Stevenson University

Amanda Buttrum

CBEL 614
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Program Overview/Need and Assets

GranPaws is a community-based non-profit organization that assists members of

the community who are 65 years of age or older with dog walking and pet care. Many

elderly people struggle to afford pet care, lack transportation for vet visits and grooming,

or simply cannot keep up with the physical demands of pet care such as: Taking dogs for

walks, Giving baths, Changing litter boxes, etc. However, for many, animals provide

valuable love and companionship and can combat loneliness that many elderly people

feel. According to Nancy R. Gee, Megan K. Mueller, and Angela L. Curl (2017), writers

of journal submission Human-Animal Interaction and Older Adults: An Overview uses

research to identify the correlation of good health in senior citizens who are pet owners.

Regarding cardiovascular health, they write:

… the AHA (American Heart Association) statement identified and summarized

the 31 most relevant studies and concluded that there were varying levels of

evidence (depending on outcome) for a link between pet ownership and improved

outcomes regarding systemic hypertension, hyperlipidemia, physical activity,

obesity, autonomic function, cardiovascular reactivity, and survival for

individuals with cardiovascular disease.

GranPaws allows animals to stay healthy and receive the care they need despite

the financial and physical ability of their owner. Barbara Ballinger, writer for

Agingcare.com and author of blog post The Healing Power of Pets for Seniors (2018)

discusses the positive effects of pet ownership. She writes:

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Pets can also have an astounding effect on symptoms of depression and feelings

of loneliness. “Older pet owners have often told us how incredibly barren and

lonely their lives were without their pets companionship, even when there were

some downsides to owning an active pet,” Linda Anderson, who founded the

Angel Animals Network in Minneapolis with her husband, Allen, to spread

awareness of the benefits of pet ownership.

GranPaws will help to garner a relationship between members of the community

to provide a higher quality of social capital. How Social Connections Keep Seniors

Healthy, by Jill Suttie (2014), explores the positive benefits of senior involvement with

community-based organizations. Individuals who are rich in social interaction

opportunities have a higher quality of life as well as a smaller risk of dementia and

Alzheimer’s disease. The article investigates a study conducted by Bryan James, who is

an epidemiologist at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Chicago.

James looked at a community-based cohort of older people free of dementia and

measured social activity levels and their disability levels-in terms of their ability

to care for themselves. Findings showed that those with more frequent social

activity maintained lower levels of disability in several areas, suggesting that they

would be able to live independently longer than their less social counterparts.

The interaction of volunteers with seniors and their pets provides needed health care for

the animal but it also provides an opportunity for social interaction between GranPaws

staff members and seniors.

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The GranPaws organization will be focused in the Edgemere Community of

Baltimore County. Program hours will begin with afterschool hours, opening up to

daytime hours during summer break. This allows youth volunteers to participate and help

lead organizational initiatives. GranPaws service goals are to assist seniors in the

community with keeping their pets healthy by providing walks, as well as other services,

but it also provides opportunity for young people to explore philanthropy and be a part of

something important. Jolynn Berk (2018) writer of blog post Youth Volunteerism: A Key

to Creating Lifelong Change discusses the positive effects of volunteerism in young

adults. She writes:

Children in today’s culture are rarely given an opportunity to contribute ideas,

talents or time to finding causes they are passionate about. In fact, children are

typically seen as beneficiaries of good will, rather than potential volunteers or

organizers.

Youth who do volunteer are less likely to become involved in at-risk behaviors

such as drinking alcohol and skipping school compared with those who do not.

Volunteerism also positively impacts other youth social and behavioral issues like

teen pregnancy, dropout, substance abuse and violence. It can make a dramatic

difference in the lives of young participants by instilling a sense of purpose and

reason to achieve.

