December 2016

Audience: Executive Leadership, Foster Caregivers, Public, Shelter/Rescue Staff & Volunteers, Veterinary Team

Video Length: 13 minutes

Austin Pets Alive! and Austin Animal Center Medium or Large Adult Dog Foster Program

Do you have problems finding adopters or foster homes for medium or large adult dogs? Want to learn more about how to successfully use a foster care program to help get these dogs out of the shelter, into a foster home, and on their way to finding their adoptive home? Here some insights into how Austin Pets Alive! and Austin Animal Center has successfully utilized foster homes to help this population of dogs find their forever homes. After viewing these videos make sure to check out all the extra resources Austin Animal Center has provided to help you located in the resource section of this page. Watch the presentation above.

Innovative Fostering: How to Save More Dogs with Behavioral Challenges

Has your shelter struggled to achieve live outcomes for dogs who display common behavioral challenges like kennel stress, barrier reactivity and fear-based aggression? Would you like to turn that situation around and achieve permanent live outcomes for more than 90% of them?

A behavioral foster study in Fairfax County, Virginia, did just that over a two-year period by placing 52 medium and large dogs at risk of euthanasia for behavioral reasons in foster homes.

Whether you're a volunteer, rescuer or shelter worker, you'll be surprised at the study findings when researchers followed up with these dogs' adopters six to eighteen months after their adoption. The study results will change your thinking on behavioral assessments and show you how to push the limits of fostering in order to save more lives.

Watch the webcast here