Agape Animal Rescue: Senior Pet Adoption Assistance Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

The funds awarded were used to sponsor the adoption fee and to provide post-adoption financial support (ongoing medical care and behavioral training) of a 9-year-old senior dog, Dolores, in Agape's Signature Foster and Adoption Program to increase her adoptability as a senior and harder-to-adopt pup.

This grant helped our organization sponsor the adoption and post-adoption support of a harder-to-adopt senior dog with high medical needs and mild resource-guarding issues. As a result, she was adopted into a loving home and is doing very well.

How many pets did this grant help?

1

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

Dolores, a 9-year-old poodle mix, came to Agape’s Signature Foster and Adoption Program in early December 2020. She had been surrendered to a local county shelter after displaying behavioral issues.

After Dolores settled into her foster home, Agape spent time identifying her needs, both behavioral and medical. Dolores has mild resource-guarding issues and has been working on building her confidence and calm behavior. In addition to this, Dolores was recently diagnosed with a collapsing trachea and bladder stones. She is on regular medications that total approximately $100 a month.

Of course, being a senior with a particular personality and higher medical needs, Dolores was a more difficult-to-adopt pup, and she had been in our program for almost a year.

Thanks to funding from the Petfinder Foundation, Dolores was able to have her adoption fee sponsored, as well as generous post-adoption support that would cover a significant amount of her medical care and behavioral training.

As a result, she was subsequently adopted by her foster mom, with whom she had already developed a loving bond. As a senior dog who is known for being a little cranky, it was great for Dolores to be able to remain in her foster home, where she had become comfortable and settled, with a loving, nurturing caregiver with whom she had already developed significant trust and love.

Dolores’ foster mom, Julie, had grown to love Dolores and was able to care for her as a foster parent with Agape’s support, but had understandable concerns about committing permanently, given Dolores’ health issues. When Agape was able to offer Julie some ongoing/bridge support for Dolores’ care post-adoption, the decision to become her forever home became very easy for Julie and very easy for Agape! Dolores was already home.