails Publisher, Diane West, "It was particularly exciting to see everyone yell when Maddie waved --Maddie has become quite the local celebrity from being at all the Mayor's Alliance adoption events!"



October 26, 2006 - Adopt-A-Cat at the Garden is the Cat's Meow

The dream of playing Madison Square Garden came true for nearly 500 homeless cats at the recent Adopt-A-Cat at the Garden adoption event, presented by the Cat Fanciers Association and co-sponsored by the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals. More than 20 local animal shelters and rescue groups presented available cats—sixty from Animal Care & Control alone. Approximately 200 cats were either adopted on the spot or had applications accepted. The event is part of the October Celebration of Cats at Madison Square Garden, which also includes the CFA-Iams Cat Championship.



October 13, 2006 - Maddie's Hot Dogs and Cool Cats

The second annual "Maddie's Hot Dogs and Cool Cats," adoption event hosted by Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Tuscaloosa, Alabama was an unequivocal success. Hundreds of pet lovers attended the three hour event held at Tuscaloosa's Snow Hinton Park. Out of twenty five dogs and cats showcased, nearly twenty were adopted into loving new homes—many of them older pets.



October 5, 2006 - Cornell Gift Includes New Shelter Medicine Residency

A donation of $1.45 million to Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine includes $800,000 to endow a new residency in Maddie's^® Shelter Medicine Program. Thanks to the gift from Janet Swanson, the Program will be able to recruit a second resident next July.

After a visit to the campus in 2004, Ms. Swanson realized that shelter medicine coincided with her own personal interests. She recently toured one of the Program's core shelters with Maddie's Shelter Medicine Director, Dr. Jan Scarlett.



September 21, 2006 - Field Rep Honored

Maddie's Fund Field Representative Lynne Fridley received the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association's Bowie-Heath Humanitarian Award at the annual "Animal Hall of Fame" gala on September 9th. The prestigious award recognizes individuals nominated by local veterinary medical associations for their work with animals and people.

Two days after the ceremony, Lynne was a featured speaker at the Southern Regional Spay/Neuter Leadership Conference in Memphis. Her topics: Working with Animal Shelters and Animal Control Professionals; Reaching Diverse Audiences; and Maddie's Fund Grant Giving. Reports Lynne, "This was the biggest and best conference that we have had, with more than 300 participants from 26 states."



September 15, 2006 - Long-Timers Find Homes

A dog day celebration and adoptathon organized by Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Alachua County, Florida proved to be a real boon for long-time shelter canines. A chow-lab mix awaiting adoption for nearly a year went home with a single mom and her three kids. A beagle mix, a greyhound mix and a black lab had all been waiting three or four months. "They were nice, good, dogs who just needed a little extra exposure," said Becky Goodman, Executive Director of Alachua County Humane Society. Hundreds of people attended the five hour affair. "The lady who hosted the event was so happy, she wants to do it again next year, and use her own money to advertise."



September 6, 2006 - Maddie's in Chicago

Maddie's Fund President Rich Avanzino will soon be off to Chicago to speak at the American Humane Association's Annual Conference, September 28 - 30. On Thursday the 28th, Rich will participate in the National Leadership Forum debate on euthanasia. On Friday the 29th, he will join Humane Society of Boulder Valley CEO Jan-McHugh Smith in a panel discussion on statistics and definitions.



August 21, 2006 - New York's First Year Report

The Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals submitted a very impressive Year One report for Maddie's^® Pet Rescue Project. Adoptions of healthy cats and dogs from adoption guarantee groups increased 58% over baseline; all adoptions increased 84% over baseline; healthy euthanasia declined 39% from baseline; and total euthanasia declined 26% from baseline. To read the full twenty-one page report describing how the project partners achieved such remarkable results, click here.



August 14, 2006 - Change in Grant Guidelines

Maddie's Fund has lowered the eligibility requirement for starter grants to include communities with human populations of 100,000 or more. Formerly these grants were limited to communities with populations of 200,000 or more. For more information about starter grants, click here.



August 4, 2006 - New Project Leader in Maricopa

Stephanie Bikel is the new Director of Maddie's^® Projects in Maricopa County. Stephanie comes with 25 years of experience in the non-profit field. She has been a public relations director and foundation administrator for a national professional association, as well as a development officer at a major metropolitan museum. Welcome, Stephanie!



July 28, 2006 - BROADWAY BARKS!

Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters recently hosted the eighth annual BROADWAY BARKS!, a dog and cat adopt-a-thon and fundraiser benefiting New York City animal shelters and rescue groups. A galaxy of stars from Broadway hits like Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Spamalot, and The Producers turned the spotlight on adoptable pets from New York area animal shelters, including many participating in Maddie's Pet Rescue Project. "It is extremely gratifying to know that so many lovable pets will find homes thanks to the many enthusiastic theatre fans and animal lovers who attend BROADWAY BARKS! each year," Moore said.



July 19, 2006 - Cornell Director Honored

Dr. Jan Scarlett, Director of Cornell University's Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program, was part of an elite group selected for this summer's American Veterinary Medical Association Veterinary Leadership Experience. Only two students and one faculty member from each veterinary school are invited to attend each year. The conference aims to give participants the skills they need to rally and motivate people to work with leaders toward common goals. Effective communication, conflict resolution, and team building are a few of the subject areas covered. Notes Dr. Scarlett, "The knowledge I gained will be an important asset to establishing and sustaining the Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program at Cornell."



July 11, 2006 - No Healthy Deaths for Nine Months

In only its fourth project year, Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Maricopa County, Arizona, has gone nine consecutive months with zero healthy shelter deaths (October 2005-June 2006). In order to ensure a full adoption guarantee for healthy dogs and cats by project year five, Maddie's Fund asks projects to put an adoption guarantee in place for healthy animals for one month in Year Three and for three consecutive months in Year Four. Obviously, Maricopa County is well ahead of schedule. Says Rodrigo Silva, Director of Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, "I feel confident we'll make it the entire year without putting down a single healthy dog or cat."



