Who We Help

The Grey Muzzle grant will help cover the cost of dental cleanings and blood work for senior dogs in Tyson’s program. This grant directly benefits the dogs by improving their quality of life and increasing their chances of adoption.

Tyson's Place Animal Rescue is a small, foster-based rescue whose mission is assisting terminally ill people with caring for and finding new families for their pets. As a result of their mission, almost all of their adoptable dogs are senior dogs. Tyson’s prides itself in providing thorough veterinary care to dogs in their care, so adopters know they are adopting healthy dogs. When people are terminally ill, there are many complex medical, financial, and emotional issues that take precedence over veterinary care for their dog.

A generous grant provided by The Grey Muzzle Organization will support Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter (UPAWS)'s medical program for senior dogs, providing preventative care, blood work, and urinalysis testing for 50 senior dogs. Funding will also support advertising promotions to get senior dogs adopted more quickly. The grant will help senior dogs like Gladys, an eight-year-old German shepherd who arrived at the shelter as a stray. UPAWS believes that seniors like Gladys deserve to have a second chance in life, and the generous support of Grey Muzzle will make that possible.

Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter (UPAWS) is a nonprofit organization and the only shelter located in Marquette County, serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Every day, they care for homeless, unwanted, abandoned, and abused domestic animals, advocating for them and  helping them find forever homes. They seek to end the euthanasia of healthy and treatable animals and have consistently saved 98% of the animals who come into their program.  

Vanderburgh Humane Society (VHS) operates a Senior Pets adoption program offering waived adoption fees to senior citizens adopting senior pets. Their Grey Muzzle grant will help to underwrite this lifesaving, rewarding program and help save more dogs like Savannah. Twelve-year-old Savannah was surrendered to the VHS due to her possessiveness with high-value items with other dogs. She is healthy and active and free to an adopter over the age of 70. 

The Vanderburgh Humane Society (VHS) was founded in 1957 and celebrated their 60th anniversary last summer. Their mission is “Leading our community to eliminate pet overpopulation through Spay/Neuter, Adoption, and Humane Education.” They are an open-admission shelter accepting domestic homeless animals from all over the region, regardless of species, temperament, age, health, or circumstance. The VHS typically takes in around 900-950 dogs each year, more than 100 of whom are considered “seniors,” age 7 and older.

A grant from the Grey Muzzle Organization makes it possible for Vieques Humane Society (VHS) to identify, assess, and treat owned senior dogs, most of whom have not seen a veterinarian since they were puppies. Sadly, this is a typical condition on a small, under-resourced island. Support includes financial assistance, as needed. But, the effort doesn’t stop there: VHS will also vet, shelter, socially enrich, and actively promote homeless senior dogs for adoption. Thanks to Grey Muzzle, VHS can provide happy endings for abandoned senior dogs like Adam, who survived abuse, neglect, and malnutrition. Adam entered the shelter afraid of people and heartworm positive. He found a safe haven in the VHS foster program, where he has learned to trust, while being treated for heartworm. He's become a loveable, housebroken, kind soul who will be looking for a couch to crash on as soon as he is medically ready. VHS is always looking out for other dogs like Adam who are living on the streets and deserve help finding their happy, healthy new beginning.

VHS is the only open admission shelter and low-cost veterinary clinic open year-round on the island of Vieques, located off the coast of mainland Puerto Rico. All dogs and cats are accepted and vetted, regardless of temperament, need, or medical condition—and regardless of the ability of a client to pay for service. Historically, Vieques has severe pet health and animal overpopulation problems, compounded by poverty (45.9% of the population live in poverty), cultural norms related to animals, and lack of awareness and education about basic animal wellness needs.

A grant from The Grey Muzzle Organization helps with their Hospice/Forever Foster Program.  The goal with this program is to provide compassionate care to senior dogs with life-limiting illness or disease including, but not limited to:  cancer, kidney failure, arthritis, diabetes, Cushing’s, heart disease, periodontal disease, blindness and incontinence.  They provide:  pain management, chemo/radiation, sub q fluids, supplemental nutrition, holistic meals, medical and dental surgery, medication, acupuncture, chiropractic, laser therapy, massage, radiographs and ultrasound, ER visits; and a loving and safe environment to live out their final days, months or years.

Vintage Paws is a sanctuary where senior dogs, regardless of their health, can live out their lives.  They generally accept dogs that are nine years and older, regardless of the breed.  All dogs can be adopted but many are not due to advanced age and/or illness.  The Sanctuary limits the intake based on space and financial constraints – we care until the end, no matter what.

The Virginia Beach SPCA is excited to receive funding from Grey Muzzle to cover the cost of providing advanced medical care to senior dogs. This will ensure that adopters do not incur additional charges beyond the standard adoption fee, therefore decreasing the average length of stay for senior dogs in the shelter. 

Since 1966 The Virginia Beach SPCA has been connecting people and pets. The VBSPCA cares for nearly 3,000 homeless domestic animals annually and has a 93% adoption rate.  Their services and programs further their mission to create a more humane and responsible community by eliminating animal suffering and increasing human compassion.

A grant from Grey Muzzle helps with their Senior Adoption Program - a concerted effort by the VGSR volunteers to make the adopting public aware of the benefits of owning a senior dog – and their Wards of Rescue expenses. Wards of the Rescue are those senior dogs who will never be adopted, as they are too ill or have too many behavioral issues to transition to adoptive homes. These dogs live out their lives in loving foster homes.

Virginia German Shepherd Rescue is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, all volunteer organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and re-homing of the German Shepherd Dog. They provide a safe haven for German Shepherds (and, sometimes, other breeds/mixes) who are left in shelters to await uncertain fate; are owner surrenders (moving, illness, divorce, death, etc.); or are victims of abuse or neglect. They adopt dogs to loving, responsible and secure homes, typically, in Virginia and the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., area.

Grey Muzzle helps to fund the Senior Companions program at WHS, which treats medical needs of senior animals and provides them care either in foster homes or temporarily at the shelter until they are adopted.

Since 1870, the Washington Humane Society has been the National Capital area’s leading voice of compassion for pets and wildlife. They operate the only open-access shelter in the District.

The Grey Muzzle Organization funding will help WHS expand its foster program with an emphasis on senior dogs, including establishing a virtual foster program in which senior dogs get one-on-one attention from a dedicated volunteer. Although the number of animals WHS takes in has decreased in recent years, the dogs that do enter WHS  remain in care longer due to health issues, behavior issues, or age. Expanding the foster program will allow WHS to provide senior dogs with individualized attention and help them find their forever home more quickly.

Watauga Humane Society (WHS) is an open admission facility serving rural northwestern North Carolina and caring for animals picked up by Watauga County Animal Control. WHS is committed to diligent work to keep animals in their homes, prevent unwanted litters, and find all animals a forever home.