May 25 2014

San Francisco Event Celebrating the New "Rescue Row"

A San Francisco street will be honorably renamed “Rescue Row,” due to the location of four of San Francisco’s premier animal rescue organizations on the same city block of Alabama Street, between 15th and 16th streets. This section of street is home to the San Francisco SPCA, Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, Northern California Family Dog Rescue and San Francisco Animal Care and Control.

On May 6th, 2014, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to officially recognize the street as Rescue Row, making it the first of its kind in the country. Having the four rescue organizations on the same street makes it especially easy for adopters to find their perfect companion.

Sherri Franklin, the Executive Director of Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, remarked on the occasion:

“We are so glad to be a part of Rescue Row with our other animal adoption partners. We think it’s going to be a win-win for all of the dogs, cats, birds and more that are hoping to find their forever homes on Rescue Row!” …

May 24 2014

Meet Muttville, A Senior Dog Rescue Organization

If you’ve ever owned a senior dog, you know how special they can be. Most are happy to spend their golden years lounging on the sofa, taking easygoing walks, and offering lots of cuddles. Unfortunately, many senior dogs lose their owners to old age or are abandoned because of medical or behavioral issues. In San Francisco, that’s where Muttville comes in.

Muttville is a senior dog rescue organization that was founded in 2007 by Sherri Franklin, a long-time volunteer at local animal shelters and a member of the San Francisco Commission of Animal Control and Welfare.

“I’ve always loved the underdog,” says Sherri who, in addition to being the founder of Muttville, is also the organization’s Executive Director. “I’ve learned that it takes a village to do it well, and our Mutt-village grows larger every day. Muttville has hundreds of volunteers and foster parents, and for each and every person, I am grateful that they care about abandoned senior dogs as much as I do. It’s gratifying to save each and every life and see the impact every dog has on the people that care for them. Then, to see a rescued senior find a new beginning with an adopter is the icing on the cake!”

So how do senior dogs end up at Muttville? …

May 24 2014

Senior dogs still have love to give

Marion Cleverly and her husband, Roger, of Oakdale, Calif., had been looking for an adult dog when they found Webster, a happy, 11-year-old Labrador retriever at the Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco.

“We had the space and thought, why not help an older dog have a nice life? I also (wanted) a role model for my two younger dogs,” says Cleverly.

Webster settled right in, seemingly aware that he was finally home. “He’s like your best, old uncle. He puts up with the younger dogs, and they’ve learned calm behavior from him,” says Cleverly.

Dogs are generally considered senior when they turn 6 or 7, and many become homeless through no fault of their own. …

April 29 2014

This Old Dog Needs A New Home -- And So Do 74 Of His Friends!

This handsome guy is Sir Sean Connery. He’s eight years old and was found in a kill shelter in Alabama, where he’d been surrendered for getting older.

It’s never easy to think about what’s happened to the animals who’ve wound up at shelters. The stories are especially heartbreaking, and seem especially unfair, when they aren’t spring chickens.

But if this is the season when thoughts normally turn to renewal – flowers and kittens and, yes, spring chickens – why not also think of this as the time to give some golden aged animals a brand new chance?

March 27 2014

Muttville Senior Dog Rescue Featured on NBC Bay Area People

Muttville’s Kristin Hoff and senior mutts RJ, Chelo, and Sally (by Kristin’s feet) were featured guests on KTVU Channel 2’s Bay Area People! Shortly after this broadcast, Sally was adopted. Learn more about Muttville’s mission.

March 20 2014

How to Attract Monthly Gifts

In this episode of Fundraising Fundamentals, Patty Stanton, a board member and volunteer for Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, and Susan Cooney, founder and chief executive of Givelocity, talk about the approaches their organizations use to attract monthly gifts. Among them: Make the giving option prominent on your website, and show supporters how regular gifts can help the organization get better results.

December 30 2013

What It's Like to Be a Foster Dad for Muttville Senior Dog Rescue

Joe Marko has been fostering senior pups for Muttville since 2008. Since then, he’s lost track of how many dogs in need have come through his door.

December 25 2013

Merry Christmas at Muttville

During the dark days of winter, it is more important than ever to help homeless animals. Muttville, a senior dog rescue in the San Francisco Bay Area, is one of those organizations who do just that: their staff and volunteers provide warmth, love, and shelter for thousands of needy animals

November 23 2013

Senior Dogs Get a Second Chance at California Rescue

Having rescued over 2,000 older dogs, it may seem that things have always been easy for Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, a no-kill rescue in San Francisco, California. However, like so many other rescue organizations, it was only through perseverance and a passion to help an often forgotten canine population that kept Sherri Franklin going and led to Muttville’s success.

Senior dogs are at a huge disadvantage in finding a new forever home when in a normal shelter environment. Often, they arrive following an elderly owner’s death or when an older owner can no longer care for them, confused and traumatized from the change in environment. Then, to make matters worse, every person who comes searching for a new addition passes over them, causing them to slowly lose hope. And this is if they are not just immediately euthanized.

After volunteering in such an environment, Sherri Franklin, the founder and director of Muttville, knew that she had to do something for these older dogs. …

November 19 2013

Morris: Age shouldn't be a negative factor in pet adoption

What with Thanksgiving approaching and Christmas coming at us like a giant snowball rolling down a steep, snow-covered hill, we can’t be blamed for overlooking the news that November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month. But before too much more time got away from us, I wanted to acknowledge this extremely important topic.

Yes, we all love kittens and puppies, and that desire to have a loved pet as long as we can is a pretty strong lure for adopting the youngest animals we can. But older animals are just as cute, just as loving and just as deserving of good homes, perhaps more so.

Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, based in San Francisco but serving the entire Bay Area, recently reached a milestone by rescuing its 2,000th senior dog. …