Grey Muzzle Grantee Stories

For shelters and rescues, making sure that homeless senior dogs get their second chance often involves more than finding loving people willing to open their heart and home to a senior dog. They first must provide needed medical care, and this care can cost more than shelters and rescues can afford.

A senior Shih Tzu named Maddie is one of the dogs featured in the new book My Old Dog: Rescued Pets with Remarkable Second Acts . Maddie was adopted from Grey Muzzle grantee Muttville Senior Dog Rescue. We asked her adopter, Madelon, to tell us more about Maddie's story.

Hospice fostering provides care for homeless dogs who are too old or ill to be placed for adoption. We asked Debbie Marks, a volunteer foster caretaker for Blind Dog Rescue Alliance, to tell us about what an average day is like caring for dogs with special needs.

Many of the dogs that end up in shelters are surrendered by owners who can no longer pay for their veterinary bills. Even for those dogs that receive care from the shelter and are adopted, this is highly traumatic. A sick senior dog is particularly at risk. Fairy Tail Endings works to keep these pets with their people.