Colorado Animal Welfare Conference Session

Maggie McSchaefer is currently the director of animal behavior and sheltering for Foothills Animal Shelter in Golden, CO.  Working in animal shelters since 2007, she specializes in shelter operations with a focus on animal behavior, reducing length of stay, and the integration of those concepts across shelter processes.  McSchaefer has expertise in improving the emotional experience of shelter animals through agency and choice, embracing imperfection and removing adoption barriers, and believes strongly in the elevation of applied animal behavior as the science it is.  She has a particular affinity for cats and has redesigned a number of shelter cat spaces to the benefit of their residents including the Humane Society of Boulder Valley’s 2014 Cat Adoption Center remodel featured in Jackson Galaxy’s book, Catify to Satisfy.  She serves on the board of the Animal Welfare Association of Colorado, is a graduate of the Karen Pryor Academy, and a certified animal welfare administrator (CAWA).