Muttville Senior Rescue is community and where the magic happens. Cheers to Sherri Franklin, the founder and CEO of Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to saving and improving the lives of senior dogs—the older pups most likely to be overlooked or euthanized in traditional shelters.
She began her journey as a volunteer at the San Francisco SPCA, where she fell in love with an older beagle mix named Heidi and was devastated when the dog was euthanized simply because she hadn’t been adopted. That experience sparked her passion to help older dogs, and in 2007 she started Muttville in her own home, rescuing 27 senior dogs in the first year.
Under her leadership, Muttville developed an innovative, cage-free model that feels more like a home than a shelter, focusing on compassionate care, foster support, hospice programs, and adoption.
Sherri’s work has rescued close to 14,000 senior dogs and has become a national model for how shelters can change perceptions about older animals. She was recognized as a CNN Hero for her dedication to animal welfare.
She may be retiring as CEO but will continue to rescue more dogs and bring them to Muttville as a “volunteer” They love volunteers!