Nathan Dietz and Robert T. Grimm, Jr. (2016) writers of article Doing Good by

the Young and Old: Forth Years of American Volunteering discuss the benefits volunteer

experience has on young people. They write:

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A number of other long-term studies of youth corroborate our findings by

reporting all-time highs in youth civic attitudes and behaviors over the last two

decades. The Higher Education Research Institute’s (HERI) 2015 CIRP Freshman

Survey found an all-time high in the percentage of first-year college students who

said that helping others in difficulty was a “Very important” or “essential”

personal objective.

GranPaws will operate in Edgemere, Maryland, a tight knit community with a

small town feel. According to census data of 2017, Edgemere is home to a population of

roughly 8,322 people. The median age is 47.6, 21% of the population is 65 years or older.

The demographics are roughly 50/50 male female, 87% Caucasian, 7% Black, and 3%

and less of Hispanic, Asian, Native and Islander. 19% of the community population is

made of students 18 years of age and younger. While 87.3% of Edgemere community

members are High School Diploma holders, only 15.5% have a college degree. The

median household income of the area $74,930, 6.8% of people fall below poverty line.

Due to the proximity of this community to other Baltimore County Communities,

there is a lack of opportunity for low socioeconomic community members to receive

resources. There is an even bigger deficit when it comes to opportunities and resources

for post high school aged people. This is largely due to the lack of public transportation

in the area. While many of Baltimore County neighborhoods offer bus routes, the

Edgemere community does not currently. The senior citizen population being at 21%, the

community does have a Senior Citizen Center that offers opportunities for social events

as well as housing depending on economic status. Not all of the Senior Citizen population

is healthy enough to participate in this organization.

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The GranPaws concept was born with the idea of community members helping

their fellow community members in a meaningful way. Within the Edgemere community

are several smaller clustered communities. Each one with houses, or trailers located in

close proximity to one another. It’s the kind of town where everyone knows everyone.

Since there is a lack of community development opportunities for youth to earn service

learning hours, GranPaws will work in tandem with Sparrows Point High School to

engage students in serving senior citizens in their neighborhoods by assisting with dog

walking services.

The organization will tap into the local senior citizen center in order to engage,

and assess the needs of the senior citizen population of Edgemere. GranPaws hopes to

develop connections with members of the center who are pet owners and are in need of

extra assistance with their animal companion. After a client list has been developed, the

organization will develop a relationship with Sparrows Point High School and present the

organization to potential youth volunteers who live in the same neighborhood as their

client to begin dog-walking services.

Program Design/Methods/Strategies

GranPaws seeks to provide pet walking services to senior citizens in the community

by connecting youth and local volunteers with their elderly neighbors to create personal

bonds and companionship for seniors by keeping their pet home with them. GranPaws also

seeks to provide health care services to maintain their health and comfort.

GranPaws is highly dependent on volunteers. The organization will focus on

scheduling dogs for walks, provide professional development on best dog walking,

handling and grooming practices, organize fundraisers for cat and dog food, litter, toys,
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beds, vet bills, etc. GranPaws will keep pets in good health and help their owners keep

their beloved companions at home with them.

The program leader will work to develop a list of clients; gain information about

them and their pets. In the beginning, because it will take time to build up services,

GranPaws staff members will schedule dog-walking services with volunteers each week

and line them up with specific pets and people. Ideally everyone will work with the same

clients each week to help build familiarity between people and pets. This will likely be

decided by proximity of volunteer’s homes to client’s homes.

GranPaws in its initial development will focus on creating a clientele of senior

citizens who are dog owners. Youth and Adult volunteers will help schedule and walk dogs

for senior citizens as well as assist with dog grooming and health monitoring. Through

these activities, seniors will have consistent visitation from the dog walking partners as well

as keep their pet in good health allowing them to keep their animal companion at home

with them. This also provides useful strategies to assist seniors with loneliness and

depression. Authors of journal study Elderly people in many respects benefit from interaction

with dogs, Scheibeck, Pallauf, Stellwag, and Seeberger (2011) investigate the positive

benefits of dog ownership when it comes to senior citizens. In conclusion of their results

they determined the following:

Many elderly people suffer from loneliness after they lose their partner or after they

retire. They feel a certain lack of purpose that would give sense to their everyday

lives. Retirement becomes an ever-increasing burden to them. These new

circumstances often also cause them to lose their social contacts. A pet-and, in this

case a dog- can serve as a kind of medium through which social contacts can be

established in everyday situations.