July 3, 2006 - Pet Palooza

Eighty-five dogs and six cats found loving new homes at the recent Maddie's Pet Palooza Super Adoption Pet Fair in Mobile, Alabama. More than 1,500 people flocked to the five hour event at the Greater Gulf State Fairgrounds to search for a new dog or cat, view demonstrations by the Mobile Bay Dog Training Club, or microchip their pet. Three of Maddie's Pet Rescue partners hosted the event: Mobile SPCA, the Animal Rescue Foundation and the Friends of the Mobile animal Shelter.



June 26, 2006 - Alachua County Animal Services: A Show of Its Own

Alachua County Animal Services, a member of Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Alachua County, Florida, is currently starring in a 30-minute TV program, Alachua County Talks. The program provides a showcase for the county's homeless dogs and cats and offers an in-depth look at the agency's adoption, spay/neuter and field services. The show will air daily on local cable over the next few months. Maddie's Pet Rescue Project saved 98% of the county's healthy shelter dogs and cats in the first ten months of its fourth project year.



June 20, 2006 - Maddie's Fund Down Under

Maddie's Fund Field Representative Lynne Fridley participated in the inaugural National Summit to End Pet Overpopulation in Queensland, Australia, June 15-17. She gave two workshop presentations -- "Changing the Status Quo of Shelters through Coalition Building" and "The Importance of Statistics" -- and was involved in a panel discussion on feral cats.



June 14, 2006 - Adoption Season in Full Swing

"Scruffy" was one of many dogs, cats, and rabbits available for adoption at last weekend's Mayor's Alliance/Maddie's Pet Adoption Festival in Astoria Park, Queens. A variety of area shelters and rescue groups brought animals to the event, which was hosted by Animal Haven Shelter. A veterinarian, groomer and trainer were on-hand to answer medical and behavior questions; a low-cost clinic provided microchips for only $25.

Mayor's Alliance/Maddie's Pet Adoption Festival Adoption Festivals are held regularly on weekends in New York City parks throughout the five boroughs. The next Adoption Festival will be in the Bronx on June 25th.



June 2, 2006 - It's a Wrap

The final Year Five Report from No More Homeless Pets in Utah has been posted. According to the Report's overview, in Year Five seven Utah counties recorded Live Release Rates of over 75%, and four counties were over 90%. Adoptions were up 55% statewide, with euthanasia down 27% over the baseline year. Project leaders also noted that "Results continue to be very positive in 2006. The first quarter shows a total euthanasia reduction from baseline of 39%. Statewide Live Release Rate was 65% for the first quarter, compared to 57% for 2005, and 42% for baseline."



May 19, 2006 - Veterinarian on Board

After receiving a $330,000 Maddie's Fund grant to provide full-time veterinary care over six years, the Tompkins County SPCA has hired Dr. Bridget Barry to direct its new shelter medicine program. Dr. Barry comes to the shelter from small animal practice. She is a graduate of Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine.



May 11, 2006 - Dog Licensing Campaign Graces NYC Bus Shelters

Striking new ads (click on the image above to view pdf versions) urging New Yorkers to license their dogs are appearing on 40 bus shelters in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, thanks to a collaborative effort by the Mayor's Alliance and NYC's Department of Health & Mental Hygiene.

Jay Sharfstein and Chris Brignola of Filter Advertising conceived and designed the ads for the Mayor's Alliance. The dog licensing campaign kicked off in March and will run until May 21st.



May 3, 2006 - Phoenix Pets Find New Homes

Eighteen adult dogs and cats found loving new homes at Maddie's Pet Adoption Fair in Phoenix on April 23rd. "We had a ton of media exposure, which pulled in more than 700 people," reports Resource Development Manager Candice Moore. This and other events sponsored by Maddie's Pet Rescue Project have enabled Maricopa County to go seven consecutive months (October 2005 - April 2006) without any healthy shelter deaths.



April 20, 2006 - Program Director Honored

Janine Woods, Program Director of Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Mobile County, Alabama, has just been awarded "Administrator of the Year" by the Alabama Animal Control Association and the Alabama Humane Federation. The award is given to an individual who has enhanced the effectiveness of animal control personnel and consistently initiated effective programs. Maddie's Pet Rescue Project was also awarded "Program of the Year" by the same august body. Days before the announcement, Woods was helping set up Kitten Kaboodles and Puppies, Too! one of the many adoption events the Project has established -- 71 dogs and cats were adopted into loving new homes.

April 10, 2006 - Cornell Selects Maddie Resident

Maddie's^® Shelter Medicine Program at Cornell University has chosen Dr. Stephanie Janeczko as the program's new Maddie's^® Shelter Medicine Resident. Dr. Janeczko will start her new position this summer. "Stephanie is an exceptional veterinarian with great leadership skills. We very much look forward to having her on board," writes Dr. Jan Scarlett, Maddie's^® Shelter Medicine Director.



April 5, 2006 - Maddie's March Mutt Madness

Maddie's^® Pet Rescue Project in Mobile, Alabama held its Mutt Madness adoptathon on a balmy March Saturday. By the time the six hour event was over, 58 dogs had been adopted into loving new homes. Reports Janine Woods, Mobile SPCA President: "Our local Fox affiliate gave the event tremendous publicity, and all of the groups were very pleased with the outcome." The Mobile SPCA celebrated 30 adoptions, the Animal Rescue Foundation found families for 20 dogs, and Friends of the Mobile Animal Shelter placed eight four-legged friends in loving homes.



March 29, 2006 - Job Opening

The Arizona Animal Welfare League, which serves as lead agency for Maddie's Projects in Maricopa County, Arizona, is seeking a Maddie's Project Grant Manager. In this newly-created position, the Manager will oversee the staff, programs, public relations efforts, budgets, long-term planning and daily operations for Maddie's Pet Rescue Project and Maddie's Spay/Neuter Project in Maricopa County. For more information about joining a team that has now led Maddie's Pet Rescue Project to five consecutive months with zero healthy deaths, visit http://aawl.org/about/employment.shtml.



