Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
To earn a certificate of attendance for continuing education credit, please view this webinar on Maddie's University: university.maddiesfund.org/products/navigating-behavior-returns-risk-and-humane-outcomes-on-demand
This presentation is part of Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection, monthly webcasts about pet behavior - supporting pets in our community and animal shelters.
Host: Dr. Sheila Segurson, Director of Shelter Solutions at Maddie’s Fund
Speaker: Stacy Price, Chief Operating Officer of One Tail at a Time
This session will explore the complex realities of accepting adoption returns for dogs exhibiting challenging or dangerous behavior. While our goal is always to keep adopted animals in homes, there are times when a return is requested and the shelter environment may not be in the dog’s best interest—or safe for staff and volunteers. We’ll walk through how to guide adopters through private rehoming when appropriate, the questions we ask before accepting a behaviorally complex return, and how we incorporate professional assessments into our decision-making. The session will also cover how we provide compassionate support and clear guidance when behavioral euthanasia is the most humane option. Finally, we’ll examine how to communicate transparently with staff, fosters, and volunteers while centering safety, quality of life, and organizational sustainability.
Key Takeaways:
- Learn how to assess behavioral risk while balancing animal welfare, public safety, and staff/volunteer well-being.
- Understand how to navigate difficult conversations about return, risk, and humane euthanasia with clarity and empathy.
- Gain tools for fostering internal alignment and supporting emotionally invested team members through hard decisions.
To access the resources from this call or to ask questions of our speaker, visit https://maddies.fund/BehaviorConnectionMarch2026
About Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection:
Join us on the fourth Thursday of every month as we talk about dog and cat behavior - supporting pets in our community and animal shelters. Each month, we hear from speakers about topics of interest to our group, such as behavior medications, modifying animal behavior, assessing and improving animal welfare, and how organizations successfully provide behavior support to dogs and cats.
All recordings and resources shared during the webcast will also be available on discussion threads posted on Maddie's Pet Forum - forum.maddiesfund.org/monthlybehaviorconnection
To earn a certificate of attendance for continuing education credit, please view this webinar on Maddie's University: university.maddiesfund.org/products/navigating-behavior-returns-risk-and-humane-outcomes-on-demand
This presentation is part of Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection, monthly webcasts about pet behavior - supporting pets in our community and animal shelters.
Host: Dr. Sheila Segurson, Director of Shelter Solutions at Maddie’s Fund
Speaker: Stacy Price, Chief Operating Officer of One Tail at a Time
This session will explore the complex realities of accepting adoption returns for dogs exhibiting challenging or dangerous behavior. While our goal is always to keep adopted animals in homes, there are times when a return is requested and the shelter environment may not be in the dog’s best interest—or safe for staff and volunteers. We’ll walk through how to guide adopters through private rehoming when appropriate, the questions we ask before accepting a behaviorally complex return, and how we incorporate professional assessments into our decision-making. The session will also cover how we provide compassionate support and clear guidance when behavioral euthanasia is the most humane option. Finally, we’ll examine how to communicate transparently with staff, fosters, and volunteers while centering safety, quality of life, and organizational sustainability.
Key Takeaways:
- Learn how to assess behavioral risk while balancing animal welfare, public safety, and staff/volunteer well-being.
- Understand how to navigate difficult conversations about return, risk, and humane euthanasia with clarity and empathy.
- Gain tools for fostering internal alignment and supporting emotionally invested team members through hard decisions.
To access the resources from this call or to ask questions of our speaker, visit https://maddies.fund/BehaviorConnectionMarch2026
About Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection:
Join us on the fourth Thursday of every month as we talk about dog and cat behavior - supporting pets in our community and animal shelters. Each month, we hear from speakers about topics of interest to our group, such as behavior medications, modifying animal behavior, assessing and improving animal welfare, and how organizations successfully provide behavior support to dogs and cats.
All recordings and resources shared during the webcast will also be available on discussion threads posted on Maddie's Pet Forum - forum.maddiesfund.org/monthlybehaviorconnection
