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Hawaii

white dog

Maui Humane Society

Funded from 2020 to 2023

Maui Humane Society (MHS) will use a Grey Muzzle grant to provide veterinary services for seniors seven and older, increasing their chance of adoption. Funding may also be used to prevent senior dogs from being surrendered for medical reasons. The grant will help dogs like eight-year-old Blaze, whose owner surrendered him because he could not afford to treat Blaze’s severe skin and eye problems. Maui Humane Society provided Blaze with several weeks of treatment and reunited him with his family, who was overjoyed that he was coming home.

MHS, the only open-admission animal shelter on the island of Maui, has existed for 70 years, working to protect and save the lives of Maui’s animals and support and educate Maui pet owners.

dog looking cool

Kohala Animal Relocation and Education Service (KARES)

Funded from 2020 to 2023

The Grey Muzzle Organization grant will enable the Kohala Animal Relocation and Education Service (KARES) senior dog program to provide medical, surgical, and dental care for at-risk dogs. It will help older dogs remain in loving homes by offering free or shared-cost veterinary care when owners cannot afford it. Providing medical care to dogs rescued from abandonment or neglect will enhance senior dogs’ chances for adoption and help them live healthier lives in their forever homes. Ringo, a nine-year-old, deaf English bulldog, spent half his life on a heavy chain that caused severe throat damage. As a result, he required multiple surgeries to open his airway. Now, after KARES and GMO's assistance, he is thriving in a loving home. 

Founded in 2009, KARES serves the Big Island of Hawaii, rescuing and relocating abused, abandoned, and stray dogs; providing temporary housing through a foster care network; and facilitating adoptions into caring, permanent homes. KARES focuses on community education and outreach to promote responsible pet ownership and prevent animal cruelty. KARES also raises awareness about the causes of animal overpopulation and advocates for spay/neuter surgeries, which are provided free to owned dogs of all ages.

Douglas

Kauai Humane Society

Funded in 2019 and 2020

The Grey Muzzle Organization’s grant will assist the Kaua`i Humane Society (KHS) in providing not only routine, but also life-saving medical care to senior dogs in need. The senior dogs that end up at KHS often need a little extra help getting ready for adoption, including dental work, mass removals, eye medications, etc. By providing that special care senior dogs sometimes need, KHS will help reduce potential future vet costs to senior dog adopters, thereby removing barriers for more people to adopt senior dogs like Douglas. 

Sweet, small Douglas came to KHS as a stray at the end of April with dental decay forming on his teeth and clouding in both eyes.  He was able to spend a week in a short-term foster home where KHS learned valuable information on his affinity for living well with dogs and cats!  At such a cute size and with these great in-home notes, they figured an adoption would come quickly for Douglas. Yet, he remained at KHS for almost two months before finally finding his forever home. With a grant from Grey  Muzzle, KHS will have more resources for dogs like Douglas, to clean up his teeth and provide an adopter with a better treatment plan for his clouding eyes, making adoption much less intimidating for many homes! 

Since 1952, the Kaua`i Humane Society has served the County of Kaua‘i as the only open-admission animal shelter on the island. Their average annual intake is over 3,500 animals. They work tirelessly to save the lives of shelter animals through adoptions and transfers while supporting and educating pet owners in the community about responsible pet ownership, including the importance of spay/neuter. They work hard to keep animals with their owners when life circumstances threaten to separate them.

Black, white and tan dog Elsie

Rainbow Friends Animal Sanctuary

Funded from 2014 to 2016, 2018 and 2019

The Grey Muzzle grant for Rainbow Friends Animal Sanctuary (RFAS) will support their existing program of providing dental/medical and rehabilitation care to senior dogs currently housed at the sanctuary, in foster care, and future intakes. The funding will also provide medical treatment for older dogs that remain with their low-income owners, with the owners able to come to RFAS for help when their dogs are sick or injured or experience additional hardship, such as the lava flows of 2018. Support from Grey Muzzle allows RFAS to care for dogs like Elsie. A ten-year-old terrier mix, Elsie is one of the residents at Rainbow Friends. She was adopted many years ago but returned two years ago when her people moved off island. In the past several days, she suddenly experienced a bulging disk and is unable to use her rear legs. She has been to the vet and is now on several expensive medications. Time will tell if she will be able to walk again, but in the meantime, she has the TLC of RFAS staff and volunteers.

Rainbow Friends Animal Sanctuary provides a no kill/animals alive option to Hawaii County residents. They are home to 400 cats and 65 dogs at any one time. They assist in alleviating the animal abandonment and overpopulation issues facing the island, as well as promoting the social, emotional and health benefits of animal companionship.

K9 Kokua

Funded from 2014 to 2015

The money provided by Grey Muzzle's grant supports K9 Kokua’s “Kupuna (Elder) Dog Project”, the goal of which is to improve the quality of life for at-risk homeless senior dogs. Specifically, this project seeks to provide medical assistance to senior dogs during medical beach rounds. During medical beach rounds, K9 Kokua volunteers and veterinarians travel to homeless campsites and assist dogs residing with their homeless owners. Volunteers perform onsite medical care, conduct wellness examinations, provide dog food, treats, toys, and bedding, as well as nail trims, ear cleaning, and make appointments for spay/neuter and microchipping- a requirement for public housing.

K9 Kokua is a 501c3 non-profit, all-volunteer operated organization that believes every dog deserves a chance at a life of feeling no hunger pains, has access to medical care and the right to live in safety. We visit and provide care for the dogs that live with the houseless population on Oahu and Maui.  We also assist dogs of the financially destitute and those affected by domestic violence.

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