March 24, 2006 - Annual Report Available

Read all about Maddie's projects past and present in the just released Maddie's Fund 2004-2005 Annual Report. To request a hard copy, e-mail us at info@maddies.org. Online versions can be viewed or downloaded here.



March 16, 2006 - Spay/Neuter Is on the Air

Maddie's Spay/Neuter Project in New York City is getting great publicity these days thanks to News Talk Radio 77 WABC. WABC is promoting Maddie's Spay/Neuter Project through a 30 second PSA that airs twenty times per week, three times per day. Offering $10 cat surgeries and $20 dog surgeries at participating private practice veterinary hospitals in all five boroughs, the PSAs have generated dozens of calls. "The Veterinary Medical Association of New York City and the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals couldn't be happier," reports Mayor's Alliance Communications Director, Steve Gruber.



March 6, 2006 - Maddie's at HSUS Expo

Maddie's Fund staff will participate in three workshops at the 2006 HSUS Animal Care Expo in Anaheim, California, March 8-11. On Friday, March 10th, Jeanette Peters from Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Alachua County, Florida; Robin Starr, Executive Director of the Richmond SPCA; and Rich Avanzino, Maddie's Fund President, will host a panel discussion on The Business of Saving Lives. On the morning of Saturday, March 11th, Maddie's Fund staff will participate in two sessions on the Asilomar Accords.



February 22, 2006 - Mystic Mutts of Revelry

Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Baldwin County, Alabama is our newest community collaboration. One of the project partners, the Haven for Animals in Fairhope, celebrated Mardi Gras last weekend by hosting the Mystic Mutts of Revelry Mardi Gras Parade. Despite the chilly 45 degree weather, close to 300 people and dogs participated in the event, and nearly 3,000 people (out of a population of 10,000) turned out to watch the colorful array of floats, costumed pooches and dogs available for adoption. The parade was led by this year's reigning King and Queen, Duke the boxer and Amy the mixed breed. One spectator was overheard to say "This is the best Mardi Gras parade I've ever seen."

February 8, 2006 - No Healthy Deaths for Four Months

Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Maricopa County, Arizona made it through January with zero healthy deaths, which means the project has now had four consecutive months without euthanizing a healthy shelter dog or cat. "AC & C staff and the other partners are cautiously optimistic that we can continue this success through spring, and we're strategizing about how to handle the high intake months of summer," reports Linda Branch-Dasch, Executive Director of the lead agency Arizona Animal Welfare League.



February 2, 2006 - Maddie's Lodi Project Reaches Adoption Guarantee for Healthy Dogs and Cats

A five year Maddie's Fund project to help save Lodi, California's healthy shelter dogs and cats has reached its objective, ending with an adoption guarantee for healthy shelter pets. The project also achieved a community-wide annual live release rate of 71%, and participating private practice veterinarians performed 3,920 surgeries.



January 25, 2006 - Maddie's at ARF Conference

Maddie's Fund staff will speak at the second annual conference, The Business of Saving Lives, presented by Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) January 28-29 in Walnut Creek, California. The two-day conference will offer workshops on animal behavior, shelter wellness and business practices to provide attendees practical information and tools for promoting community awareness and attracting donors. In addition to giving the keynote address, Maddie's Fund President Rich Avanzino, along with Vice President of Operations Mary Ippoliti-Smith, will conduct a workshop on the importance of collaboration, statistics and definitions.



January 16, 2006 - Vets Take Pets

Seven out of fifteen veterinary clinics in Tuscaloosa, Alabama have already signed up to display homeless pets in their lobbies to help boost adoptions for Maddie's Pet Rescue Project. The veterinarians have offered to house, feed, clean, walk and do the adoption paperwork for the abandoned shelter animals. While some veterinarians have requested cats, others want dogs only. At the time of adoption, each clinic will receive a $50 stipend. Although the program just started this month, one kitten has already been placed. The first year goal is 31 adoptions.



January 9, 2006 - Yappy Hour in New York

Pet lovers enjoyed cocktails and catered delicacies while their pooches gobbled down doggie hors d'oeuvres at the recent Yappy Hour fundraiser, held at Manhattan's chic Mark Garrison Salon. Animal Fair Magazine founder, Wendy Diamond, created the event to benefit the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals. As people and pooches mingled, dogs from Alliance member organizations strutted their stuff for potential adopters. The evening was sponsored by Jeep, Bissel, Cesar, Gray Goose Vodka and Dog House Wines. Proceeds were donated to the Mayor's Alliance Picasso Veterinary Fund for sick and injured homeless animals. Each guest left with a take-home doggie bag of gifts.



January 3, 2006 - Spay/Neuter Close-Out

Veterinarians participating in Maddie's Spay/Neuter Project in Mobile County, Alabama performed over 1900 surgeries this past year. The Project, which began in January 2005, is aimed at the pets of low-income residents. It's proved popular from the get-go, for pet lovers and veterinarians alike -- half of all veterinary hospitals in the county have enrolled.

Theodore Veterinary Clinic is far and away the surgery leader, tallying 363 surgeries in the first nine months alone (more than 25% of all surgeries). "I think the program is great," notes the Clinic's Dr. Carl Myers. "If it were not for Maddie, these folks just wouldn't get their pets spayed or neutered. In addition to decreasing the pet population, the spay/neuter visits give us a wonderful opportunity to educate, all the more important because many of these clients have never taken their pet to a clinic before."



December 16, 2005 - No Healthy Deaths for Second Month

The nine organizations comprising Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Maricopa County, Arizona, have completed two consecutive months (October and November) in which no healthy animals have been euthanized. "Making it through October was the first time a community our size (3 million population) ever accomplished this," explained Linda Branch-Dasch, Executive Director of the Arizona Animal Welfare League, the lead agency for Maddie's Project. "To make it through November as well encourages us that our long-term objective, saving all of the county's healthy and treatable shelter pets by 2012, is absolutely achievable."



