Sweet, Senior Annie Has a New Home Thanks to Grant 

Annie was getting up there in years, but she had a comfortable life: a safe, warm home with a person who loved her. She had everything a senior pet could want. Then Annie’s person got sick. Faced with a cancer diagnosis, Annie’s owner realized she couldn’t take care of her furry best friend anymore. She made the incredibly difficult decision to surrender her cherished dog.

The choice to surrender a pet is never easy. Right now, more and more families are making this heartbreaking choice due to inflation, higher pet care costs, and housing insecurity. In Cleveland, for example, one shelter saw owner surrenders due to housing or financial challenges jump by 56% this year. It’s a trend all across the United States. When people are in crisis and in temporary need of shelter and medical care for their pet, Rescue Village is there to help when times are tough. And when an owner must surrender a beloved pet — whether because of illness, financial reasons, housing, or other concerns — we are again there to help, without judgment.

Owners like Annie’s can take comfort in the knowledge that we do not euthanize for time or space. That’s a promise we’re able to make because of generous supporters like you. More than 60 percent of Rescue Village residents are strays or owner surrenders. The more animals who are adopted or fostered, the more we can help through our shelter. Older dogs like Annie often wait the longest for an adopter.

For Annie, the recent Kia Pet Adoption Grant came at just the right time. We were incredibly thankful and excited to be the recipient of this grant, which allowed Rescue Village to waive the adoption fees for 11 families, reducing the financial barrier to adoption. The Kia grant helped us draw attention to the 70 adoptable animals who were residents at Rescue Village at the time, one of whom was Annie. It took just 12 short days for Annie to meet her new best friend, Sharron. Annie is so happy to be in a home again with a person of her very own to shower her with love. Thank you for giving animals of all ages, including senior dogs like Annie, the happy lives they deserve!