MADDIE-- A Heart Filled With Love

The desire for no-kill shelters is very much alive in the hearts of rescue workers everywhere, but always a lack of space and funding douses the dream.

Dave and Cheryl Duffield have this same dream, only now they have the means to do something significant about it. The Duffields struggled, like many others, through lean times until about a decade ago, when their small software company in California, called PeopleSoft, grew into a multibillion dollar empire. Financially able to do just about anything he desired, Dave did not forget a promise he'd made to Maddie that, if he ever "made it big", he would give back to the pet community. Maddie's Fund, a $200 million foundation, was established in 1994 to invest in the creativity and enthusiasm of communities that share their no-kill dream. Funding is provided for innovative projects that include new marketing strategies, greater adoption outreach, aggressive spay/neuter programs and anything else that will even the ratio of pet supply and demand. The goal of Maddie's Fund is "to build a no-kill nation by 2010".

Some think this is an impossible dream, but consider that, in 1994, San Francisco became a no-kill city. The Duffields donated for the Maddie's Adoption Center at the San Francisco SPCA, and with strong management, their dollars made a difference. An impressive shelter was built with TV's, couches, and signs reading such words as Lassie Lane, taking the place of kennels and cages. Results were seen immediately in decreased length of animal stays and increased adoptions. Having no fear that their animals would be destroyed, more people were willing to turn animals in there. This led to decreased injuries, illnesses, breeding and impoundments due to dumped or abandoned animals. With adequate funding, new programs were put into place, that increased lasting adoptions.

An Open Door program encourages property owners to rent to responsible pet owners and helps pet owners to find pet-friendly housing, thereby increasing the number of homes who can enjoy pet companionship. The Pets and Older People program increases the number of homes available by providing Pet-A-Care for elderly pet owners on low fixed incomes so that their pets can get basic medical care for life at a nominal cost. Counselors are available to competently match people and pets. Workers socialize and refine the manners of the shelter animals, and dog training classes are offered in order to polish animals into more enjoyable pets and decrease returns. Humane education programs are set up to teach responsible pet ownership. Low-cost spay/neuter programs discourage unwanted litters, and Partnerships for Life workshops share ideas on policies of behavioral training, adoption, and saving lives. These ideas, and more, helped to realize the dream of ending the problem of "too many pets, not enough homes" in San Francisco..

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