The 2022 PEDIGREE Foundation grants were given to 81 shelter and rescue organizations across the U.S. and Canada, totaling $1 million to help find homes for dogs in need. The funds will help more than 66,000 dogs.
Here is a closer look at the grants and recipients.
DOGS RULE.™ Grants: Building Best Practices
These are $100,000 grants provided over two years to develop an innovative initiative that can become a best practice for other shelters and rescues. The 2022 grantees were:
- San Diego Humane (San Diego, CA): Second half of $100,000 DOGS RULE.™ grant for 2021 and 2022 to create a Welcome Committee program that helps abbreviate the acclimation period for dogs entering the shelter, build relationships with people, and decrease fear, anxiety, stress and frustration. The focus is incoming dogs who display fear- or stress-based behaviors during their initial 24 hours in care. By helping dogs overcome transitional stress when they enter the shelter, the goal is to reduce stress-related behaviors and help dogs find new homes faster.
- Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA; Philadelphia, PA): $100,000 to support its Adopting Great Behaviors program which will allow PSPCA to create a full-time Behaviorist position who will facilitate adoption success for dogs with a range of challenging behaviors. The Behaviorist will support adoptive families who navigate challenging behaviors and assess dogs for behavioral challenges that may interfere with adoption success. Following adoption, the program will provide training materials and post-adoption online consultations to continue this crucial work at home.
Program Development Grants: Helping Shelters and Rescues Do More
These grants support shelter and rescue activities that expand the operational capacity of the organization to increase dog adoption rates. The focus in on foster, transport and matching/behavior initiatives. This year, 29 shelters and rescues received Program Development grants. Recipients were:
- ACTion Programs for Animals (Las Cruces, NM): $15,000 to expand program resources and awareness for P.A.W.S. (Prisoners and Animals Working Toward Success) with the overall goal of increasing dog adoption rates following completion of their training.
- Agape Animal Rescue (Nashville, TN): $15,000 to support its Community Canine Coaching Program which aims to combat owner surrenders and support intake prevention while increasing the adoptability and quality of life of foster dogs.
- Animal Protective Association (St. Louis, MO): $15,000 to support its Almost Home: Fostering Program which offers full-time support along with tools and resources to ensure foster volunteers have positive experiences and ultimately improve the outcomes for individual pets.
- Animal Rescue League of Iowa, Inc. (Des Moines, IA): $14,600 to continue supporting individualized behavior modification and management plans for dogs in need in order to increase their chance of finding their forever homes.
- Arizona Animal Welfare League (AAWL; Phoenix, AZ): $15,000 to support its work alongside the Navajo Veterinary Management Program in facilitating more monthly transports of homeless pets
- Caring Hearts for Canines (Southern Pines, NC): $14,548 to support rescue and rehoming efforts for dogs in need across neighboring counties.
- Dorchester Paws (Summerville, SC): $15,000 to support its Mutts for Miles program that pairs volunteers with dogs to expend their energy outdoors. This program also enables dogs to participate in playgroups and enrichment activities.
- Friends of Foothills Animal Shelter (Golden, CO): $15,000 to support transport coordination efforts for designated shelter staff, enabling the shelter to serve more pets.
- Friends of PACC (Tucson, AZ): $15,000 to implement a program centered around play therapy and enrichment activities for dogs with behavior challenges in an effort to improve their overall quality of life and increase their likelihood of adoption.
- Gateway Pet Guardians (East St. Louis, IL): $15,000 to support adoptions for dogs with behavioral challenges through its Unicorn Foster program by allowing them to spend time in foster homes. The program allow the dogs to acclimate to a home environment and foster homes will have access to resources including a professional trainer.
- Kansas Humane Society of Wichita, Inc. (Wichita, KS): $13,400 to support the ongoing behavior modification program to enable dogs to have a better chance at adoptions and ultimately reduce the rate of euthanasia.
- KC Pet Project (Kansas City, MO): $15,000 to expand its canine foster program by encouraging more community members to foster a dog and provide supplies to help them care for the pet.
- Kentucky Humane Society (Louisville, KY): $10,000 to support the development of playgroups that include two play yards for dogs to expend their energy and socialize in group settings.
- Little Traverse Bay Humane Society (Harbor Springs, MI): $10,000 to create a sensory garden to provide a calming environment for shelter and community dogs to decompress.
- Lucky Dog Animal Rescue (Arlington, VA): $15,000 to expand its offerings of “Project Pawsitive” to work with professional trainers on an ongoing basis as well as provide training to staff and volunteers.
- Michiana Humane Society, Inc. (Michigan City, IN): $10,000 to establish a safe play group program for dogs of all sizes and provide training for staff and volunteers.
- Muttville (San Francisco, CA): $10,000 to support its senior dog behavioral training program with the goal of making successful adoption matches, keeping adopted dogs in their homes, and improving the staff and foster families’ capacity to address a dog’s behavioral needs.
- Nebraska Humane Society (Omaha, NE): $15,000 to support ongoing efforts of the Molly Project which specializes in canine behavior modification to best serve the dogs’ needs in order to be ready for adoption.
- Oconee County Humane Society, Inc. (Seneca, SC): $14,425 to offer professional behavioral issues training, dog enrichment programs and implement a “Gold Paws” program where eligible dogs can become certified as Canine Good citizens.
- Paws And Think, Inc. (Indianapolis, IN): $6,000 to support ongoing efforts for its PAWs Youth-Canine programs which allow risk-youth to care for and train shelter dogs.