December 9, 2005 - Moonlight Muttness and Meow -- Wow!

One hundred and seventy-nine homeless dogs and cats were adopted in just four hours at the recent Moonlight Muttness & Meow in Maricopa County, Arizona. Maddie's Pet Rescue Project organized the Adopt-a-thon, which was held at Animal Care and Control in Mesa. "We were overwhelmed by the incredible response of the community to this first time event," said Dr. Rodrigo Silva, Director, AC&C. "We had a long line of people waiting to check out our animals by the time the event began at 6 p.m, and it didn't subside until the event was over at 10 p.m." Nearly 4,000 people attended Moonlight Muttness which also offered free music, food and entertainment.



December 2, 2005 - Maddie's Hot Dogs and Cool Cats

"Maddie's Hot Dogs and Cool Cats," the first adoption event held by Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was definitely a success. Hundreds of pet lovers showed up at Tuscaloosa's Snow Hinton Park in spite of an overcast, blustery day. The three radio stations that did live remotes deserve much of the credit for the crowd. Even though two of the stations are in direct competition, they wanted to promote the event to help the animals, and with their help, twenty out of thirty homeless dogs and cats were adopted into loving new homes. Attendees also enjoyed good food, great music and the "Balloon Lady," who entertained children by making animals, hats and flowers from balloons.

November 16, 2005 - Lifesaving Success in Alachua County, Florida

Thanks to Maddie's Pet Rescue Project partners in Alachua County, Florida, only three healthy cats and dogs have died in Alachua County animal shelters since February 2005. Maddie's Fund salutes the Alachua County Humane Society, Alachua County Animal Services, Gainesville Pet Rescue, Haile's Angels Pet Rescue, Helping Hands Pet Rescue and Puppy Hill Farm for accomplishing this fantastic feat. Project partners have made huge strides towards achieving their goal of saving all healthy and treatable shelter animals community-wide.



November 3, 2005 - No Healthy Deaths in October

Maddie's^® Pet Rescue Project in Maricopa County, Arizona went the entire month of October with zero healthy shelter deaths! Maddie partners ramped up placements through adoption specials and by taking more dogs to community events and offsite adoption locations. The groups also started an "Adopt a Big Brown Dog" campaign. In addition, the partners established a rescue group phone tree at animal control as a safety net for healthy animals scheduled for euthanasia. This milestone accomplishment meets the Maddie's Fund requirement that groups achieve at least one month with no healthy deaths in the third project year. Three consecutive months are required in the fourth year.



October 14, 2005 - Cornell University Shelter Medicine Grant

Maddie's Fund has awarded Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine a $1.7 million grant to support a six-year shelter medicine program. The goal of Maddie's^® Shelter Medicine Program is to educate veterinarians and veterinary students in the field of animal shelter medicine to help achieve a no-kill society that guarantees a home for all healthy and treatable shelter pets.



September 30, 2005 - Working Behind the Scenes

In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Maddie's Fund continues to work behind the scenes on disaster relief issues. In addition to providing support for the new Animal Emergency Response Network made possible by Petfinder.com, Maddie's Fund and other national animal grant makers have been discussing how the funding community might assist with immediate and long-term rebuilding efforts. Further discussions will take place at the Grantmakers Annual Conference in November.

Maddie's Fund has also been involved in the American Bar Association's Animal Disaster Relief Network. Weekly meetings have addressed a variety of legal questions relating to disaster animal rescue. A Maddie's Fund contact from these meetings was able to persuade the Red Cross to add links from their website to Petfinder.com and other animal welfare organizations to better connect human and animal disaster resources. Maddie's Fund has also sent supplies and staff to the staging areas in Mississippi to provide hands on assistance with animal care.

Other groups, such as the Greg Biffle Foundation, are coming up with innovative ways to help out those afflicted by the hurricanes.



September 14, 2005 - Maddie's Fund Joins Collaborative Effort to Help Four-Legged Katrina Victims

Maddie's Fund, Petfinder.com and a coalition of animal welfare organizations are working together to help four-legged victims of Katrina through a newly created Animal Emergency Response Network.

The Network provides a database linking information from the public and emergency response organizations to rescuers, victims and volunteers so that Katrina pets can be located, reunited with their guardians, fostered or adopted. Collaborating groups include the American Humane Association, Humane Society of the United States, ASPCA, Best Friends Animal Society, LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, United Animal Nations (EARS), IFAW, Code 3 Associates and Alley Cat Allies.



September 8, 2005 - Maddie's at CHAMP

Maddie's Fund will be attending the Conference on Homeless Animal Management and Policy (CHAMP) in Anaheim, California, September
8 - 10. We'll be staffing a booth in the Exhibit Hall. Stop by for a visit!



September 2, 2005 - Dog and Camel Show in Phoenix

One of Maddie's Pet Rescue Project partners in Maricopa County, Arizona, has come up with a novel approach to getting shelter dogs adopted. Jeannene from Pause 4 Paws has started walking her camel with dogs looking for homes! She will soon be inviting other project partners to get in on the publicity action.

August 30, 2005 - Maddie at Scientific Conference

FIREPAW President Pam Frank, PhD, and Executive Director, Josh Frank, PhD, were at the recent International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ) Conference in Niagara Falls to present their paper, Cross-Program Statistical Analysis of Maddie's Fund Programs, an analysis of the impact of spay/neuter and adoption programs among Maddie's Fund projects. The talk was well-received by over 100 academicians.

Reports Josh, "There were four presentations in all, but most of the questions were about ours, and several people approached us afterwards. The entries for the conference were peer-reviewed by several anonymous reviewers. The number of papers submitted was far higher than the number of spots available, so it was a highly selective conference. We were told that our submission got one of the highest rankings of any received." The International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ) was formed in 1991 as a supportive organization for the scientific and scholarly study of human-animal interactions.



