Who We Help

A grant from The Grey Muzzle Organization will provide medical care for the senior dogs in their care. 

Saint Frances Animal Center's mission is to provide a safe and nurturing environment for abandoned and mistreated dogs and cats until they can be placed in loving homes. Raising awareness through public education, community outreach and a wellness clinic, we seek to promote respect for the lives of cats and dogs by breaking the cycle of abuse, neglect and pet overpopulation in our community. They provide adoptions, Trap Neuter Return (TNR), a wellness clinic, community outreach and work to reunite lost pets with their families.

A grant from Grey Muzzle will fund 24-hour critical, emergency or extensive veterinary medical care for vulnerable, at-risk senior dogs that arrive at the shelter with life-threatening injuries such as being hit by a car, injured by other animals, or experiencing illness resulting from neglect or abuse. This lifesaving care will help senior dogs recover from their injuries or illness and prepare them for life with a loving forever family. The grant will help dogs like Betty, an 8-year-old very sweet girl who was found with a severely injured left hind paw that required amputation. She recovered well in a foster home and was transferred to a rescue partner. 

The Santa Barbara County (SBC) Animal Care Foundation is an all-volunteer nonprofit founded in 2002. Their mission is to promote animal welfare and better the quality of life for animals in Santa Barbara County through, education, outreach, collaboration, and promotion of the humane ethic and responsible treatment of all animals. 

Senior dogs often require more extensive care than their younger counterparts, with many needing dental care ranging from a much-needed cleaning to surgical removal of decayed teeth. Funding from The Grey Muzzle Organization will help provide dental care for more than 70 senior dogs at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter in the coming year, alleviating pain and helping to increase their chances of adoption. The grant will help dogs like Sparta, a 10-year-old dog whose owner surrendered him and requested euthanasia. Thankfully, the Sante Fe Animal Shelter knew he could have a good quality of life in a new home.

As Northern New Mexico’s largest open admission, no-kill shelter, the Santa Fe Animal Shelter works tirelessly within the city and county of Santa Fe to fight overpopulation and find creative solutions to animal homelessness. With a sustained live release rate of above 95%, they have demonstrated success in approaching the problem of animal homelessness from multiple angles, recognizing that there is no single solution to such an endemic problem.

Poor dental hygiene is one of the most prevalent and expensive medical problems that prevents adoption of senior pets. Dentals often involve double-digit extractions, but bring new youthful energy to dogs who had been living with painful infected teeth for years. The Grey Muzzle grant will allow Saving Grace to purchase new dental equipment and train a veterinary assistant in its use. Saving Grace expects to accommodate 30 dentals per year, helping these dogs get adopted faster and building capacity to accept more senior dogs with dental needs from other shelters. More than 300 senior dogs will receive proper diagnosis cleaning and extractions over the expected 10-year lifespan of the equipment.

A grant from The Grey Muzzle Organization will help Saving Paws Rescue AZ develop a Seniors For Seniors program. Residing in Arizona, Saving Paws is surrounded by retirement communities with many active senior residents looking for a hiking partner, a cuddling companion or even a foster houseguest as they spend their winters in the Valley of the Sun. Through collaborative efforts with neighboring senior dog clubs, community centers, and rescue volunteers, they are looking to place senior dogs with mature adults, for either permanent adoption, long- or short-term fostering, or hospice care.

In 2012, Trisha Houlihan, a volunteer at the local county animal control shelter, was saddened by the volume of German Shepherd Dogs being listed for euthanasia. She recognized there were very little resources for the rescue of this breed, so she created a place for them – Saving Paws Rescue Arizona, a place that would be a safe harbor for German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois Dogs.

The SPOT Old-Folks Sanctuary (SOS) Program is launching, in part, with the support of Grey Muzzle's grant funds. This select group of foster homes is dedicated to caring for unadoptable senior dogs with significant health issues or disabilities. Homes are screened carefully and SPOT will identify participating veterinarians and provide lifelong health care for each dog. SPOT will also provide food, treats, and maintenance supplies such as parasite treatments and supplements. This program will address the problem of homeless senior dogs by allowing SPOT to take in older animals that may have significant health issues.

In the hopes of increasing the animal "adoption options" in Skagit County and beyond, a group of animal lovers got together in the Fall of 1999 and started a non profit alternative animal rescue and placement organization called Saving Pets One at a Time (SPOT). By increasing the options that people have, SPOT hopes that more companion animals will find loving and permanent homes. In addition, SPOT hopes to help reduce the number of homeless pets within Skagit County and beyond by insisting that all animals placed in their care are spayed or neutered.

Scatter Joy Acres is a 26-acre sanctuary for animals and humans in Omaha, Nebraska. The animals living at the ranch are an integral part of their mission to provide therapeutic interaction for developmentally disabled and autistic children, seniors, veterans, and at-risk children.

The Grey Muzzle Organization grant will allow Seattle Humane to provide one-time financial assistance toward non-routine veterinary care for senior dogs through their Pet Project program. Seattle Humane’s Pet Project supports pets of low-income clients affected by HIV/AIDS or cancer residing in King County, WA. Pet Project has served people like Steven & Peach. Steven and his Jack Russell Terrier, Peach, are inseparable. Steven was able to take Peach to the Pet Project clinic at Seattle Humane when Peach began having a hard time getting around. Peach was given medication for her painful arthritis. Steven later told us, “Pet Project has made it possible for me to keep my dog and make sure she is healthy and comfortable. She is everything to me. I am grateful to have the support of Pet Project.” Steven also receives a monthly supply of dog food and arthritis medication for Peach. 

Seattle Humane is a private nonprofit dedicated to saving and serving pets in need, with a strong history of saving thousands of animals each year. Seattle Humane’s mission is to promote the human-animal bond by saving and serving pets in need, regardless of age, ability, circumstance or geography. Seattle Humane is dedicated to providing quality, compassionate service to animals and the community through veterinary services, education, and activities that promote animal welfare.

The Grey Muzzle Organization’s generous grant will allow Second City Canine Rescue (SCCR) to save even more senior dogs in 2022 by providing dental exams and periodontal treatments. With grant funding, SCCR will be able to serve 87 senior dogs this year! This grant will help Second City Canine Rescue save more senior dogs like Graham Greene. Graham was found as a stray, wandering the streets hungry, lost and afraid. SCCR took this sweet boy in, provided critical medical and dental care, along with vaccinations. After visiting the vet, he was placed in a foster home and given nutritious food, a soft bed to sleep on, and lots of love and affection. Graham’s personality was so affectionate and lovable that his foster family couldn’t bear to part with him! They adopted him, and he is now living his best life being a foster brother to other senior dogs that are placed temporarily in his home. 

Second City Canine Rescue (SCCR) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, foster-based organization that is largely volunteer-operated. They are dedicated to serving the homeless dogs of Chicagoland, as well as other areas (Oklahoma, Indiana, Kentucky, Southern Illinois, Texas and Michigan). All breeds, ages, sizes and colors are welcomed and loved. SCCR transfers dogs from shelters to specially trained foster homes, provides the dogs with medical care and gives them a new chance for a long and loving life. Their comprehensive adoption process and post-adoption follow-up prevent future mistreatment.