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Youth participants will be encouraged through the opportunity to not only develop

job and leadership skills, as well as add to their college and/or applications, they will also

have the opportunity to earn required service learning hours through volunteering with

GranPaws. Professional development on pet care and walking provides volunteers with

another skill to add to their resume. Youth volunteers will develop a sense of purpose

through their work with the organization, which helps strengthen self-confidence and

motivation as well as develops a bond with their community and the people in it. In study

Long-Term Consequences of Youth Volunteering: Voluntary Versus Involuntary Service,

Authors Kim and Morgul (2017) discuss the genuine importance of civic engagement and

how it transcends to adulthood.

Scholars have argued that youth volunteering can foster adult civic engagement by

getting young people to reflect on issues of public concern, strengthening their

commitment to social justice, and cultivating their civic knowledge, skills, and

dispositions. Mounting evidence suggests that volunteering during adolescence is

associated with increased community involvement in adulthood.

Senior citizens will have a visit from their dog walker to look forward to which helps

combat loneliness as well as the opportunity to have their pet companion cared for and

walked. In the Frontiers in Psychology journal study Human-Animal Interaction and Older

Adults: An Overview, conducted by Nancy Gee, Megan Mueller, and Angela Curl (2017)

determined the following: “Human-animal interaction may provide social support for older

adults, thus reducing the risk of loneliness. Animal-assisted activity has been leveraged as

an intervention to improve social functioning in older psychiatric and dementia

patients.”(p.1)
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Oregon based Non-profit Pet Peace of Mind is a similar organization to what

GranPaws aspires to be. Their mission is to provide care and assistance of pets for patients

in hospice and palliative care. The ultimate goal of the organization is to allow animals to

stay home with their owner regardless of physical health and ability by providing volunteer

care to the animals in the way of dog walking, grooming, vet care, etc. Dianne McGill,

Executive Director of Pet Peace of Mind, in regards to the importance of keeping pets in

home with owners, writes:

I know of countless patients who have said that their pet is their lifeline. Pets are

great medicine for coping with the anxiety that comes from dealing with a serious

medical condition. For many patients, keeping their pets near them during the end

of life journal…

Evaluation Plan

GranPaws is committed to providing a service that is beneficial to both

senior owner and pet. The outcome efforts of the GranPaws organization will be identified

by the number of clients and pets we serve. The organization will also collect and keep data

regarding volunteer numbers. The initial goal of the organization is to create successful

outcomes that provide efficient data that reflects a beneficial difference being made in the

senior and pet’s life by providing dog-walking services. Seniors will be given the

opportunity answer a questionnaire or fill out a survey annually regarding how their

opinion of the organization, their pet handler volunteer and the treatment of their pet.

Outcomes will also be measured by increase or decrease of senior and/or volunteer

participation.
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Evaluative practices are in place to measure success of the organization. Indicated

outcomes of the organization will be considered in the following categories: Client

satisfaction/perception, Volunteer satisfaction/perception, and Animal health. The

qualitative information will be collected by providing stakeholder surveys with all involved

with the GranPaws organization on a yearly basis. A perception questionnaire will be

conducted with seniors as well as volunteers to ensure the goals of the organization are

being met. Quantitative data will be collected throughout the lifespan of GranPaws to

account for the number of seniors and pets that receive services from the organization.