August 12, 2005 - Taking the County No-Kill

Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Lodi recently met with city officials in the neighboring town of Stockton to talk about working together to save more lives. Stockton officials were mightily impressed with Lodi's accomplishments and were also interested in incorporating the Asilomar Accords terminology and tables. After the meeting, the City Council approved the formation of a task force to make Stockton no-kill, with the long range goal of taking the entire county no-kill.



August 1, 2005 - Maddie at Broadway Barks 7!

Maddie joined Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore at the seventh annual BROADWAY BARKS!, a star-studded dog and cat adoptathon benefiting 24 groups participating in Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in New York City. Nearly 40 stars from hit Broadway shows like Spamalot, The Producers, Glengarry Glenn Ross and Chicago presented shelter dogs for adoption and encouraged the crowd to find the four legged love of their life at a local animal shelter. The event also featured a silent auction fundraiser with proceeds going to BROADWAY BARKS 7! participating shelters and organizations.

July 21, 2005 - Lodi Garden Tour Cultivates Funds

Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Lodi recently made big bucks with little effort, thanks to a garden tour fundraiser for Animal Friends Connection Humane Society. Three hundred visitors raised $6,000 by strolling through seven gorgeous gardens, including a wild jungle filled with peacocks, and a watery paradise with pond, stream and waterfall. "We're already interviewing more homes for next year," reports Animal Friends President, Pat Sherman.



July 15, 2005 - Dog and Cat Dayz of Summer

A Caribbean theme was the order of the day at the Dog and Cat Dayz of Summer adoption event hosted by Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Alachua County, Florida. Imported sand, beach chairs, umbrellas, Island music and limbo contests added flavor to the festivities. Best of all, 144 dogs, cats, puppies and kittens were adopted into new loving homes.

July 8, 2005 - No Deaths for Four Months

For four straight months (February 2005 to June 2005), Maddie's Pet Rescue Project Partners in Alachua County, Florida successfully prevented the euthanasia of any healthy shelter animals countywide. Congratulations to all of the project partners -- the Alachua County Humane Society, Alachua County Animal Services, Gainesville Pet Rescue, Haile's Angels Pet Rescue, Helping Hands Pet Rescue and Puppy Hill Farm -- for their impressive achievement.



June 28, 2005 - Maddie's Cat and Kitten Event

With temperatures soaring in the upper 90s, Maddie's Indoor Cat and Kitten Event, hosted by Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Maricopa County, Arizona, was held in the air conditioned Irish Cultural Center in downtown Phoenix. Sixty-five felines made the scene and thanks to a media blitz the week before, nearly one thousand cat lovers attended the event. Folks were directed to the activities inside by Maddie and her giant banner. At the end of the day, twenty cats and kittens found loving new homes.

June 17, 2005 - Maddie's Adoption Room Grand Opening

Local dignitaries helped Maddie cut the ceremonial ribbon as part of the Grand Opening of the new Maddie's Adoption Room at the Pets Supplies Plus store in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The store has graciously donated the room to Maddie's Pet Rescue Project to showcase dogs and cats from the Metro Animal Shelter. Of the fifty-one dogs and cats brought to Maddie's Adoption Room so far, thirty-five have found loving new homes. Maddie's Pet Rescue Project partners include West Alabama Animal Rescue, T-Town Paws, the Humane Society of West Alabama and the Metro Animal Shelter.

June 10, 2005 - Maddie's UC Davis Program Completed

Sheila Segurson, DVM, recently completed the three year Maddie's^® Shelter Medicine/Behavior Residency at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. During her residency, Dr. Segurson:

• counseled over 250 guardians, making recommendations for treatment of their pet's behavior problems
  
  
• presented over thirty lectures to veterinary students, the public, shelter workers and veterinarians
  
  
• provided consultations for ten different animal shelters
  
  
• took over a hundred veterinary students to shelters to learn about animal welfare issues
  
  
• contributed numerous articles to magazines, websites and newspapers
  
  
• conducted two research projects, one of which will soon be published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
  

Dr. Segurson plans to continue her studies at UC Davis to earn a PhD in epidemiology.



June 1, 2005 - Maddie Struts

Maddie lead the pack at the 10th annual Strut Your Mutt dog walk. The event, benefiting No More Homeless Pets in Utah, got underway in Salt Lake City's Sugarhouse Park on May 14th.

Thousands of people and pets showed up for the 1.5 mile stroll, raising nearly $25,000 to save Utah's shelter pets. Live music, dancing, contests and games rounded out the festivities.

May 13, 2005 - Maddie's Shelter Medicine Resident Announced

Auburn University's Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program has announced the selection of its first Maddie's Shelter Medicine Resident. Dr. Andrea Martinez is currently finishing her Masters degree at the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine. Once she comes on board in July, Dr. Martinez will develop expertise in the field of shelter medicine through a combination of clinical work and graduate study where she will focus on epidemiology, infectious disease control, behavioral care, surgery and shelter management, in addition to honing her skills in general medicine and surgery. She will also develop special knowledge regarding the legal, ethical and emotional aspects of shelter animal care. During the course of her residency, she will participate in the training of fourth year veterinary students in clinical aspects of shelter medicine and behavior and conduct a research project designed to improve the health of shelter pets, helping to advance scientific progress in shelter medicine.



May 5, 2005 - Adoption Guarantees in Twelve Utah Counties

No More Homeless Pets in Utah is working towards the day when all of the state's healthy and treatable shelter dogs and cats will be guaranteed a loving home. The coalition is making strides in that direction. Twelve out of twenty-nine Utah counties now have adoption guarantees in place—they have saved all of their healthy animals since December. Anyone surrendering a cat or dog to shelters in these counties has the assurance that if the pet is healthy, she or he will be saved.



April 29, 2005 - Maddie Inducted into Hall of Fame

"Maddie, beloved companion pet of Dave and Cheryl Duffield, has been named to the Alabama Pet Hall of Fame." The announcement was made at a recent Pet PawLoosa event in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. A plaque commemorating the honor was inscribed with the following: "As a model of friendship and devotion, Maddie gave rise to a foundation that bears her name. Through Maddie's Fund, the hope of greater animal welfare has been carried throughout the nation, the State of Alabama included, where Maddie has become the very symbol of a crusade to increase our communities' capacity for love of life."



