New York

Rochester Hope for Pets will use the Grey Muzzle Grant to help pay veterinary costs for senior dogs. The grant will help dogs like Daisy who needed surgery to remove a large, complicated tumor on the front of her left leg. Sadly, Daisy’s family had been out of work due to Covid-19 and was unable to cover the full cost of her care. Rochester Pets for Help provided financial assistance so that Daisy could have surgery. She is recovering beautifully with her loving family.  

Located in Rochester, NY, Rochester Hope for Pets’ mission is threefold: improving the quality of life for companion animals by providing grants for veterinary care to pet parents who are experiencing financial hardship; supporting continuing education, research and new technology for the advancement of companion animal care; and providing support to nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping homeless animals.

With their Grey Muzzle grant, Bideawee will increase the number of senior dogs taken into their program. Grants like this one make it possible for Bideawee to offer the specialized care and medical treatment necessary to alleviate minor health problems, manage chronic conditions, and ensure that golden-agers spend the rest of their lives in loving homes. Frankie, a sweet boy who was surrendered to the city shelter due to treatable medical issues, is one little guy who will benefit from the grant. 

Bideawee is proud to be one of the country’s first no-kill animal welfare organizations. Since 1903, Bideawee has been a leader in rescuing dogs and cats and successfully integrating them into loving homes. They do this by providing the highest quality shelter experience, medical care, socialization activity and adoption services within a disciplined and sustainable financial structure. They are a compassionate team of dedicated staff, board members, and volunteers, and their work demonstrates the ongoing commitment to the well-being of animals and their people in the community.

Support from The Grey Muzzle Organization will allow HeARTs Speak to create marketing and communications resources to help keep more senior pets in their homes. The forthcoming toolkit will be available to all shelters and rescues to customize and use in their own communities, featuring a Senior Pet Resource Guide, editable social media graphics, and a messaging and idea guide for animal welfare agencies, crafted in concert with a social worker. Recent studies suggest that programming and messaging can help keep pets over the age of seven in their homes rather than being surrendered to the shelter

HeARTs Speak is a nonprofit organization that's uniting art and advocacy to increase the visibility of shelter animals across the U.S. For animals awaiting homes in shelters, simply being seen can lead to them being saved. Since 2010, their work has helped to increase adoptions, decrease the length of time animals are in shelters, and ultimately save more lives by providing free tools, training, and partnerships to animal welfare organizations in the areas of photography and marketing.

The Seniors for Seniors Program encourages the adoption of senior pets by senior citizens. In addition to a deeply discounted adoption fee, North Shore Animal League America pledges to provide preventive care for no cost to members of the Seniors for Seniors Program, absorbing the significant fees for these services into their operating budget. The grant from The Grey Muzzle Organization will cover the costs for 40 animals to have annual check-ups, vaccinations, and blood work.

North Shore Animal League America is committed to saving and rehabilitating the lives of homeless companion animals and educating the public about the joys and responsibilities of rescue. Founded in 1944, we are a comprehensive no-kill rescue and adoption organization with shelter partners across the country and around the globe. Headquartered in Port Washington, NY, we rescue, nurture, and adopt nearly 18,000 pets annually into responsible loving homes through a variety of local, regional, national, and international programs.

The dog population at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Cattaraugus County is usually comprised of at least 1/3 or more senior dogs, and since approximately 75% of the senior dogs display behavioral issues, the SPCA is looking to remove that obstacle of adoption for senior dogs. They have a defined behavioral program and protocols for using a strong, positive, approach in their management of these dogs who need training. Their Grey Muzzle grant will be used to provide training for their staff with an expert canine trainer who specializes in positive training for difficult dogs. He will work onsite with shelter staff to train how to identify and work with specific kinds of behavioral issues as well as provide follow up guidance to the shelter manager and the lead dog staff. Their goal is to remove barriers of senior dog adoption and place as many seniors in loving homes as possible. 

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Cattaraugus County, is a private, nonprofit, no-kill charity animal shelter founded in 1905. They are dedicated to saving the lives of animals in need, and providing adoption services for homeless and neglected animals. The SPCA in Cattaraugus County is the only shelter in the area that provides contracted intake services to the county and to several other municipalities. The SPCA in Cattaraugus County focuses on saving the lives of stray, abandoned, and neglected pets to make their lives better. 

The Grey Muzzle Grant is enabling Pets Alive to start a new program - the Senior Canine Tooth Fairy Program, a dental program for senior dogs. While dogs receive dental treatments as needed, no formal program has existed that solely focuses on providing routine dentals for senior dogs as way to increase their chances at adoption and to maintain optimum health in their golden years.

Pets Alive is a no kill animal rescue organization situated on over 80 acres of property, located at 363 Derby Road, Middletown, NY.  It is surrounded by woods and pastures, creating a tranquil environment for the animals within our care. The organization’s mission is to improve the lives of companion animals everywhere by any means possible, including rescue, adoption, advocacy, collaboration, intervention and education. In 2017, Pets Alive rescued 602 cats, dogs and 1 horse and found forever homes for 505 cats and dogs, and 1 pig.

The Grey Muzzle Organization grant helps the Animal Protective Foundation (APF) to provide diagnostic and medical care for senior dogs, including mass removals and dentals, while they await their forever homes. This funding along with subsequent tests and treatments ensure both pets and families are prepared for their new life together. 

The Animal Protective Foundation (APF) promotes and protects the human-animal bond by providing resources to the community and humane care to companion animals. They are a humane society providing services to Schenectady County and the greater Capital Region. Since 1931, the APF has held true to the mission of its founders. They have an open admission policy, which ensures that animals are not turned away based on their breed, age, condition, or circumstance. 

Funding from Grey Muzzle will help Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF) increase the prospects for senior dog fosters and adoptions, as well as keep senior dogs in their homes. By providing additional support to those caring for older dogs with age-related medical conditions SASF expects to impact up to 150 senior dogs, like Cheddar, annually. Cheddar, a 9-year-old Korean Jindo, was pulled from an overcrowded municipal shelter. She arrived undernourished, dehydrated and with chemical burns to her face, obviously abused and neglected. She also suffered from numerous age-related conditions that had gone untreated. At SASF, she received care for dental issues, arthritis and an ulcerating eye, as well as removal of a mammary tumor. Thanks to the SASF team and programs, Cheddar is recovering in a loving foster-to-adopt home, and continues to receive ongoing medical care and support from the shelter. 

The Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the welfare of homeless pets in their community and, in turn, placing them in permanent, caring homes. Their mission is to provide for the welfare of animals and to reduce the number of homeless pets. Their goal is to promote and nourish the bond between people and animals through adoption, education and community outreach. As an open intake shelter, SASF welcomes stray pets regardless of age, breed, or health and provides them with compassionate care, food, training and medical attention.

Funding from Grey Muzzle will allow Get A Bull to pull more senior dogs from shelters and provide all of the medical care they need, while either waiting for their forever homes or living their best lives in the care of fospice parents. 

Get A Bull Inc. rescues and rehabilitates bully breed dogs (and their reputations) in Long Island and surrounding areas. Dogs taken into the Get A Bull program are from municipal shelters or urgent surrender situations. Over the years, the organization’s love of the seniors in their program has led to an additional focus on fospice (foster/hospice) and senior dog rescue.