Last week, the nation’s largest nonprofit focused exclusively on senior dogs announced it is awarding a record-breaking $1.57 million in grants to 119 animal welfare groups in United States.
“If 50 is the new 30 for humans, why not for our older best friends?” asked the director of the Grey Muzzle Organization.
“Senior dogs have so much life to live, and love to give, yet they’re often the last to be adopted and the first at risk when shelters run out of space,” said Denise Fleck.
The grant recipients in 33 states can now fund medical and dental care, adoptions, foster and hospice programs, and the resources that keep senior dogs in the homes they love.
Most senior dogs entering animal shelters are in need of medical attention. Now, dogs like Maya will find love and a soft landing, thanks to Grey Muzzle.
For 10 years, Maya (pictured, above) was bred repeatedly, and confined in a cramped pen. Finally rescued, but at risk of euthanasia due to overcrowded shelters, she was saved by a pet sanctuary in Arizona, thanks to this nonprofit’s funding for aging dogs.
“I am so excited that her story is getting out there to help raise awareness about senior dogs,” says Caroline Mirtich, Maya’s new mom.
Since 2008, The Grey Muzzle has provided $7.3 million in grants to support senior dogs across the U.S.
Two of the grant recipients this year are The Golden Bark Foundation that rescues senior dogs in Utah, and Czar’s Promise, founded in honor of a Great Pyrenees, to help families facing a pet cancer diagnosis.
Founded in 2022 and run entirely by volunteers, The Golden Bark provides safe, loving foster homes where dogs can heal and enjoy comfort in their final chapter. Their grant from The Grey Muzzle will support its dental care program—their largest medical expense—because 80% of their elder dogs suffer from painful dental disease.
The new funding will enable the group to place more senior dogs into loving retirement homes.
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In another example, Czar’s Promise has funded care for hundreds of dogs with cancer that reside in Wisconsin and nearby states. The Grey Muzzle is funding chemotherapy and radiation for these dogs aged 7 and older, helping to extend precious time with the families they cherish.
See a complete list of Grey Muzzle’s 2025-26 grantees on their website.
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