April 19, 2005 - Maddie in Manhattan

Maddie was a big hit at the recent Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals pet adoption festival held at St. Paul the Apostle Church on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Seventy-five animals from NYC's shelters and rescue groups were available for adoption—cats inside, dogs outside. A big banner attracted many of the densely populated neighborhood's residents, but the real come-on was Maddie who flagged down passersby and schmoozed with people and pets alike. "The way people talked to Maddie, it was as if they knew her—she definitely had a lot of fans," commented Mayor's Alliance Communications Director, Steve Gruber.

April 6, 2005 - No Deaths for Two Months

No healthy cats or dogs have been killed in Alachua County shelters for the second straight month, thanks to the hardworking partners of Maddie's Pet Rescue Project. Coming on the heels of record adoptions at several agencies, the remarkable achievement in both February and March is gaining broad recognition. Commented Alachua County Commission Chair Cynthia Chestnut: "The County Commission is very pleased and proud of the results being attained with the help of Maddie's Fund."



March 28, 2005 - Adoption Events Rock!

Maddie's^® Pet Rescue Projects in Alachua County, Florida and Mobile, Alabama both held big adoption events recently. Oaks Mall in Gainesville hosted the Lucky Pets adoptathon in the spirit of Saint Patrick's Day. While Celtic bands played traditional Irish tunes, 135 dogs and cats jigged into loving new homes. Meanwhile, the Colonial Mall in Mobile hosted Kitten Kaboodles & Puppies, Too. Literally thousands of people joined Maddie and her four-legged friends, and 78 deserving pets went home with new families. Congratulations one and all!



March 17, 2005 - Maddie's^® Behavior Resident in JAVMA

University of California, Davis, Maddie's^® Shelter Medicine/Behavior Resident, Sheila Segurson, DVM, has had a paper accepted for publication in the esteemed Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Titled, "Evaluation of a Behavioral Assessment Questionnaire in Animal Shelters," the paper's objectives are to evaluate a behavioral intake questionnaire in animal shelters for the presence of biased results and to characterize behavior problems of dogs relinquished to shelters.



March 11, 2005 - Mobile City Council Gets an Earful

Disappointed that representatives from the Mobile City Council failed to show up at the kick-off of Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Mobile, Alabama, project leader Janine Woods took matters into her own hands. She scheduled time to go before the esteemed body and tell them about the project. All three rescue partners, the City of Mobile Animal Shelter, and three mixed-breed dogs made the visit with her. Just before they took the floor, a group of elementary school kids performed a rap song about heart health, which prompted one of the dogs to bark to the beat. Reprimanded the City Council President in jest, "please turn off all cell phones, pagers and dogs."



March 4, 2005 - First Recipient of Maddie's^® Excellence Award

The first Auburn University Maddie's^® Shelter Medicine Excellence Award was presented to senior student Whitney Lemarr at the recent Veterinary School Awards Night celebration.

The Maddie's Shelter Medicine Excellence Award is presented to a senior veterinary student who has developed a sustained interest in shelter medicine and who holds promise in advancing the practice of shelter medicine through his/her commitment to homeless animals and the no-kill philosophy. The award is given in recognition of the fact that veterinary leadership and innovation are critical to decreasing euthanasia of homeless animals. The $500 award was underwritten by a grant from Maddie's Fund.

Whitney's early interest in shelter medicine inspired her to volunteer at the local shelter and then serve as a shelter medicine summer fellow after her freshman year. In addition to her veterinary studies, Whitney has helped produce a feral cat video for veterinarians and assisted with dachshund rescue.



February 25, 2005 - Atlanta Bound

Maddie's Fund President Rich Avanzino will soon be off to Atlanta to speak at HSUS's Animal Care Expo, April 6-9. Rich would be delighted to meet with animal welfare collaborations that have completed a Maddie's Fund Preliminary Application. To download an application, click here. To set up a meeting with Rich, call 510-337-8989.



February 9, 2005 - NYC's Mayor Acknowledges Maddie

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a press conference in City Hall today to acknowledge the Maddie's Fund gift of $15.5 million to help New York become a no-kill city within ten years. To read more, click here.



February 3, 2005 - Maddie's Keynote

Sunday may mean the Super Bowl for some people, but for Bay Area shelters it's the date for The Business of Saving Lives, a one-day conference hosted by Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation in Walnut Creek, California. 150 have signed up to hear speakers address such topics as "Success through Collaboration Strategies," "Shelter Wellness," and "Cost Effective Fundraising." Speakers will include Kate Hurley, DVM, from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine; Diane Allevato, Executive Director of the Marin Humane Society; and Glenn Howell, Director of Contra Costa Animal Services. Maddie's Fund President Rich Avanzino will give the keynote address.



January 25, 2005 - Maddie's in New York

Maddie's Fund has awarded nearly $2 million to support the first year of Maddie's Pet Rescue and Maddie's Spay/Neuter Projects in New York City. As goals are achieved, Maddie's Fund will provide New York's animal welfare groups and veterinarians with up to $15.5 million to end the killing of healthy and treatable shelter dogs and cats within ten years.



January 18, 2005 - Mobile Kick-Off

Two new Maddie's Fund projects, Maddie's Pet Rescue and Maddie's Spay/Neuter Projects in Mobile, Alabama, kicked off their effort to save all of Mobile's healthy and treatable shelter dogs and cats with a press event last week. Maddie herself was in attendance, along with Project Coordinator Janine Woods and Maddie's Fund Field Representative, Lynne Fridley.