- PAWS Atlanta (Decatur, GA): $14,900 to support a new training program, PAWS Long-term Guest Project, that will serve dogs with behavioral challenges through socialization, training and stress-relieving activities to ultimately help place them in permanent homes.
- Paws for Life (Heber City, UT): $15,000 to expand its Freedom Ride Express program and assist with transport costs as well as labor and volunteer needs.
- Pet Place International, Inc. (Yucca Valley, CA): $8,000 to help care for 20% more dogs by creating additional indoor and outdoor spaces with heat and air conditioning as part of their ongoing work with a Los Angeles shelter.
- Providence Animal Center (Media, PA): $15,000 to support ongoing transport efforts for the Transporting Animals Into Loving Situations (TAILS) program and provide veterinary and behavioral care for rescue dogs.
- Riverside Humane Society (Riverside, CA): $10,200 to take in more dogs as part of its foster program so that rescue dogs have a chance to get acclimated to living in a home environment prior to being adopted.
- Ruff Start Rescue, Inc. (Princeton, MN): $15,000 to help place 200 dogs in loving homes in 2023 through its AmPUP Adoptions Initiative which has three focus areas including vetting transport, increasing in-house vetting capacity and a robust foster recruitment effort.
- Second Chance Pet Adoptions (Raleigh, NC): $14,840 to strengthen its behavioral rehabilitation program to improve dogs’ quality of life, shorten their stays, and ultimately be placed into new homes.
- SICSA Pet Adoption & Wellness Center (Dayton, OH): $15,000 to expand its volunteer base for its Paw Partners Program which enables high energy dogs to spend time with volunteers outside of the kennel environment.
- Susquehanna SPCA (Cooperstown, NY): $15,000 to expand its foster volunteer base in order to care for and provide temporary homes for more dogs in need.
- Susquehanna SPCA (Cooperstown, NY): $15,000 to expand its foster volunteer base in order to care for and provide temporary homes for more dogs in need.
- Paws for Life (Heber City, UT): $15,000 to expand its Freedom Ride Express program and assist with transport costs as well as labor and volunteer needs.
All Dogs are Essential Support Dogs
PEDIGREE Foundation, in conjunction with the PEDIGREE® brand, announced its 10 Essential Support Dogs Safety Net grant winners recognizing shelters and organizations across the country for their efforts in keeping people and pets together during hardships. These grants were awarded to the following organizations providing immediate assistance with temporary boarding or fostering, food costs or pet-friendly housing deposits, as well as those focusing on dogs with families needing medical expense relief.:
- Austin Pets Alive! (Austin, TX): $10,000
- Arizona Humane Society (Phoenix, AZ): $10,000
- Berkeley Humane (Berkeley, CA): $10,000
- Dallas Pets Alive! (Grapevine, TX): $10,000
- Humane Indiana (Highland, IN): $10,000
- Humane Rescue Alliance (Washington, D.C.): $10,000
- Jennifer Sterling Brown Animal Rescue (Lexington, MS): $10,000
- Rockbridge Animal Alliance (Lexington, VA): $10,000
- Seattle Humane (Bellvue, WA): $10,000
- The Rescue Train (North Hollywood, CA): $10,000
Disaster Relief Grants: Providing Emergency Support
From natural disasters to puppy mill seizures, the need for disaster support continued in 2022. The Foundation contributed over $114,000 for disaster relief and/or emergency care efforts across the country.
- Agape Animal Rescue (Mt. Juliet, TN): $5,000
- American Black & Tan Coonhound Rescue, Inc. (Canton, OH): $4,000
- American Humane (Washington, D.C.): $10,000
- Angels Journey Home Animal Rescue (Belle Vernon, PA): $3,500
- Animal Town Sanctuary (Sage, CA): $3,500
- Animal Welfare Society of Jeffereson County (Charles Town, WV): $5,000
- Belleville Area Humane Society (Belleville, IL): $5,000
- Brindle (Reading, PA): $3,000
- Gateway Pet (East St. Louis, IL): $5,000
- Kentucky Humane Society (Louisville, KY): $5,000
- Humane Society for Animals, Inc. (Rogers, AR): $5,000
- Humane Society Naples (Naples, FL): $5,000
- M&Ms Furever Furbabies (Cameron, NC): $5,000
- Moadnock Humane Society (Swanzey, NH): $4,000
- Nashville Humane Association (Nashville, TN): $5,000
- NMDog (Albuquerque, NM): $5,000
- NovaStar Rescue (Dover, AR): $2,000
- Paws N Hooves (Myakka City, FL): $5,000
- Pups Without Borders (Van Nuys, CA): $4,500
- SEVGRRR (Yorktown, VA): $5,000
- SiskiYou (Yreka, CA): $5,000
- Stray Paws (St. Peters, MO): $5,000
- Vieques Humane Society and Animal Rescue (Vieques, PR): $5,000
Adoption Grants: Helping Dogs Get Loving Homes
Finally, in 2022 PEDIGREE Foundation joined forces with Mars Petcare’s BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program to fund multi-city adoption events to help pets get adopted. PEDIGREE Foundation grants covered dog adoptions. Participating shelters and rescues included:
- Friends of MACC (Nashville, TN)
- Friends of WCAC (Franklin, TN)
- Humane Rescue Alliance (Washington, D.C.)
- Humane Society of Southwest Washington (Vancouver, WA)
- Nashville Humane Association (Nashville, TN)
- St. Hubert’s (Madison, NJ)
