Virginia

With funding from Grey Muzzle, FOHA is expanding its existing Senior Care Plan, which waives adoption fees for senior dogs and provides reimbursement for qualifying medical expenses or pet insurance premiums. By increasing adoption of senior dogs currently in their care, FOHA will be able to take in more senior dogs from overburdened shelters, dogs like eight-year-old Mars, a beautiful shepherd mix who is blind and deaf. FOHA will also create a complementary Senior Care program for families who have adopted from FOHA and whose pets are now aging. By providing funds to cover unforeseen medical costs, FOHA will reduce surrender of senior dogs whose guardians can’t afford needed treatment.

Friends of Homeless Animals saves and improves lives one paw at a time. Dedicated to saving homeless dogs and cats, FOHA provides rescue, medical care, and adoption services in the Northern Virginia and Washington DC metropolitan areas. More than 16,000 cats and dogs have found a safe haven with FOHA over the last 47 years.

Funding from The Grey Muzzle Organization will help the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA provide high-quality medical care to senior dogs who arrive at the shelter looking for a second chance at finding a forever home. The Grey Muzzle grant will enable the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA to transfer in more senior dogs from shelters where they may be at risk for euthanasia due to their age and medical conditions. Dogs like Cleo, an 11-year-old lady who spent the first decade of her life tied up outside and now is a bundle of affectionation and energy, will get the chance to live out their golden years with a loving family. 

The Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA is a private animal shelter based in Charlottesville, VA, whose purpose is finding permanent adoptive homes for animals.

The Mid-Atlantic English Springer Spaniel Rescue Organization (MAESSR) is dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and re-homing Springers. MAESSR is active primarily in PA, DE, NJ, MD, VA, WV, NC, NY, and the District of Columbia. However, when it comes to rescuing English Springer Spaniels, there are no borders as they will go anywhere, anytime, to save a Springer.  MAESSR is committed to providing excellent medical and dental treatment and foster care for Springers, while screening potential homes interested in adopting.

The Grey Muzzle Organization grant will allow the Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation (LDCRF) to provide needed medical treatment to our senior dogs. This will empower potential adopters to make informed decisions about their ability to provide care for a new family member. Support from Grey Muzzle will help dogs like 10-year-old Santos, who is blind and was rescued after his elderly owner could no longer care for him. Santos arrived malnourished, with severely matted fur, glaucoma in both eyes, skin issues, and a broken spirit. Currently in foster care with LDCRF, he is getting the extensive veterinary care he needs to regain his health and be ready for adoption.

Thanks to the support of The Grey Muzzle Organization, the Norfolk Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Norfolk SPCA) will provide dental exams, cleanings, and other necessary procedures for 60 senior dogs awaiting adoption--dogs just like Cleveland. Unfortunately, many senior dogs that arrive at the shelter have teeth that have been neglected by their previous owner, due to cost or lack of awareness of the importance of dental care. With this generous grant, the Norfolk SPCA’s veterinary staff will provide expert care that will alleviate suffering and ultimately increase these senior dogs’ likelihood of finding their forever family.

Established in 1892, the Norfolk SPCA in Norfolk, VA is one of the oldest animal welfare organizations in the country. The Norfolk Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Norfolk SPCA) shelters, treats, rehabilitates, and rehomes 2,000 companion animals annually from Greater Hampton Roads and gives them the extra time and care needed to find a forever home.

The Grey Muzzle Organization grant will supplement and enhance our rescue program, enabling us to provide needed veterinary care and long-term foster care for senior dogs. With additional funding, we will expand our program and prioritize pulling senior pets from open admission shelter and placing them in loving foster homes. Grant funding will be used to cover senior blood work, x-rays, dental care, surgery, and other medical care. Grant funding will also allow us to reduce or eliminate adoption fees for seniors consistent with recent studies that show fees have no bearing on the commitment of adoptive families.

Highland County Humane Society, Inc. is a foster-based, 100% volunteer animal rescue serving poor, rural mountain communities in VA and WV. Traditional animal control and shelters do not exist in the counties we serve, and Highland County has no permanent veterinarian. Highland County Humane Society is dedicated to promoting health, safety, welfare, compassionate care, and protection of animals through a cooperative engagement with Highland County, its citizens, and other like-minded animal welfare groups.

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.

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.