January 11, 2005 - Maddie's Shelter Medicine in High Gear

Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program at Auburn University is starting the New Year with a roar. The Maddie's Elective Shelter Medicine Rotation started January 5th. Elective classes, "Shelter Medicine: Behavioral Considerations" and "Working with Feral Cats in Practice" have also started--and both classes are full. Maddie lectures in Public Health, Veterinary Medicine and the Law, and Physical Diagnosis courses are also scheduled for January. Very exciting!



December 15, 2004 - Maddie's at North American Veterinary Conference

Maddie's Fund President Rich Avanzino and Maddie's Fund Veterinary Consultant Dr. Laurie Peek will speak at the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, Florida on January 11th. In a session titled "Opportunities for Veterinarians through Maddie's Fund," Rich and Laurie will describe the Foundation's work with private practice veterinarians, who play a critical role in helping to reach the no-kill nation goal. The five-day Conference offers an enormous array of continuing education opportunities. This year, more than 350 speakers will present over 1,200 scientific sessions, 40 wet labs and 80 master classes.



December 1, 2004 - Big Honor for Project Leader

Patricia Sherman, President of Animal Friends Connection Humane Society, lead agency of Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Lodi, just passed along word of something very special. Writes Patricia: "I am honored that the Mayor of Lodi has chosen me as a recipient of the Mayors Community Service Award. Only two citizens are chosen each year. Maddie's Fund and the work it has allowed us to do is certainly a big factor in my selection." The Town Council will preside over the award ceremony. Congratulations, Pat!



November 2004 - New Veterinary School Grants

Maddie's Fund has revised its grant guidelines to give colleges of veterinary medicine more opportunities to apply for shelter medicine funding. The foundation is adding new segmented grants for teaching and research, coursework, seminars, externships and individual research projects to involve more universities in the field of shelter medicine. For more information, click here.



November 11, 2004 - New Job Opening

Alachua County Humane Society (ACHS), lead agency for Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Alachua County, Florida, is seeking a new Executive Director. ACHS is located in Gainesville, a progressive North Florida community selected as the #1 Place to Live in the US by Money Magazine in 1995. To read the entire job description, click here.



November 2, 2004 - Maddie at Southern Leadership Conference

Maddie's Fund Field Representative Lynne Fridley will be on two panels at the upcoming Southern Regional Leadership Conference in New Orleans, November 11-14. Sponsored by Spay USA, the conference will focus strictly on pet population control. In Lynne's first session, Blast Through the Barriers: How to Talk to Anyone About Spay/Neuter, she and Linda Chitwood from Mississippi will describe ways to get past objections to spay/neuter. Lynne will also be on another panel, Foundations that Help with Spay/Neuter Projects.



October 23, 2004 - Gainesville's Parade of Pets

Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Alachua County, Florida held a Parade of Pets adoption event on October 10th and found loving new homes for thirty-nine deserving animals. The five hour adoptathon drew a big turnout, thanks to great media coverage by three newspapers and two television stations.

October 15, 2004 - Maddie's at Michigan Conference

Maddie's Fund President Rich Avanzino will be the keynote speaker at Michigan's Animal Welfare Conference in Detroit on October 15th. Rich will speak about the need for collaboration among animal welfare organizations, then participate in a panel discussion, "Collaboration and Partnerships: Working Together for the Good of the Animals." The Conference is hosted by the Michigan Humane Society.



October 6, 2004 - Maddie Makes Auburn's Football Program

A full page spread on Maddie and Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program at Auburn University was featured in the September 25th issue of Auburn Football Illustrated, the game-day magazine of the 3rd ranked Auburn Tigers. It's quite a coup to get so much publicity in such a widely read magazine. Go Tigers!

September 14, 2004 - 354 Super Adoptions

354 deserving dogs and cats were adopted into loving new homes at the No More Homeless Pets in Utah (NMHPU) Super Adoption held in Salt Lake City September 10-12. Participating shelters had very few puppies to showcase at the event. As a result, adoptions were lower than usual, but many more adult animals were placed. NMHPU wrote the book on creating these extraordinarily successful events—literally! To get a copy, click here.



September 2, 2004 - New Executive Director

Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Maricopa County, Arizona, has hired a new Executive Director. Linda Blackburn is an attorney with an animal welfare background. Her most recent experience was in the Arizona Attorney General's Office—but she's also been Executive Director of the no-kill Humane Society of Pulaski County in Arkansas. "In addition to her animal experience, she's articulate, a good writer, and has great facilitating and strategic management skills. She was selected unanimously by our coalition," said Betty Welton, CEO and President of the Project's lead agency, the Arizona Animal Welfare League.



August 13, 2004 - Maddie's at CHAMP

Maddie's Fund will be attending the Conference on Homeless Animal Management and Policy (CHAMP) in Orlando, Florida, August 19-22. We'll be staffing booth #42 in the Exhibit Hall. Stop by for a visit -- we'd love to chat!



August 6, 2004 - Gainesville Visit

Maddie's Fund was asked by the Alachua County Director of Public Works to send a representative to evaluate the services and programs at Alachua County Animal Services. Lynne Fridley, Maddie's Fund Field Representative who has over two decades of animal control experience, went to Gainesville and spent several days at Animal Services conducting interviews, assessing programs and services and riding with Animal Service Officers.

Reported Fridley, "The staff, animal control officers, office personnel and supervisors were very friendly and helpful in providing information and opinions. Shelter personnel have a deep dedication to animal welfare and to the animals in their care. Management is interested in providing the best possible animal control services to the public while establishing a sense of trust, commitment, and caring among the employees, volunteers and the other partners in Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Alachua County. There are some issues that will need to be addressed to achieve the level of service that is desired, but management and staff are dedicated to incorporating these suggestions and recommendations."



July 28, 2004 - Maddie's^® Summer Fellow

Auburn University's Maddie's Summer Fellowship Program provides freshman and sophomore veterinary students with opportunities for in-depth learning about homeless pets, shelter medicine, and non-lethal strategies for pet population control. This year's Maddie's Summer Fellow, Lauren Sims, has already sent a questionnaire to all Alabama shelters (over 150 of them) to find out which medical services they currently provide. The freshman veterinary student is also working on a research project. She is collecting stool samples from the no-kill Muscogee County Humane Society (one of two core shelters) to look for coccidia, and is assessing new treatments for this protozoan parasite, a common cause of diarrhea in shelter puppies and kittens.



