Muttville aims to save more senior dogs with new shelter

Muttville Senior Dog Rescue's highly anticipated forever home is here, just a quick trip from its former location on Rescue Row.

Why it matters: The new facilities will enable Muttville , a no-kill shelter, to rescue even more dogs and continue to take in canines from overcrowded shelters — some of which are forced to euthanize dogs due to lack of space.

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Driving the news: Muttville, which previously operated out of a space by provided by the SF SPCA , officially opened its permanent shelter in the Mission in late August after a debacle with PG&E that interrupted its plans.

• The new 18,000-square-foot campus, which Muttville bought for $15 million, was funded by private donors and family foundations.
• More than 300 individual donors made financial contributions to the new shelter, with three gifts of more than $3 million each, according to Muttville.

What they're saying: With a space about three times the size of its last one, Muttville aims to double its intake and adoptions within five years, its founder and CEO Sherri Franklin told Axios.

Muttville has an open-concept shelter design. Photo: Megan Rose Dickey/Axios

By the numbers: Muttville has saved more than 12,000 dogs since its inception in 2007.

• Dogs can make their way to Muttville through a number of ways, including from other shelters facing overcrowding or from humans surrendering their pooches.
• Already, Muttville has ramped up its intake at its new space from 18-20 dogs per week to 25, Franklin said.
• Adoptions cost $250, but that fee is waived for folks 62 and older. Adopters also have the option to sign up for a monthly donation instead of the one-time fee.

Between the lines: Shelter overcrowding is "still a really big issue, and it has not changed much" since last year, she said. "We're still getting as many requests from overcrowded shelters," but Muttville is able to "adopt our dogs quickly" in part because "we have the audience and we have a lot of return adopters," Franklin said.

Of note: About 40% of their adopters are senior citizens — some of whom "have been turned away by other organizations" due to their age, she said.

• "So we have created a community of people that say, 'Go to Muttville.' So I think that's one of the reasons that we manage to get so many dogs adopted."

Muttville founder and CEO Sherri Franklin in the Hound Lounge. Photo: Megan Rose Dickey/Axios

Zoom in: The beautiful aesthetic is by design, Franklin said. It's meant to provide a welcoming space for dogs and humans alike.

• Already, folks have walked in from the street, enticed by dogs looking longingly out the window, and adopted pets on the spot, Franklin said.
• "That never happened" at the old place, Franklin exclaimed, attributing the new phenomenon to the inviting nature of the new space.

What's next: Franklin has a vision for Muttville to become more of a community hub, engaging with the shelter's immediate community in the neighborhood, including youth development organization Jamestown Community Center and Mission Food Hub , as well as LGBTQ+ seniors, she said.

• "You're going to see Muttville saving more dogs, having more community events and engagement," she said. "We can ramp all that up a lot more."