Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 19 minutes ago
Our speakers
Dr. Emily Weiss, Applied Animal Behaviorist, EWC Inc.
Dr. Mike Greenberg, DVM, Co-founder and Chief Veterinary Officer, Petszel
An Analysis of 22,000 post-adoption follow-up surveys
Understanding the early post-adoption experience is critical to supporting animal welfare, strengthening the human–animal bond, and improving shelter practices. While most adopters report high satisfaction, behavioral and care-related challenges are common. Drs. Weiss and Greenburg will share about their recently published study that used the Petszel platform to evaluate early post-adoption outcomes across more than 22,000 dog and cat adopters from 112 shelters and rescue organizations.
Key Takeaways:
• Just because people say "everything is going well" after an adoption doesn't mean that everything is perfect.
• Detailed and subtle questions are required to really understand how things are going in the post-adoption period
• A relatively high proportion of adopters are seeking and engaging with veterinary care in the first weeks following adoption
This session is especially relevant for adoptions and foster staff & volunteers, return to home & intake prevention staff, behavior staff & volunteers, marketing & communications staff and the kitties - but all are welcome!
To comment or ask more questions about this meeting, please visit https://maddies.fund/communityconversations3226
About Community Conversations, hosted by Maddie’s Fund: When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, animal sheltering transformed overnight. Foster-based sheltering, home-based employees and volunteers, along with collaboration galvanized our communities. The pandemic, along with social injustice, has motivated our industry to look at how we partner with our communities and confront our own biases. Shelter and rescue staff across the country began talking on a weekly basis, offering support and innovative ideas to do things differently. To learn more about these calls, visit forum.maddiesfund.org/communityconversations
Chapters
00:00 Welcome, Question of the Day
00:04 Presentation
Our speakers
Dr. Emily Weiss, Applied Animal Behaviorist, EWC Inc.
Dr. Mike Greenberg, DVM, Co-founder and Chief Veterinary Officer, Petszel
An Analysis of 22,000 post-adoption follow-up surveys
Understanding the early post-adoption experience is critical to supporting animal welfare, strengthening the human–animal bond, and improving shelter practices. While most adopters report high satisfaction, behavioral and care-related challenges are common. Drs. Weiss and Greenburg will share about their recently published study that used the Petszel platform to evaluate early post-adoption outcomes across more than 22,000 dog and cat adopters from 112 shelters and rescue organizations.
Key Takeaways:
• Just because people say "everything is going well" after an adoption doesn't mean that everything is perfect.
• Detailed and subtle questions are required to really understand how things are going in the post-adoption period
• A relatively high proportion of adopters are seeking and engaging with veterinary care in the first weeks following adoption
This session is especially relevant for adoptions and foster staff & volunteers, return to home & intake prevention staff, behavior staff & volunteers, marketing & communications staff and the kitties - but all are welcome!
To comment or ask more questions about this meeting, please visit https://maddies.fund/communityconversations3226
About Community Conversations, hosted by Maddie’s Fund: When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, animal sheltering transformed overnight. Foster-based sheltering, home-based employees and volunteers, along with collaboration galvanized our communities. The pandemic, along with social injustice, has motivated our industry to look at how we partner with our communities and confront our own biases. Shelter and rescue staff across the country began talking on a weekly basis, offering support and innovative ideas to do things differently. To learn more about these calls, visit forum.maddiesfund.org/communityconversations
Chapters
00:00 Welcome, Question of the Day
00:04 Presentation
