Special needs homeless pets often need special help in finding homes. Blind dogs, diabetic cats, senior citizen pets, the pets of homebound humans, three-legged pets — these pets need a special person to take them home. There are many groups and services to help these pets with grants, temporary homes, sanctuaries, short-term services, etc. Perhaps similar services are already established in your area. If not, is there an animal lover in your community you could partner with to help special needs pets?
The Grey Muzzle Organization in Raleigh, NC 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.
We are not a shelter or rescue group. Rather, Grey Muzzle funds programs such as hospice care, senior dog adoption, medical screening, and other special programs to help old dogs at animal welfare organizations across the country. The Grants page gives information on the grant application process.
The Blind Dog Rescue Alliance is a group of volunteers spread throughout the United States and Canada
dedicated to helping blind and visually impaired dogs by: rescuing dogs in shelters, assisting blind dog owners, and educating the public about these wonderful dogs.
Do you have a blind homeless dog in your shelter or know of one who needs a home? Contact this group for help with transportation to a new home or ideas for finding your dog home.
The Rolling Dog Farm in New Hampshire is a “special place where disabled animals enjoy life.”
The FAQ page states: We take disabled dogs, and by disabled we mean blind, deaf, blind-and-deaf, three-legged, and with other neurological and orthopedic issues.
We are not able to take paralyzed animals because we don’t have the human resources here to provide the level of one-on-one care those animals typically require throughout the day. For the same reason, we do not take dogs who are incontinent, i.e., unable to control their bowel and bladder function.
We do not take animals with aggression or behavior problems. Those are not disabilities.
In the equine department, our focus is on blind horses, but we are currently not taking in any more at the moment.
Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco states the following mission:
Through associations with shelters and other animal organizations, Muttville finds senior dogs that have been given up and are not likely to find adopted homes. Through outreach and networking, Muttville finds suitable new homes for these dogs. Ultimately, Muttville will have its own facility to house dogs that are not yet placed, or that are unlikely to be placed.
Peace of Mind Dog Rescue in Pacific Grove, CA offers the Helping Paw Program to assist seniors, hospice patients, and other pet guardians facing challenging times in keeping their beloved pets (cats and dogs) with them as long as possible and to provide a bridge to prevent them from giving them up when possible.
This group provides services such as routine vet care, transportation to vet appointments, arthritis medication, temporary boarding, dog food, and more.
There are many variations of programs to provide homes and veterinary care for pets whose humans are in hospice care or move to assisted living or nursing homes. Often local shelters work with agencies in their community to work out a solution for providing for these pets. Is there someone in your community or shelter who could lead this effort? It’s such a gift to someone facing the end of life to know her precious animal friend is taken care of.
The words in italics are quotes from each group’s website.