What We Do (and Why)

There needs to be an advocate for senior dogs in all sorts of places. It's difficult for shelters and it breaks everyone's hearts. We need to encourage more places for senior dogs to go - we get calls from shelters all over the country, 50 times per week, to take dogs...

- Judith Piper, Executive Director, OldDog Haven

If you’re fortunate, you have lived, or currently live, with an old dog. As cherished companions, the old dogs in our lives enrich our days for as long as we are privileged to have them.

You may find it inconceivable then that a treasured member of the family would be tossed away when signs of old age appear, when extra care is required, or after the kids leave home. But this is an all too common occurrence. Old dogs are left at shelters, or simply turned loose or left behind, confused and frightened. Abandonment can also happen right at home: old dogs who are no longer wanted are sometimes banished to the garage or exiled to the backyard with little human companionship. And sadly, sometimes people or families who love their old dog are forced to give the dog up due to difficult circumstances.

Fritz, an elderly German Shepherd who was found stray, waits in his kennel at the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce Counties.

Older dogs often find it particularly hard to survive in large shelters. They can be more fragile than a young dog and may have special medical needs, and the special care they might need is often not available. For example, old dogs get stiff and sore lying on the cement floors in shelters. They may need dental work, which is too expensive for shelters and discourages adopters. Even when healthy, old dogs are much less likely to be adopted than young dogs and cute puppies. The Grey Muzzle report Old Dogs and Animal Shelters explains more about the issues faced by old dogs who are abandoned, as told by experts who work with homeless senior dogs every day.

At this time, there are very few rescue groups in the United States that specialize in helping homeless senior dogs, though the issue of geriatric rescue dogs is found in every municipal animal shelter and humane society, and with rescue leagues of all shapes and sizes. There is a great need for special programs that are unique to old dogs, such as in-home hospice care or health care programs for dogs in loving homes that may need a little financial assistance as their dog ages. We believe that much more can be done.

The Grey Muzzle goal is to enable animal welfare organizations to improve their ability to provide care, comfort, and loving homes for old dogs. We also encourage the formation of new non-profit organizations that care for senior dogs, such as hospice care.

We do this by raising money that is distributed annually, via grants, to animal welfare organizations and applicable rescue groups. These funds are raised through public donations; we are not a privately endowed foundation.

By providing support through grants, we help to build programs around the country that meet the special needs of senior dogs. We support only programs run by non-profit animal welfare organizations, we personally evaluate each organization and program that we support, and we require accountability. (See Grants for more information about how we administer our financial support.)

Examples of programs that would be eligible for support by Grey Muzzle:

• In-home hospice care program for senior dogs who are not adoptable

• A new senior dog sanctuary

• Adoption program for senior dogs

• Working with senior humans who must give up their senior dogs due to a change in circumstances, such as moving to assisted living

• Helping people keep their senior dogs with them during difficult financial circumstances (such as major veterinary care requirements)

• Seniors for Seniors adoption program

• A foster program in a large shelter specifically for the needs of older dogs, so that the these dogs can spend less time in cement cages

• Improved medical care for senior dogs

• A part-time staff person at a large shelter to be a senior dog advocate, ensuring that each old dog that enters has the best possible chance at a new life

• Structured educational outreach programs through shelters, pet stores, and veterinarians, on how to keep older dogs in the best possible health

Your donations will help fund programs like these around the country. Please read How You Can Help before donating. Dogs can’t pick their human companions, but they give so much of their lives to us that they deserve our love and care in their senior years.