Ferry Dog Mothers/Saving Our Seniors: Senior Pet Adoption Assistance Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

The money was used for Corky's ongoing care while in foster and currently with his new forever permanent home. This included medication to prevent seizures, food, supplements, enrichment toys, equipment, vetting and ongoing training.

This grant helped tremendously by lifting the financial burden so we could focus on finding a forever home for Corky. While he was in foster care, he was able to get on a well-balanced diet, receive regular vet care and receive training to help his foster family manage his reactive behavior when out in public.

How many pets did this grant help?

One

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

Corky is a spry 12-year-old Jack Russell who was faced with losing his home — and almost his life — last summer when his person became ill and could no longer properly care for him or keep him in her home. The family needed to relocate their mother but did not know what to do with Corky because he could not come to live with them. He did not get along with other dogs, and they had one. So they were going to have him euthanized. A family member did not want to see that happen to Corky, who was a very loving and good dog. So she reached out for help. Thankfully, a foster family stepped up to provide a temporary home for Corky while the search for a permanent family began. While in their care, Corky was able to get on a consistent diet, get regular vetting, daily exercise and of course lots of love!

Corky was overweight from being fed improperly and he had a skin reaction to the bad food he was being fed. He also suffered from seizures that never got tended to. Corky was not socialized as a puppy so he is not able to be near other animals of any kind, especially dogs. He is very reactive but not deemed aggressive. So whoever was going to adopt this senior pup would need to agree to ongoing training to learn how to manage him so he could have a good quality of life.

After eight long months of networking, Corky’s wish for his forever family came true this past March. He now has a stable home where he can live out his golden years. His family is 150% on board with helping Corky with all the special needs he came with. They attend weekly training sessions, working with Corky and learning about canine behavior, nutrition and enrichment exercises. Everyone’s goal was to provide Corky with the best quality of life possible so that even with all his “quirks” he can live life safely and with joy.

Thanks to the Petfinder Foundation grant and to Susie’s Senior Dogs for recommending that we apply, Corky’s care is manageable without the financial burden upon his family so they can solely focus on his quality of life. We are so very grateful to those who open their hearts and homes to senior dogs in need.