July 23, 2025 — Lucky Dog Animal Rescue is pleased to have received $15,000 in funding through a PEDIGREE Foundation Program Development Grant. This generous grant will support a new initiative called Project Paws in Homes, which will provide those who adopt Lucky Dog’s long-stay – or challenging – dogs with the resources they need to make their adoption successful. The new program has already helped beautiful Bluebell, who was a long-stay dog and now “rules the lives” of her adoring adopters.
“Over the past year, shelters across the country have seen dog adoption rates drop, and the shelters that Lucky Dog partners with are no exception, said Mirah Horowitz, Founder and CEO of Lucky Dog. “As a result, shelter dogs are staying in care longer – and in more crowded conditions – than they have in prior years. Puppies are growing up in shelters and missing their critical window of socialization. Lucky Dog is working hard to help our source-shelters not only move the cute fluffy puppies and small adults who still get adopted quickly but also move the adolescents and long-stay dogs who struggle to find forever homes. The funding from the PEDIGREE Foundation ensures adopters have the resources and support they need to ensure successful transitions for their new forever family members. ”
The new Project Paws in Homes initiative, funded by the PEDIGREE Foundation, encourages adopters to adopt Lucky Dog’s long stay and more challenging dogs by providing them with the resources they need to make their adoption successful. Each package will be tailored to the specific needs of the dog being adopted but will include:
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High value training treats,
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A halti, transitional leash, or freedom harness,
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Enrollment in a group training class with either Lucky Dog’s staff trainer or one of our training partners, and
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Connection to a support group made up of current fosters and Lucky Dog alum who have adopted and/or worked with behavior dogs.
An example of this program’s success is Bluebell. Claire Merrin and her husband were still grieving the passing of their beloved bully rescue Vinnie when Claire started volunteering with Lucky Dog Animal Rescue last November. When she saw that Bluebell, a middle-aged “Bulldog/Pit bull/Princess” mix whose tongue sticks out “approximately 80% of the time,” needed a foster home, Claire decided to give her the chance that others hadn’t been able to
Bluebell had been with Lucky Dog for approximately eight months. She needed what is affectionately called a “unicorn” foster because of their incredible rarity: a home with no dogs, cats or children. She needed someone who could help her with leash reactivity, stranger danger and resource guarding – among other challenges.
Thankfully, with the support of the PEDIGREE Foundation and Lucky Dog’s Project Paws in Homes initiative, Bluebell’s foster family got the support they needed to become her forever family. Working with exceptional trainers provided Claire and her husband with the confidence and ability to not only help Bluebell integrate into their life but to overcome the fears that caused her challenging behaviors. e.
“The incredible benefit of the PEDIGREE program is that it provides qualified trainers who are fully committed to supporting successful adoptions,” Claire said. “The Program gives access to trainers who provide targeted immediate and long-term strategies to help pups integrate quickly and successfully with their adoptive family and provide confidence and support to adopters, bridging the gap for adopters who are willing to take on challenging dogs but fear they don’t have the knowledge or resources to do so.”
Lucky Dog created this initiative to not only help these dogs get adopted, but also to help prevent returns.
Learn more about Lucky Dog’s mission and how to help at www.luckydoganimalrescue.org.
About Lucky Dog Animal Rescue
Lucky Dog Animal Rescue is a volunteer-powered 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to rescuing homeless, neglected, and abandoned animals from overcrowded and under-resourced shelters and placing them in loving forever homes. Since its founding in 2009, Lucky Dog has saved over 31,000 dogs and cats. We rely on a network of fosters, adopters, volunteers, and generous supporters to give every Lucky Dog and Cat a second chance at life. To learn more, visit luckydoganimalrescue.org or email [email protected]. You can also follow us on social media: Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
About PEDIGREE Foundation
We believe every dog deserves a loving, forever home. PEDIGREE Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working to help end pet homelessness. Nearly 3.1 million dogs end up in shelters and rescues every year, and nearly half never find a home. The foundation was established in 2008 by Mars Petcare, maker of PEDIGREE® food for dogs, to help increase dog adoption rates. We’ve awarded more than 6,300 grants and over $14 million to U.S. shelters and rescues that help dogs in need. Since launching our Canadian grant program in 2022, we have provided $345k CAD to local shelters and rescues in need across Canada, as well as $20k CAD in Disaster Relief. At PEDIGREE Foundation, we’re working toward a day when all dogs are safe, secure, cared for, fed well and loved. See how you can help at PedigreeFoundation.org.