Looking back at our timeline, we reflect on the amazing breadth of innovative solutions created and implemented, thanks to you, to help keep companions and animals together.
Let's celebrate 30 years and beyond!
#ThanksFromMaddie
#MaddiesFund30Years!
1986
- A Miniature Schnauzer named Maddie was born
1994
- Duffield Family Foundation (Maddie’s Fund) Established
1997
- First Maddie's® Pet Adoption Center opened at the San Francisco SPCA
1999
- First Spay & Neuter Project with 54 California County Veterinary Medical Associations launched
2000
- Maddie's® Pet Rescue Project Utah, First Maddie's® Community Collaborative Projects
2001
- First Maddie's® Shelter Medicine Program, University of California, Davis
2004
- Asilomar Accords Established, First Common Definition and Standard Reporting Shelter Statistics for Data & Transparency
2005
- First Shelter Medicine Behavior Resident Graduates, Dr. Sheila Segurson from University of California, Davis’ Maddie's® Shelter Medicine Program
- Maddie's® Tail Wag Published, Humane Education Activity Book authored and illustrated by Dr. Laurie Peek
2007
- Gulf Coast Project: A Joint Project of Maddie’s Fund and the Humane Society of the United States, Social Marketing Project To Overcome Barriers To Spay/Neuter, Completed in 2008
2008
- First Maddie's® Targeted Spay/Neuter Project, Four States Over 14,000 Surgeries In One Year
2009
- First Animal-related Ad Council Public Service Campaigns Established by Maddie’s Fund and the Humane Society of the United States: The Shelter Pet Project/Pets and People Together, concluded 2023.
2010
- First-of-Its-Kind Five-Year Multi-State Free Adoption Event Established, Maddie's® Pet Adoption Days, Over 31,000 Pets Adopted in Community-Wide Collaborations in 591 Cities in Nine States
2011
- Maddie's® Institute Shelter Medicine Webcasts, First Non-Veterinary Organization to Offer the American Association of Veterinary State Board’s Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) Credit For Ongoing Shelter Medicine Education
2012
- Maddie's® Treatable Assistance Program Supporting Adoptions of Senior and/or Medically Treatable Shelter Dogs and Cats, concluded in 2014
- One of the Original Funders of Shelter Animals Count National Database
2014
- Million Cat Challenge/Maddie's® Million Pet Challenge Launched, Joint Project of University of California, Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program and the Maddie's® Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida
- Shelter Medicine Changes Everything Campaign Launched; Shelter Medicine: The Past, Present and Future of Saving Animals’ Lives Documentary and Advertising Pilot Project, completed in 2017
2015
- Maddie’s Fund President Rich Avanzino Retires and Maddie’s Fund Executive Leadership Team Named; Amy Zeifang, Dr. Laurie Peek and Mary Ippoliti-Smith
2016
- Avanzino Leadership Award Established; In 2021, Dr. Lila Miller, Mother of Shelter Medicine named Avanzino Leadership Award Recipient
- First-of-Its-Kind "I Speak Cat” Feline Communications Course Launched
- Maddie’s Executive Leader Fellowship Program Introduced, concludes in 2019
- Portraits of Hope Animal Shelter Revitalization Public Art Project in Los Angeles County
- Prestigious Maddie Hero Awards launched
2017
- Access to Veterinary Care Research; Access to Veterinary Care: Barriers, Current Practices and Public Policy study and development of AlignCare
- First-of-Its-Kind Foster Care Market Research Study, Consumer Edition
- Maddie’s Fund Commits $1M to Support Disaster Relief Efforts due to Hurricane Harvey
- Maddie's® Pet Forum, Online Community for Animal Well-being Audience Launched
- Maddie's® University, Online Learning Management System Established
2018
- First-of-its-Kind Challenge Grants Originated with National Partners; 2022 Open Arms Challenge to Initiate and Expand Open and Inclusive Practices
- Maddie’s Fund Participates in Spay-A-Thon for Puerto Rico Project in Partnership with the Humane Society of the United States
- Maddie's® Shelter Medicine Internship and Externship Programs initiated, concluded 2020
2020
- Maddie's® Candid Conversations, a first-of-its-kind series of open, informal online conversations and Q&A with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leaders
- Pet Foster Stimulus Grant Offered in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic
2021
- Black Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC)-Led Operating Support Grants Awarded to Animal Well-being and Veterinary-Focused Organizations
- Grants Awarded to Companion and Animals for Reform and Equity’s (CARE) First-of-Its-Kind Scholarship Fund for African American Veterinary Students
2022
- Community Conversations, #ThanksToMaddie Launched, A National Peer Call for Animal Well-being Organizations
2023
- New Learning Series, Camp Maddie Launched; half day Interactive Zoom Presentations Focused In-depth on Specific Topics