March 2018 by Kristen Auerbach, Monica Frenden, Mike Ryan

Audience: Executive Leadership, Public, Shelter/Rescue Staff & Volunteers

Video Length: 48 Minutes

Shelter Pet Marketing is Not Adoption Counseling

We, animal welfare advocates, tend to try to do a lot of things at once. This is one area that we need to slow down and take it one step at a time. Marketing, unless it is for a pharmaceutical that requires a laundry list of possible side effects, is about putting your best foot forward.

Since pets don't know how to market, they need you to be the savviest marketer around to save their lives and give people the opportunity to fall in love. Come learn what works!

This presentation was recorded at the 2018 American Pets Alive! Conference.

About Kristen Auerbach

Kristen was formerly the deputy chief animal services officer at the Austin Animal Center in Austin, Texas. The Austin Animal Center is a national leader in no-kill animal sheltering, saving more than 94 percent of the 18,000 animals that came through its doors last year. Since 2011, Austin has been the largest no-kill city in America.

Kristen previously served as the assistant director at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter in Fairfax, Virginia, where she helped to overturn pit bull adoption restrictions, double adoptions and cut euthanasia in half, bringing Fairfax County to no-kill. During her tenure, she implemented dog play groups, a comprehensive in-shelter enrichment program for cats and dogs, and lifesaving foster programs.

Kristen presents and writes regularly on a variety of subjects, including breed labeling, reduction of shelter intake, innovative foster care and social media for animal welfare leadership. Her efforts have been featured in numerous national publications and websites, such as Animal Sheltering magazine, the Huffington Post, BarkPost, the Dodo and Buzzfeed, and on TV networks, including CNN, Fox and ABC.


About Monica Frenden

Monica Frenden noticed the stark lack of resources for community cats in rural Illinois and decided to do something about it. In 2008, Monica founded a trap-neuter-return organization that sterilized thousands of cats. To further reduce euthanasia, she pioneered one of the nation's first, and largest, barn cat programs.

In 2012, Monica moved to Texas and joined Austin Pets Alive! where she serves as Cat Program Manager. Since 2012, Monica has led her team to a 40% growth in cat adoptions, helped Austin achieve a citywide 98% live release rate for cats, and oversees the adoption and care of nearly 4,000 cats each year. Her passion for improving the country's sheltering systems for cats and love of sassy cats helps save even the most challenging of felines.


About Mike Ryan

Mike Ryan has been photographing dogs in shelters since 2012 (mainly at the Ramapo Bergen Animal Refuge) and came to Austin Pets Alive in 2015 and became Dog Marketing Manager in 2016.