Webinar Recap: Mobilizing Foster Care – Unlocking the Power of Community-Based Support - Shelter Animals Count
18Jun’25
Webinar Recap: Mobilizing Foster Care – Unlocking the Power of Community-Based Support
This webinar was featured as part of our Unlocking Animal Data Series, powered by Hill’s Pet Nutrition.
In the latest installment of the Unlocking Animal Data webinar series, experts from across the country came together to share a truly inspirational discussion on what’s working in foster care—and how data is driving better outcomes for pets and people alike. The discussion focused on moving beyond traditional foster models to innovative, community-focused solutions that meet today’s urgent sheltering needs.
Panelists:
Stephanie Filer, Executive Director, Shelter Animals Count
Tori Fugate, Director of Communications, Shelter Animals Count
Courtney Suthoff, Director of Shelter and External Communications, Hill’s Pet Nutrition
Ashliegh Goebel, Manager of Volunteer Engagement, Arizona Humane Society
Audrey Gowey, CAWA, Senior Manager of Animal Care & Experience, Behavior, and Pet Training at Arizona Humane Society
Leah Craig Chumbley, Executive Director, Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
Sara Groce, Director of Programs, Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
Megan Malek, Senior Foster & Volunteer Coordinator, Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
Highlights:
Shelter Animals Count: National Foster Trends and Data Insights
Presenters: Stephanie Filer and Tori Fugate, Shelter Animals Count
- SAC’s latest foster data shows a shift: government shelters are increasing foster use, while foster-based rescues are declining in foster counts.
- + This analysis is based on end-of-month foster counts from January 2023-December 2024
- + Kitten season is here and the 2024 data from SAC shows that while intake of kittens 0-8 weeks old peak in May, the surge for juveniles 8 weeks to 5 months old starts in June and peaks in July
- + Fostering continues to be a central and important key to shelter strategy and live outcomes for pets, and programs continue to evolve to meet the needs of their communities
Hill’s Pet Nutrition: Public Attitudes & the Foster Gap
Presenter: Courtney Suthoff
- + Only 1 in 10 people have fostered, but nearly 70% say they’re interested.
- + The biggest barriers to people signing up to foster? Lack of awareness and fear of attachment.
- + Many assume fostering is financially burdensome or emotionally too difficult—even though most shelters cover all costs and offer full support.
- + Hill’s emphasized the need to lower the barrier to entry with short-term options and clear, supportive messaging.
Arizona Humane Society: Dog Day Out as a Data-Driven Game Changer
Presenters: Audrey Gowey & Ashliegh Goebel
AHS launched their Dog Day Out program in early 2024. Since then:
- + Over 782 dogs have gone on 1,800+ outings. They’ve had more than 3,000 community members sign up to participate.
- + 21% were adopted within 48 hours of their first field trip.
- + The average dog goes on 2.5 trips, and length of stay drops significantly after just one.
- + Their program is built on low-barrier participation, targeted data collection, and ongoing system optimization using volunteer feedback and shelter software integration.
- A key tip: You don’t need to start big—just start. Even a single-day field trip can have major impact. During the webinar they shared advice on starting the program, growing pains they’ve gone through, technology they use, and how dogs are being impacted by the program.
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue: Fostering Through Crisis
Presenters: Leah Craig Chumbley, Sara Groce, and Megan Malik
When Hurricane Helene threatened their facility in 2024, the team from Brother Wolf Animal Rescue put out a call to the community and the results were remarkable. Within 2 hours, all 150 animals from their facility were placed into foster homes, hours before the storm devastated their facilities.
Their emergency response included:
+ Streamlined intake and orientation—getting fosters out the door in 15 minutes or less.
+ Effective messaging for social media, email, and local news to quickly raise awareness that support was needed.
+ A strong foundation of trust and communication with the community before the crisis hit as well as collaboration between organizations across the state.
Two-thirds of the animals impacted went to brand-new foster homes—many of whom stayed engaged beyond the emergency as they continue to rebuild.
Key Takeaways
- + Foster programs must evolve to keep up with intake numbers and longer lengths of stay—especially for dogs.
- + Short-term, accessible foster options like Dog Day Out are engaging new volunteers and reducing shelter strain.
- + Crisis fostering works best when planned ahead—clear procedures, collaboration, ready-to-go communication, and open access are essential.
- + Data collection is critical: the most successful programs are tracking participation, pet behavior, outcomes, and community engagement in real time.
Resources:
Up Next in the Unlocking Animal Data Series
Register today for our next webinar in our series on Wednesday, August 27th at 2:00pm EST / 11am PST. This session will be focused on the latest data from Shelter Animals Count and the State of the Shelter Report findings from Hill's Pet Nutrition. This series is presented by Shelter Animals Count and powered by Hill's Pet Nutrition.