The Grey Muzzle Organization

The Grey Muzzle Organization aims to be the international leader promoting the welfare of senior dogs. We strive to increase the total amount we award in grants by at least 10% annually. We also aim to provide the highest quality resources and information to animal shelters and rescues that are working to develop and expand programs designed specifically to ensure senior dogs receive needed care and have the chance to live out their final years, months, weeks, and days in comfort and surrounded by love. Finally, we are working to provide pet owners with the information and resources they need to give their senior dogs the best possible care.

Our priorities for 2022 are four-fold. First, we will review our grant-making strategy, examining the pros and cons of offering a designated number of grants focused on specific areas or topics (e.g., efforts to better promote senior dogs, collaboration among shelters and rescues). We will build on the findings from our Saving Seniors study by exploring an additional invitation-only grant cycle to pilot test innovative strategies focused on community outreach and collaboration to keep senior dogs in their homes. Ultimately, we are committed to an approach that produces the best results for at-risk senior dogs—both during the grant period and beyond. We remain committed to providing all of our grantees with the support they need to expand and sustain their efforts on behalf of senior dogs.

Second, we will continue to increase our marketing and communications capacity in order to raise awareness about senior dogs. Fundamentally, we seek to change public perceptions of old dogs. This is a long-term goal, but this year we will build on our media success and increase the number of features on senior dogs in national and local media outlets.

Third, we will continue to invest in the infrastructure required to support and advance the growth of Grey Muzzle. We recognize that investments in technology and human resources are essential to our evolution from an all-volunteer organization to an international leader promoting the welfare of senior dogs. We will continue to invest in systems that increase our efficiency and add professionals to our team who have expertise in areas such as marketing and analytics.

Finally, we will continue to raise the funds necessary to increase the total amount of grants we award by at least 10% annually. We will do that by working to expand our individual donor base, identify new corporate sponsors, and promote our legacy giving program.

Grey Muzzle's greatest asset is our human resources, including our small-but-expert staff, our accomplished board of directors, our high-profile advisory board, and our cadre of volunteers who offer thousands of hours of in-kind service every year. In 2015, in order to make the transition from an all-volunteer organization, we recruited an executive director who has decades of experience managing nonprofits and getting results. In 2017 we added a part-time communications manager with extensive experience in animal welfare and marketing. In 2018 we increased our level of administrative support by adding a half-time administrative assistant. In 2020 we added a part-time financial consultant to ensure adherence to the highest accounting standards as we continue to grow. Together they provide leadership and manage day-to-day operations.

Our 11-person board of directors includes animal welfare experts, a CPA, IT professionals, small business owners, and experienced nonprofit leaders. In addition to providing governance and oversight, board members are actively involved in ad hoc committees that are instrumental to Grey Muzzle's success.

We continue to add to our advisory board, the members of which serve as ambassadors for Grey Muzzle and are essential to helping us promote our work on behalf of senior dogs. Long-time advisory board members include "America's Veterinarian" Dr. Marty Becker and Victoria Stilwell, prominent dog trainer and the star of the Animal Planet TV series, “It's Me or the Dog." This year we added even more well-known experts who are passionate about senior dogs, including Michael Levitt, Emmy-nominated founder of Michael Levitt Productions and producer of the "American Rescue Dog Show" for the Hallmark Channel and Dr. Heidi Lobprise, a board-certified veterinary dentist.

Volunteers also play a critical role in helping Grey Muzzle to achieve our goals. We have recruited a highly skilled volunteers to assist with graphic design, media relations, information management systems, among other areas of expertise.

With your support, we have accomplished much in the past year:

- The 2021 grant cycle was the most successful in the history of Grey Muzzle. We awarded a record $616,000 in grants to 77 animal welfare organizations in the U.S. and—for the first time—Canada, a 22% increase in total grant awards over the previous year. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, Grey Muzzle's grants total more than $3.1 million since 2008.

- Grey Muzzle grantees served nearly 3,000 senior dogs in 2021, 20% more than the previous year. Twenty-seven grantees (43%) stretched their Grey Muzzle grant even further, serving more senior dogs than initially anticipated.

- We improved the lives of senior dogs. For example, grantee Little Shelter rescued 33 senior dogs at risk of euthanasia in the New York City municipal shelter, 50% more than their goal to save 22 dogs. Of the 31 senior dogs available for adoption, 100% found forever homes. Grey Muzzle grants (2019-2021) allowed Austin Humane Society to launch and expand the Senior Care Initiative, which over the past three years has reduced the average time a senior dog spends at the shelter from 47 to 7 days, an 85% decrease.

- Based on our Saving Seniors study (2020) findings, we launched a new grant program, the Learning Partnership, and awarded three grants (totaling $36,580) to implement innovative pilot programs to keep senior dogs out of shelters and in their homes. What we learn from this effort will help us develop and replicate model programs to help senior dogs stay in loving homes.

- We continued our free webinar series open to the public and featuring topics relevant to senior dogs. Presenters have included Dr. Marty Becker, “America’s Veterinarian;” Victoria Stilwell, world-renowned dog trainer and TV personality; and Dr. Mary Gardner, co-founder of Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice, a nationwide practice whose 120+ veterinarians provide in-home hospice, euthanasia, and end-of-life care.

- We offered new networking and capacity-building tools for our grantees, including quarterly webinars and a monthly enewsletter that highlights best practices, research findings, and professional development opportunities.