Ohio

Support from Grey Muzzle will allow the Pet Support Program at Found House Interfaith Housing Network (Found House IHN) to improve the health of senior dogs whose guardians are experiencing homelessness or other related crises. Low-income clients on the verge of homelessness frequently cannot afford needed veterinary care, such as vaccines and dental cleanings. Grey Muzzle funding will help cover these expenses for senior dogs like Scruffy.  During Scruffy’s stay at Found House IHN, he received a medical check-up and vaccines. Scruffy and his owner reunited after finding stable, affordable, pet-friendly housing. When asked about the Pet Support Program, Scruffy’s owner commented, “My fur baby was so loved by them and well cared for. I don’t  know what I would’ve done without them.”  

Established in 2014, the Pet Support Program is a pet shelter within Found House IHN’s Emergency Shelter. It provides a coordinated care network for people and pets experiencing homelessness or other related crises to keep people and their pets safe and together. People have the best outcomes when they can keep their support systems and families intact, staying connected to beloved pets that offer companionship, emotional support, and other health benefits. Animals are best served by staying with humans they love and avoiding surrender to shelters.

A Grey Muzzle grant will support a new program to provide vouchers to pet parents of senior dogs to cover the cost of dental exams, cleanings, and extractions. This program will help senior dogs with advanced dental disease whose people cannot afford needed dental services, improving the dogs’ quality of life and maintaining the bond between senior dogs and their beloved families.

Neighborhood Pets is a community-based nonprofit organization that cares about people and the animals they love. They provide low-cost wellness care, a free spay/neuter program, a pet food bank, veterinary care assistance, low-cost pet supplies, among other resources. Relationships and building trust in the community are at the core of their work.

With support from Grey Muzzle, the SICSA Pet Adoption & Wellness Center Safe Pets Program will help prevent the surrender of senior dogs like Razz. When people experience a crisis, their pets are affected as well, and those pets are often at risk of surrender. Senior dogs, in particular, are at high risk for illness and euthanasia in shelters, making it even more important to keep them in their homes whenever possible. When Razz’s owner lost her housing, she was desperate not to lose her dog, too. SICSA placed Razz in a foster home, updated her vaccines, and treated her for an ongoing urinary tract infection. One month later, Razz’s owner found stable housing and was able to be reunited with her companion. Funding from Grey Muzzle will allow SICSA not only to cover expenses for critical medical care for senior dogs like Razz, but will also ultimately allow for these dogs to be reunited with their families.

SICSA’s mission is to promote the welfare and adoption of companion animals and nurture loving, lifelong relationships between animals and people. SICSA was established in 1974 as an alternative to the traditional animal welfare system and has served the Miami Valley region in southwest Ohio for nearly 50 years. It offers numerous animal-centered programs and services, including adoption, humane education, low-cost veterinary services, and a help center to divert intake from shelters and keep pets in homes.

The League is excited to partner with The Grey Muzzle Organization to expand the number of senior dogs they can take into their facility and find homes for as part of the None Left Behind program. This program helps place senior pets like 10-year-old Cindy Lou into homes quickly, by covering the cost of post-adoption veterinary care. None Left Behind allows adopters to bring a senior into their home, without worrying about the possibility of prohibitively expensive vet care. The Grey Muzzle Organization will help the League provide that security.

Founded in 1949, the League for Animal Welfare is a privately-funded, nonprofit organization in Batavia, Ohio. As the oldest and one of the largest no-kill shelters in the greater Cincinnati area, the League serves its community through initiatives to reduce the number of homeless animals and to help people better care for their pets. The League shelters more than 1,000 homeless cats and dogs each year; and provides spay/neuter, and pet food support to our community.

Treatment of dental disease is a vital part of senior pet health care and can dramatically improve an animal’s quality of life as well as prevent other serious health issues. Funding from The Grey Muzzle Organization will subsidize the cost of dental care for 50 senior dogs. Services will be provided in-house by a veterinarian and trained registered veterinary technicians. Each GMO dog will receive all needed dental treatments,including scaling, polishing, digital x-rays, and/or extractions, for a maximum copay of $100.

Louie’s Legacy Animal Rescue, Inc. is a nonprofit and no-kill animal rescue based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Staten Island, New York. It began in 2006 with a special little dog named Louie, who was rescued by Louie’s Legacy’s founder from a shelter that had a high euthanasia rate. Now, rescuing approximately 2,500 animals per year on average, Louie’s Legacy is one of the largest foster-based rescues in the country.

Funding from Grey Muzzle supports the Humane Society of Summit County's medical program. This program will address the need to adequately diagnose and treat rescued senior dogs by covering the costs necessary to complete a variety of clinical tests. HSSC is dedicated to providing each rescued animal with skilled, compassionate, and effective veterinary care. Due to their focused mission of rescuing animals from abuse, neglect, abandonment, illness, and injury, the majority of the animals come into their care in desperate need of medical services. With often little to no preventative medical care or adequate veterinary treatment prior to their rescue, these animals require and deserve the best medical efforts to bring them health, comfort, and happiness.

Lack of care is especially detrimental for senior animals. Without proper veterinary treatment at the onset of common age-related diseases, a senior animal's condition can quickly decline and cause further health issues and diseases. Clinical testing of senior dogs allows their veterinary team to formulate appropriate treatment plans. In addition to informing intervention, this data provides future adopters with a better understanding of the senior dog's condition and ongoing medical needs. With proper care and treatment at HSSC, these senior dogs will have the opportunity to enjoy futures filled with safety and love as members of adoptive families.

Read how your donations are making a difference here: 

The Humane Society of Summit County is the trusted caretaker and advocate for the abused, neglected, and abandoned animals of their community.

Grey Muzzle supports the senior therapy dog program at The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs. We pay medical expenses for dogs who have passed their therapy dog exam, and help The Sanctuary expand this important program that shows us how much old dogs have to give.

The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs rescues senior dogs abandoned in shelters and pounds; provides lifelong care for rescued senior dogs; adopts appropriate dogs into loving, permanent homes; develops programs that match senior dogs and senior people to their mutual benefit; fosters an awareness of our lifelong responsibility to our companion animals; and strengthens the bond between humans and animals by teaching respect and compassion for all living things.