Humane Society for Animals, Inc.: Senior Pet Adoption Assistance Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
This grant money is being used for medications we have ordered for Nanna. Our organization is purchasing the medications as prescribed by the veterinarian we use. We will give these to the adopters when Nanna is adopted.
We take our pets to the veterinarian and have shots, evaluations, surgeries, and medications for animals so they are in an adoptable condition to lessen the burden on adopters. Assistance for these costs helps our nonprofit and all the animals in our care.
How many pets did this grant help?
1
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Nanna is such a sweet-natured girl and a family is very interested in her. They have been to the shelter four times to visit her. The family is struggling right now (their son has two broken arms), but they hope to be able to take Nanna into their home soon. She is still on Petfinder here.
Nanna was found abandoned in Siloam Springs, AR, on Feb. 22, 2021. We have had her in our care for more than two months. After years of neglect and a poor diet, she has tremendous skin problems. We have been treating her with steroids, Bravecto, antifungal medications, and antibiotics. She gets baths two times weekly for the oily skin and is on a good diet of Blue Buffalo Senior Formula.
She has improved somewhat, but her treatments will continue for a long time due to her age and the severity of her condition. She possibly had an autoimmune disorder for many years before coming to our shelter. It is estimated that the treatments will continue for the remainder of her life. We will use grant funds to subsidize medication and feeding costs for Nanna for four months. This will go to her adopter. Nanna’s costs for medications and feeding are $2967.48 per year.
We have looked into the solemn face that was gazing up at us and felt something very special about this canine, a pervasive feeling of peacefulness and tranquil acceptance. Together, we walked to the bark park where the shepherd’s story was revealed. Her fur was disheveled and her skin wrinkled, but even though her eyes looked sad, she shared the elation of life with the joyful expression of spirit that is the gift of the canines.
This 8-year-old quickly received her name, Nanna, which matches her life experience and her friendly, nurturing energies that are mirrored in the gentle swish, swish of her happy tail wag. She has been through some tough times and has suffered neglect and abandonment, but Nanna has an amazing desire to be with her humans and, when called, will come running to you with a bounce in her step.
She walks easily on-leash, performs an instant “sit” on request, and impressed the photographer with her alert, focused nature. Nanna is hoping for a home with a kind, caring human who can accept her wrinkled skin, slender body, and thinning fur and who can look beyond the superficial and see directly into the loving heart of a calm, senior canine.
