Senior dogs are a vulnerable population in North American society.
Family dogs may develop health problems that can be expensive to treat and require an investment of time to care when life is busy.
A family's life circumstances may change, having to move to a new place … a rental where pets are not allowed.
There may be changes in behavior due to cognitive decline and keeping the dog in the family may become challenging.
Or cruelest of all the reasons, senior dogs are often abandoned because they're just old and a family wants a younger, bouncier puppy.
According to the Grey Muzzle Organization, the adoption rate for senior dogs out of shelters is much lower than that of all other ages combined. Just over 50% of dogs in shelter who are 7 or older find new homes.
The Grey Muzzle Organization is one of the only national organizations dedicated specifically to advancing lifesaving efforts on behalf of senior dogs. It is not a shelter or rescue group. Rather it funds programs such as hospice care, senior dog adoption, medical screening and other special programs to help old dogs at animal welfare organizations across the United States and Canada
This month, the Grey Muzzle will be announcing more than $705,000 in grants to 78 animal welfare groups working to save and improve the lives of senior dogs. That will bring its total in grant funding to more than $3.8 million since the Grey Muzzle's inception in 2008.
Our guest today is Lisa Lunghofer, the executive director of The Grey Muzzle Organization and Making Good Work, a nonprofit that provides grant writing, strategic planning, program development and other services to mission-driven organizations. Her expertise lies in the human-animal bond, animal welfare, at-risk youth, juvenile justice, child welfare, violence prevention and education.
Have a listen as Lisa shares her journey from child welfare research to advocacy for senior dogs … and how she can't believe her own dog, Cameron, is about to turn 14.
What to listen for
3:27 How Lisa's research led to the Grey Muzzle
10:51 The rewards Lisa finds in a life surrounded by trauma
12:47 How the Grey Muzzle changes the world for senior dogs
25:24 The benefits of adopting a senior dog
32:12 Ways you can help the Grey Muzzle
Where to find Lisa
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