July 21, 2004 - Maddie's^® Shelter Medicine Program at Auburn University

Maddie's Fund has awarded $250,000 to support the first year of Maddie's^® Shelter Medicine Program at Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Funding is expected to continue over six years, for a total of $1.5 million. Auburn University has just launched its own Maddie's^® Shelter Medicine website at www.aumaddiessheltermedicine.org.



July 14, 2004 - Maddie's Media Blitz

Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Alachua County, Florida, recently held a "Make Maddie's Day" event to increase community awareness about the project's goal of ending the killing of shelter animals. The Mayor and two County Commissioners kicked off the event that also featured the unveiling of the Maddie's Pet Rescue Project Goal Boards, special event cakes, plus a band, juggler, mime, stilt walker, unicyclist and face painter (pictures below). The media did its bit to get the word out. The affair was featured on TV news programs, in radio interviews, ads and remotes, and in print op-eds, articles and editorials.

July 6, 2004 - Shelter Veterinarians Compare Notes

The Arizona Animal Welfare League (AAWL), no-kill lead agency for Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Maricopa County, Arizona, recently broadened its longstanding Animal Health Committee to include all Pet Rescue Project shelter veterinarians. Headed by AAWL veterinarian Dr. Kathleen Hoffman, the meetings allow medical staff to compare notes and share information about disease conditions, treatment modalities and current problems in the various shelters. "The animals in our shelters are often transferred from organization to organization. As a result, medical conditions are not limited to a particular organization but are really community-wide issues. That is why this Committee is so necessary and so important," said AAWL President & CEO Betty Welton. Participants include doctors and medical staff from Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Sun Valley Animal Shelter, the Arizona Humane Society and the AAWL. The group currently meets every two months.



June 28, 2004 - Governor Admits Mistake

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has admitted his mistake in proposing a budget cut that would have shortened the holding period of dogs and cats at California animal shelters. Such an action would have repealed the 1998 Hayden Law. Maddie's Fund has detailed the various provisions of the Hayden Law and recently posted a Hayden Law update. Both articles were written by UCLA Law Professor, Taimie Bryant, Ph.D.



June 23, 2004 - Maddie's at ACCD Conference

Maddie's Fund President Rich Avanzino will be Keynote Speaker at this year's International Symposium on Non-Surgical Methods for Pet Population Control. The meeting will bring the scientific community and sheltering professionals together to explore new technologies for sterilizing pets without surgery. Sponsored by the Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs, the three-day meeting will be held in Breckenridge, Colorado, June 24-27.



June 21, 2004 - Year Five Kick-Off

On June 25th, coalition partners from far and wide will gather in Salt Lake City to celebrate No More Homeless Pets in Utah's first four years of accomplishment, and to kick-off Year Five of the Maddie's Fund grant. "Utah has a great lifesaving record that any single organization would be proud of," commented Maddie's Fund President, Rich Avanzino. "But in this case, an entire coalition has met their combined goals, not just for one year but for four. It's truly an exceptional performance."



June 8, 2004 - "Building Bridges for Animal Welfare"

Maddie's Fund Field Representative, Lynne Fridley, was a featured speaker at the 30th Annual Southeast Animal Care & Control Conference held June 2nd through 4th in Columbus, Georgia. The theme of this year's conference was "Building Bridges for Animal Welfare," which was also the topic of Lynne's presentation to the general assembly. One hundred people representing animal control, traditional shelters and no-kill organizations attended the address. An open atmosphere prevailed, with attendees exploring collaboration and networking in an effort to lay a foundation of mutual trust and respect.

Lynne also gave a presentation on Shelter Do's and Don'ts, highlighting the innovative services and programs of the Tompkins County SPCA and Richmond SPCA. The feedback from attendees was very positive. Many were motivated to implement the skills they had learned in their own communities.



May 20, 2004 - 450 Super Adoptions

Nearly 450 deserving dogs and cats were adopted into loving new homes at the recent No More Homeless Pets in Utah (NMHPU) Super Adoption held in Salt Lake City. In addition to one thousand pets seeking homes, the three day event featured live bands, free grooming and a bake sale. NMHPU wrote the book on creating these extraordinarily successful events—literally! To get a copy, click here.



May 12, 2004 - Bowling for Pets

Maddie's Pet Rescue Project in Lodi scored a strike with their recent Bowling for Pets fundraiser. The event generated $9,000 from one hundred pledge-gathering participants. Bowlers got free pizza, bowling shoe rental, t-shirts and the satisfaction of helping Lodi's homeless and abandoned animals. Pat Sherman, Executive Director of Lodi's Animal Friends Connection, was especially pleased that at least 50% of those who gave were first time donors. Says Pat, "This event was a great way to have fun and reach a whole new segment of the population with our message."



May 6, 2004 - Shelter Medicine Text Now Available

Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians and Staff, the first textbook of its kind, is now in print. The book includes sections on Animal Shelters and Their Functions; Husbandry; Disease Management; Shelter and Community Programs; and Animal Cruelty. UC Davis Maddie's Shelter Medicine veterinarian Dr. Kate Hurley authored two chapters: Disease Recognition and Diagnostic Testing and Implementing a Population Health Plan in an Animal Shelter. Maddie's Shelter Medicine's Dr. Janet Foley and Michael Bannasch authored Infectious Diseases of Dogs and Cats. To purchase this outstanding resource, visit Blackwell Publishing.



April 29, 2004 - Maddie's at Southeastern Animal Care & Control Conference

Maddie's Fund Field Representative Lynne Fridley will be a featured speaker at the upcoming Southeastern Animal Care and Control Conference in Columbus, Georgia, June 2-4. Lynne will cover "Grant Writing" and "Shelter Do's & Don'ts" in breakout sess