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Pet Sitters International raises more than $10K for The Grey Muzzle Organization

The association’s month-long #petsittersgiveback initiative included online giving and a charity Bingo event to raise awareness and funds to help senior dogs.

KING, N.C. (November 20, 2019)—Pet Sitters International (PSI), the world’s leading educational association for professional pet sitters and dog walkers, concluded its month-long #petsittersgiveback campaign in November, raising $10,500 to benefit The Grey Muzzle Organization. The Grey Muzzle Organization is a non-profit charitable organization that improves the lives of at-risk senior dogs by providing funding and resources to animal shelters, rescue organizations, sanctuaries, and other non-profit groups nationwide.

PSI kicked off its initiative, which sought to both raise monetary donations and increase awareness of Grey Muzzle’s mission, on October 4. The month-long efforts included an email and social-media campaign to promote its online fundraising page to PSI’s more than 5,000 member businesses and 30,000 online followers. The campaign concluded at PSI’s 2019 Pet Sitter World Educational Conference and 25th Anniversary Celebration, November 2-4, in Winston-Salem, N.C.

“Through its annual grants, Grey Muzzle is giving thousands of homeless senior dogs a second chance and we are thrilled that PSI and its members were able to support these efforts,” said Beth Stultz-Hairston, PSI’s vice-president and conference organizer. “Our hope is that our campaign will inspire other companies to learn more about Grey Muzzle and support their mission.”

In addition to the online fundraising page, PSI hosted a charity Bingo event during its conference, which was attended by more than 100 pet sitters and raised nearly $2,000 toward the total donation. Conference keynote speaker Marika Meeks, author of “Incredibull Stella,” also donated $500 from her book sales at the event. In addition to business and pet-care topics, PSI’s conference agenda included a focus on Grey Muzzle and senior pet care. Stultz-Hairston presented a session highlighting the work Grey Muzzle is doing and the conference speaker lineup also included Grey Muzzle Advisory Board Member Dr. Marty Becker, “America’s Veterinarian,” and Grey Muzzle President Denise Fleck.

“We appreciate Pet Sitters International’s financial support of The Grey Muzzle Organization, as well as their efforts to make both their pet-sitting members and the pet-owning public aware of our mission to improve the lives of senior dogs,” said Lisa Lunghofer, executive director of Grey Muzzle. “The monies raised will enable us to offer even more grants in the coming year.”

To learn more about The Grey Muzzle Organization, visit www.greymuzzle.org. To learn more about PSI or the professional pet-sitting industry, visit www.petsit.com.

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About Pet Sitters International

Founded in 1994 by Patti J. Moran, author of Pet Sitting for Profit, Pet Sitters International (PSI) is the world’s largest educational association for professional pet sitters, with member pet-sitting businesses in the United States, Canada and more than 15 other countries. PSI members have access to the widest array of business services and educational resources available in the professional pet-sitting industry. PSI’s Pet Sitter Locator is the largest online directory of professional pet sitters, and pet owners can visit petsit.com/locate to find local professional pet sitters.