MAC Presents: All About Dogs
“CREATIVE IDEAS FOR FOSTER CARE”
Presentations and Handouts
October 29, 2017
(Originally scheduled for January 8th and then January 15th)
About the meeting:
Medium and large adult dogs are still one of the most at-risk groups in shelters, and many struggle with dogs that display behavioral challenges such as kennel stress, lack of socialization and barrier reactivity. In this workshop we’ll discuss how the results of a two-year study of behavioral fostering can be leveraged to increase lifesaving in your organization.
This Fairfax County, Virginia study placed 52 medium and large dogs at risk of euthanasia for behavioral reasons in foster homes and followed these dogs for up to 18 months post adoption. 90% of these dogs not only made it out the front door, but became beloved family members. The results of the study, and the creative foster methods it utilized, illustrate how to push the limits of fostering in order to save more lives.
This workshop, based on the Medium and Large Adult Dog Foster Apprenticeships at Austin Animal Center, will teach participants to create and manage a comprehensive adult dog foster program. Lessons include combining volunteer and foster programs to increase capacity; choosing dogs for program inclusion; identifying and training foster families; building a behavioral support program through foster; marketing program dogs; and providing foster and adopter support. You can download the manuals that support the program below.
Our Speaker: 
In 2013, Kelly Duer and her family took home their first behavioral foster dog from the Fairfax County Animal Shelter. Since then, she has fostered over 60 of these dogs while training others how to become adult dog fosters and implement foster programs for adult dogs.
Kelly is the Foster Expansion Coordinator for a national study of foster care for medium and large dogs with long shelter stays. She also manages the Maddie’s Medium and Large Adult Dog Foster Apprenticeships at AAC, which brings shelter leaders from across the country to Austin, Texas to learn how to implement foster programs for adult dogs.
Kelly is the founding president of Fairfax County Animal Advocates and is an advisory board member for NOVA Pets Alive, organizations that were created to improve animal welfare in Fairfax County and help shelters in the state of Virginia to save more lives. Her work has been featured in Animal Sheltering magazine, the Huffington Post, Best Friends magazine, BarkPost, BuzzFeed, and on HuffPost Live and Fox News. Kelly has presented at various conferences including the Best Friends National Conference and HSUS Animal Care Expo.
MAC thanks the following sponsors of All About Dogs: