Sherri Franklin noticed a pattern while volunteering at the San Francisco Humane Society. Puppies were adopted within days. Younger dogs followed soon after. But the older dogs—the ones with gray muzzles and slower steps—were left behind. Many were euthanized simply because no one chose them.
Sherri walked these senior dogs week after week, watching families pass their kennels without stopping. She saw how gentle they were, how little they asked for. And she began thinking about another overlooked group: senior citizens living alone.
In 2007, she founded Muttville, a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing senior dogs and finding them loving homes. She started in her own house, taking in dogs no one else wanted. Then she created the “Seniors for Seniors” program, matching older dogs with older people.
The impact was immediate. Seniors who rarely left home began walking daily. They met neighbors. They smiled again. The dogs gained comfort and dignity; the people gained purpose and companionship.
Muttville later introduced Fospice, placing terminally ill dogs in homes where they could spend their final days loved and cared for.
To date, Muttville has saved over 3,800 senior dogs. It proved something simple and powerful: old doesn’t mean worthless. Sometimes, it just means waiting for the right match.