Snake River Animal Shelter in Idaho receives grant to help senior dogs

IDAHO FALLS — Older dogs are often overlooked in shelters in favor of puppies or younger dogs, but they make some of the best companions. Now, Snake River Animal Shelter has received new funding to help more senior dogs stay with their families and find loving homes.

The Idaho Falls shelter has been awarded a grant from The Grey Muzzle Organization, a national nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of at-risk senior dogs.

Snake River Animal Shelter was selected from a competitive nationwide pool of applicants. The grant will help the shelter provide pet-related assistance to families facing hardships, allowing more senior dogs to remain in their homes and reducing the need for owners to surrender aging pets. The funding is also intended to help prevent unnecessary euthanasia of senior dogs.

"These senior dogs deserve every opportunity to thrive, and this support from The Grey Muzzle Organization helps us help them," said Michelle Ziel-Dingman, executive director of Snake River Animal Shelter, in a news release.

This year's Grey Muzzle grant program focuses on supporting organizations that not only provide immediate care for senior dogs but also develop programs and best practices that can be replicated by shelters and rescues across the country.

"We are thrilled to support programs that deliver immediate care while also establishing scalable best practices to strengthen senior dog initiatives nationwide," said Emily Grossheider, executive director of The Grey Muzzle Organization, in the release.

"Senior dogs are among the most vulnerable in our communities, yet they have tremendous capacity for love and companionship," she added. "Our grants help organizations like Snake River Animal Shelter provide the medical support, foster care and adoption services needed to give these dogs a real second chance."

Founded in 2015, Snake River Animal Shelter has rescued thousands of animals and works to promote adoption, humane education and quality animal care throughout eastern Idaho.

The Grey Muzzle Organization has awarded more than $8.3 million in grants over the past 18 years to shelters, rescues and sanctuaries nationwide, helping improve care and adoption opportunities for senior dogs.

For more information go to snakeriveranimalshelter.org.

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