Director's Corner
Dear Grey Muzzle Grantees,
Despite the challenges we have faced this year, the increased number of people volunteering to foster and interested in adopting dogs has been a silver lining. No doubt this is good news in an otherwise difficult time. But as the pandemic wears on and the economic uncertainty mounts, what are the implications for surrender of senior dogs, including owner-requested euthanasia? Are you seeing signs of an increase in the number of people who simply can't afford their dog's care? 

In this month’s issue of Director’s Corner, we explore what we have learned from other economic downturns about the impact on animal welfare and what we can do as animal welfare professionals to reduce the effects of financial distress on senior dogs and the people who love them. We hope you will share your experiences on our grantee Facebook page.

Thanks for all you do to make life better for senior dogs and for sharing your successes and challenges. The more we can learn from one another, the more senior dogs we will help!

Sincerely,
Lisa Lunghofer, PhD
Executive Director
The Research: What did 2008 teach us?
What can we expect as the economic fallout from the pandemic continues? A study that looked at the effects of the 2008 recession on patterns of dog and cat relinquishment, adoption, and euthanasia offers clues. The study found the recession did not greatly affect owners’ decisions to relinquish, with one exception: senior dogs. In fact, the researchers found an increase in references to cost as a reason for surrender. 

Read more about the study here.
Supporting Renters with Pets during Covid-19
Finding pet-friendly rentals was difficult in the best of times. These are not the best of times.

Sponsored by Maddie's Fund, this one-hour webcast addresses strategies to keep pets and people together in their homes. Attendees will learn about the eviction process, issues unique to the current housing and legal landscape, and tools to stem the flow of pet surrenders in your community.

Presenters are Abby Volin and Sarah Rosenberg of Opening Doors, a firm that helps property managers develop smarter and safer pet policies, assists tenants with their pet-related housing issues, and works with animal welfare organizations to expand housing options for pet owners. The webinar has been recorded and is available on demand here.
Grant Opportunity
Two days left to apply for the Rachael Ray Save Them All Grants, which support projects to reduce the number of cats and dogs killed in American shelters. All projects must demonstrate, with statistics, a direct impact on saving animals’ lives. Applications are due October 23 at 5 pm MT. Learn more...
Helping Those In Need
You can find a comprehensive list of national and state-wide financial resources here to help senior dog owners who are struggling to afford the cost of veterinary care and food. 
Grantee Spotlight: Jacksonville Humane Society
The Jacksonville Humane Society’s Grey Muzzle grant supports their Pet Safety Net program and aims to keep senior dogs out of shelters. Begun in 2012, the program serves more than 3,000 families annually. The Pet Safety Net program prevents surrender by either providing resources to keep pets in their loving homes or helping owners safely rehome pets outside the shelter system. When a pet owner contacts JHS in need of help, they are assigned to a Pet Safety Net counselor who provides individual assistance tailored to each family’s needs.

Establishing or Enhancing a Major Gifts Program 
Did you miss our professional development webinar on October 14? Here's your chance to get caught up! Mark Edmiaston, a dynamic fundraising professional with nearly 30 years of development experience, gave a fantastic presentation on major gifts. If you want to start a major gifts program, enhance the program you have, or just start receiving gifts that are significant to your organization, this webinar is for you. Mark offers step-by-step guidance on how to assemble a major gift program, outlines the basic resources you need to get started, and answers questions.

Tune in here.
The Grey Muzzle Organization | Website