It’s time to raise the “woof” and celebrate an organization that cares deeply about senior dogs. At our annual banquet and award ceremony, the Dog Writers Association of America awards over $14,000 in special sponsor monies to dog writers.
This year, the banquet is being held on Sunday, February 9, 2020, and we are sold out!
We’d like everyone to go behind the scenes and get to know our treasured sponsors. If you love senior dogs, you’ll love getting to know The Grey Muzzle Organization.
Sponsored by The Grey Muzzle Organization, this award goes to the best article, book, blog, TV segment, radio spot, video, column or other creative media format that best educates, promotes, or demonstrates to the public the plight of at-risk senior dogs. This may include stories about special programs at a rescue or shelter that enable older best friends to retain their homes or find new forever homes, seniors for seniors programs, medical victories, hospice care for homeless dogs or other ways in which communities and/or individuals are helping to make sure no old dog dies alone or afraid. The winner will receive a $500 cash prize and a commemorative plaque.
The finalists who are eligible to win this award include:
“Speaking of Dogs” by Lorraine Houston, Nancy Foran, and Cathy Vandergeest
“The Gray Face with a Gentle Heart of Gold – Saving A Senior in Kauai” by Christy Doherty
“Jasper’s Story, from Sad to Glad (Senior Dog, Extreme Rescue)” by Ted Slupik and Gail Diedrichsen
The Sibe Vibe “Caring For A Senior Dog” Part 1 by Dorothy Wills-Raftery and Robert Forto
Tell us a little bit about your organization and what you do.
The Grey Muzzle Organization is one of the only national organizations working specifically on behalf of senior dogs. We improve the lives of at-risk senior dogs by providing funding and resources to animal shelters, rescue organizations, sanctuaries, and other nonprofit groups nationwide. We are not a shelter or rescue group. Rather, Grey Muzzle awards grants for programs that provide lifesaving services to senior dogs and improve their quality of life. We also offer expert resources and information on the care of senior dogs to both the public and animal welfare organizations across the country and around the world. We envision a world where no old dog dies alone and afraid.
We’re so thankful you sponsored a Special Award in the writing contest. Tell us more about the award and what it means.
The Grey Muzzle Organization award goes to the best article, book, blog, TV segment, radio spot, video, column or other creative media format that best educates, promotes, or demonstrates to the public the plight of at-risk senior dogs. This may include stories about special programs at a rescue or shelter that enable older best friends to retain their homes or find new forever homes, seniors for seniors programs, medical victories, hospice care for homeless dogs or other ways in which communities and/or individuals are helping to make sure no old dog dies alone or afraid. Fundamentally, we seek to improve public perceptions of old dogs, and raising awareness through stories such as these is essential to creating that change.
Tell us about the PSA you currently have running.
In a new Public Service Announcement (PSA), Carol Burnett, Bob Newhart, Carl Reiner and Lily Tomlin talk about what growing older means for senior people and senior dogs in candid, funny and poignant comments.
What do you have in the works for 2020?
We look forward to increasing the total amount of grants we award in 2020 from an all-time high of $419,000 in 2019. We are looking forward to offering new grants based on a study we are currently conducting to learn more about the challenges our grantees face and emerging best practices to overcome them. We will also be offering a new series of webinars for the public on the care and well-being of senior dogs. We kicked off the series this month with a webinar on end-of-life decision-making.
Please provide any social channels where folks can follow you:
Facebook: @GreyMuzzle
Twitter: @GreyMuzzleOrg
Instagram: @greymuzzleorg
Follow along and watch the awards live on Sunday, February 9, 2020, on the DWAA’s Facebook page. Awards should be going live by 9 pm ET.
Special thanks to Dogster for supporting DWAA and its members.