Partnership and Sustainability

In regards to GranPaws being a new organization, we are currently seeking

partnerships to help provide services and potential funding for Edgemere Community

members to benefit from. The organization at its primary level will begin campaigning for

donations of dog and cat food, toys, beds, etc. Volunteers and staff will work together to

develop creative fundraising opportunities to provide continued support of our senior and

animal clients. Currently, we are researching partnership opportunities with the Maryland

SPCA, which is located in Baltimore City roughly 17 miles away from the community

GranPaws will provide service to. The MDSPCA is a well-organized, highly respected

community based organization that has existed for over 50 years and receives its funding

solely from donations and fundraising. Our hope for this partnership is that we can work

with the MDSPCA to bring low-cost animal clinics tri-annually to the Edgemere community

to help low income families get the necessary vaccinations, and care for their pet at an

affordable cost without having to drive all the way downtown. This would be mutually

beneficial as the MDSPCA will have another place to promote their organization opening

them up to more potential forever homes for the adoptable cats and dogs in their shelter. It
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benefits us as it will help promote our organization as well as help us treat our clients pets

to keep them healthy and safe. This partnership will allow GranPaws to focus on building

the foundation of the organization through dog walking as well as model good practices for

eventual animal care plans of the organization.

Conclusion

The love of a pet is unconditional and never ceasing. They provide us

companionship, love, and entertainment. Having a pet also gives us something to care for.

For many senior citizens, there is a deep feeling of loss as their bodies become tired, they

feel less useful in society, their families are busied with every day commitments of life and

they feel alone. Having a little companion to love, interact with, care for, and play with can

combat that feeling of loneliness. Our pets give us something to look forward to. However,

the challenge for many is being able to truly care for their pet with fixed incomes as well as

limited physical mobility. GranPaws eliminates the worry for elderly pet owners.

Our hope is you will consider the GranPaws organization a worthy recipient of your

grant. At GranPaws, we believe that there is no greater companionship than that of our

furry friends. As previously mentioned, not only does owning a pet boost spirits but having

a pet has proven to increase cardiovascular and mental health. No senior should have to

give up their pet because they cannot afford their care. Our goal at GranPaws is to provide

the needed care for animals allowing seniors to keep healthy and happy while keeping

themselves healthy and happy. We thank you for your time and consideration of our

program and look forward to hearing from you soon.

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References

Gee, N., Mueller, M., & Curl, A. (2017). Human-Animal Interaction and Older Adults:
An Overview. Frontiers In Psychology. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01416

Ballinger, B. (2018). The Healing Power of Pets for Seniors [Blog]. Retrieved from
https://www.agingcare.com/articles/benefits-of-elderly-owning-pets-113294.htm

Suttie, J. (2019). How Social Connections Keep Seniors Healthy. Greater Good

Magazine. Retrieved from
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_social_connections_keep_seniors_heal
thy

Berk, J. (2019). Youth Volunteerism: A Key to Creating Lifelong Change [Blog].

Retrieved from https://pj.news.chass.ncsu.edu/2018/01/15/youth-volunteerism-a-key-to-
creating-lifelong-change/

Dietz, N., & Grimm, R. (2019). Doing Good by the Young and Old: Forty Years of
American Volunteering. Retrieved from https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/11/17/good-
young-old-forty-years-american-volunteering/

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Edgemere CDP, Maryland. (2019). Retrieved from
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/edgemerecdpmaryland/SBO010212

Helms, J. (2013). "Paws-itvely" Pet Friendly Senior Living [Blog]. Retrieved from
https://www.aplaceformom.com/blog/2013-10-31-pet-friendly-senior-living/

Scheibeck, R., Pallauf, M., Stellwag, C., & Seeberger, S. (2011). Elderly people in many
respects benefit from interaction with dogs. European journal of medical
research, 16(12), 557–563. doi:10.1186/2047-783X-16-12-557

Gee, N. R., Mueller, M. K., & Curl, A. L. (2017). Human-Animal Interaction and Older
Adults: An Overview. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 1416. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01416

Kim, J., & Morgül, K. (2017). Long-term consequences of youth volunteering: Voluntary
versus involuntary service. Social science research, 67, 160–175.
doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2017.05.002

Pet Peace of Mind. (2019). Retrieved from https://petpeaceofmind.org/about-us/who-we-

are/