July 24 2012
Muttville Means Second Chance for Senior Dogs
With their non-stop cuteness and sense of play, it’s easy to fall in love with a puppy. At shelters and adoption events, puppies invariably grab the attention and the hearts of many potential adopters.
But, just as needy of loving homes, are senior dogs. When they find their way into the shelter system, many have a difficult time ever stepping out again. “Once a senior dog arrives at an animal shelter, its chances of being adopted are not good,” explains Sherri Franklin, founder and executive director of Muttville senior dog rescue. “Shelters won’t put a dog up for adoption that may have health issues, or a dog that the shelter doesn’t think is adoptable. Many senior dogs fall into that category. They are one of the first to get euthanized when there is no space.”
Fortunately for many senior dogs, special rescues such as Muttville lend a helping paw. This San Francisco-based rescue was founded in 2007 by Franklin who explains, “Years ago while I was volunteering at SFSPCA, I noticed the older dogs always getting passed over while younger dogs were adopted. Many older dogs were euthanized back then, and it broke my heart. I started taking them to my home, one at a time, finding homes for them, but knew that I couldn’t do all the work alone – and to affect more dogs and spread the word, a non-profit organization was needed, hence Muttville!” …
