April 30 2020
CBSN Bay Area’s Len Kiese interviews Sherri Franklin, Founder and CEO of Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, on the importance of pet adoptions especially during times like these.
April 29 2020
If you’re looking for a silver lining during this pandemic, one place to turn is animal shelters. …
Elsewhere in California, Sherri Franklin said she has also seen an uptick in adoptions through her San Francisco-based nonprofit, Muttville.
Franklin, who was named a CNN Hero in 2016, and her team rescue senior dogs from shelters and find them forever homes.
Under California’s shelter-in-place order, implemented six weeks ago, animal shelters are deemed as essential. However, Franklin made the decision to close hers for the safety of her employees and volunteers.
She and her team moved all 86 dogs out of their shelter and into foster homes – which is no small feat.
“What was really amazing was the community that poured in to help,” Franklin said. “We got over 200 foster applications in a week. We used to get 20 in a week.”
Franklin and her team worked fast to come up with new protocol to safely adopt out dogs and follow social distancing guidelines. The organization began doing virtual adoption meetings, where the foster parent introduces the dog to the potential adopters via Zoom or FaceTime.
“People really are on the edge of their seat,” Franklin said of the virtual meetings. “It’s almost like they want to reach out and touch that dog.”
Since adapting its process after the shelter-in-place order, the organization has adopted out 135 dogs.
“I hate to use this term, but the dogs are flying off the shelves,” Franklin said. “It is a time when people are looking for comfort, continuity and something they can focus on other than the crazy news.” . . .
April 27 2020
Video interview with Muttville founder and CEO Sherri Franklin
April 26 2020
Animals shelters across the United States are emptying out thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, as people confined to their homes are adopting or fostering animals in droves. …
Sherri Franklin, founder of the Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco, said she has never seen such an outpouring of support from the community in the 25 years she has worked in animal rescue.
“When the shelter-in-place order came down (in March), we had 86 dogs in our care, and we moved them all to foster homes in 48 hours,” she said.
Franklin said adopting or fostering a pet during these unusual and stressful times is beneficial for both animals and humans.
“Adopting a dog during this time is an equal win for both the dog… but it’s even more so for the human that does need a reason to get up, and does need a connection in this world and does need something to alleviate isolation and stress,” she noted. …
April 16 2020
Sherri Franklin, CEO and Founder of Muttville, talks with CBSN Bay Area about the increase in homeless pet adoptions amid the shelter-in-place.
April 15 2020
Bay Area shelters and dog rescues are currently closed to the public. So, what’s happening with all the unhoused dogs? Turns out, shelters are getting creative.
In previous times, you know, before coronavirus, if you wanted to adopt a rescue dog, you’d search Petfinder or go to a shelter. You’d meet a bunch of pups, fall in love with the one who jumped in your lap and maybe you’d return a few times before deciding. But, like journalism – which as you can hear is now conducted largely over Zoom – all that has changed.
As soon as the shelter in place was announced, Muttville, a senior dog rescue in San Francisco, realized that they needed to close their volunteer-run facility and find foster homes for all the rescues.
“We found foster homes for all 86 dogs within 48 hours,” explains Sherri Franklin, Muttville’s founder and CEO.
Then Sherri and her team had to figure out if they were gonna continue their adoption program: “And we ultimately decided that we would continue to do safe, no contact adoptions. Because really the outpouring of support from our, you know, basic community around here was, ‘Hey I want to help.’”
Muttville has seen a 300 percent increase in applications for adoption. “In fact, because we have so many applicants, we’re really, we have to screen the applicants because there’s not enough dogs to go around,” adds Sherri.
“You know how everybody was panic buying on Amazon. I said, we panic-adopted a senior dog,” says Beth Kanter, whose family passed Muttville’s screening. …
April 11 2020
Watch KRON TV’s Sanaz Tahernia interview Muttville’s Founder Sherri Franklin on KRON TV with awesome doggie partner Pierre!
April 10 2020
Since the COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders went into effect in March, Bay Area animal shelters have received an overwhelming response from residents offering to foster cats and dogs during the crisis.
Deploying rapid emails and social media posts to get out the word, every animal shelter contacted was able to move nearly all animals into foster homes within days of the quarantine, except for animals that needed to remain at the shelters for health or behavioral reasons. …
“Volunteers stepped up immediately because they always do. They’re amazing,” said Deb Campbell, Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator for San Francisco Animal Care & Control. “We were just overwhelmed with the amount of requests from the public. It was really heartening.”
Volunteers have provided most of the support for foster animals. Representatives of all contacted shelters said that at least half of their animals were placed with previous foster parents. Many shelters were able to place all animals with trained volunteers. …
By relieving stress and isolation, pets can provide a huge boost, according to Sherri Franklin, founder of the senior dog rescue shelter, Muttville, in San Francisco. “It’s a scientific fact that dogs lower your blood pressure, keep you happy and get you outside to exercise a little bit more. It’s an absolute cure for loneliness. You can save a life while you’re sitting at home.”
While all shelters contacted are at capacity for foster parents, many have resumed adoptions and are looking to transition foster dogs to permanent homes. …
April 9 2020
From her backyard, Sherri Franklin, founder of Muttville, a senior dog rescue group in San Francisco, is using her phone to show Ziggy, an 8-year-old Chihuahua, to a person who’s interested in adopting a dog.
All meet-and-greets are done via FaceTime or Zoom, since Muttville’s offices are closed to comply with the shelter-in-place order.
Franklin says applications from people who want to foster or adopt a dog have flooded the nonprofit.
There are normally 20 to 25 applications a week. That number jumped to 120 the first week of the stay- at-home order.
“I’ve been involved with animal rescues for 25 years. I have never seen anything like this,” said Franklin.
- Amber Lee
April 8 2020
Animal rescue groups across the country report that they are seeing a spike in pet adoptions. Experts say dogs offer people comfort and they help quell anxiety during these stressful times.
With people working, studying and generally sheltered at home, many say it’s the perfect time to get a companion.
KTVU visited two dog rescue groups in San Francisco to see how things have changed.
From her backyard, Sherri Franklin, founder of Muttville, a senior dog rescue group in San Francisco, is using her phone to show Ziggy, an 8-year-old Chihuahua, to a person who’s interested in adopting a dog.
All meet and greets are done via FaceTime or Zoom since Muttville’s offices are closed to comply with the shelter-in-place order.
Franklin said applications from people who want to foster or adopt a dog have flooded the nonprofit.
There are normally 20 to 25 applications a week. That number jumped to 120 the first week of the stay- at-home order.
“I’ve been involved with animal rescues for 25 years. I have never seen anything like this,” said Franklin. …
