The Grey Muzzle Organization

Good Cause:

The Grey Muzzle Organization envisions a world where no old dog dies alone and afraid. The organization improves the lives of at-risk senior dogs by providing funding and resources to animal shelters, rescue organizations, sanctuaries, and other non-profit groups nationwide.

Great Results:

Dr. Lisa, as she is affectionately known at Grey Muzzle, has served as the part-time Executive Director of the organization since June 2015. Here are some of her key accomplishments to date.

• Increased revenue by more than 200% in 4 years: In her first year, Dr. Lisa increased revenue by more than 50%–from $225,211 in 2015 to $343,035 in 2016. In 2018, revenue topped $500,000, and in 2019 revenue was nearly $700,000.
• Exceeded targets for quarterly fundraising campaigns: In each of the quarterly campaigns, Dr. Lisa exceeded the fundraising goal by 10-30%.
• Wrote a successful grant proposal to Maddie’s^® Fund: Grey Muzzle was awarded a $48,500 grant in March of 2018. Under the grant, Dr. Lisa will conduct a mixed method study to identify best and promising practices to promote the timely adoption of senior dogs (seven years or older). Our goal is to use project findings to inform development of programs and practices that promote senior dog adoption, reducing the likelihood that older dogs will be euthanized.
• Garnered national media attention focused on Grey Muzzle and senior dogs: In January 2017 Grey Muzzle conducted a survey of grantees and disseminated findings via a press release that was picked up by numerous media outlets, including The Washington Post, msn.com, Tampa Bay Times, Denver Post, News & Observer in Raleigh, NC, Ft. Worth Star Telegram, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Miami Herald, Wichita Eagle, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, NewsOK.com (The Oklahoman), Bradenton Herald, Independent Tribune, the Huffington Post, Dogster, the Dodo, and SFGate. Since 2016, Grey Muzzle has also been featured in national news outlets, including Modern Dog magazine, Family Circle, TODAY, One Green Planet, Radio Pet Lady, and the My Old Dog and Grouchy Puppy Blogs.
• Led Grey Muzzle’s increasingly successful grant cycles: In her first year, Dr. Lisa managed the most successful grant cycle in Grey Muzzle’s history. We received a record 160 grant applications, 75% of which were from organizations that had not previously received a Grey Muzzle grant. Thirty-eight organizations representing 25 states received over $225,000 in grants in 2016, a 50% increase compared to 2015 awards. Since then, grant award totals have continued to increase. In 2017, we awarded grants totaling more than $300,000 to 50 shelters and rescue groups in 25 states, and in 2018 we awarded nearly $390,000 to 66 shelters and rescue groups in 30 states. In 2019, we set another record, awarding $419,000 in grants to 62 animal welfare organizations. In addition to traditional programs and services such as hospice, medical and dental care, we also funded grantees offering innovative programs, including one grantee that offers swimming therapy to senior shelter dogs, another focused specifically on rehabilitating senior dogs from puppy mills, and yet another dedicated to helping terminally ill people care for—and ultimately rehome—their senior dogs.
• Redesigned the Grey Muzzle grant review process to be more objective and transparent: We increased our emphasis on results and program sustainability and revised our grant evaluation criteria accordingly. Applicants are rated, among other criteria, on the extent to which they present well-defined goals, measurable outcomes, and a plan for sustaining the senior dog program beyond the Grey Muzzle grant period. In an effort to build capacity among applicants who did not receive grants, in 2016 we began providing feedback to all applicants who requested it.
• Conceptualized and managed the Summer Smile campaign: With an original goal to raise $7,500 in our first-ever campaign focused on raising funds specifically for dental care of older dogs, we more than doubled that, raising more than $15,000. In addition, the photos submitted to our GivingGrid were voted on and the top dogs were featured in our first-ever Grey Muzzle calendar, which sold more than 500 copies. Our Summer Smile campaign continues to grow, raising $21,000 in 2018 and $24,000 in 2019.