After 588 days in a shelter in Los Angeles, senior pit-bull mix Tigre was scheduled to be euthanized.
Just one day before his scheduled euthanasia, the Frosted Faces Foundation (FFF) stepped in at the 11th hour, rescuing him from the South LA Animal Shelter.
“Not many people walk into the shelter inquiring about senior bully-breed dogs who are not social with other animals. That’s a tall ask,” Kelly Smíšek, executive director of FFF, told Newsweek. “Bully breeds are difficult to insure; veterinary care for seniors is expensive; and many people looking to adopt tend to have pets at home. Tigre was scheduled to be euthanized due to his length of stay and no interest.”
Thanks to the team at FFF, Tigre’s story soon took a positive turn, and he was placed with foster carer Kerri Ewing. Now, he has found a forever home with that carer, thanks to the FFF’s Molly & Me Project initiative.
“Tigre was my second foster at Frosted Faces. I saw him on the Frosted Faces website and thought he was adorable. When I went to the amazing Frosted Faces facility in Ramona and met him, his soulful, sweet eyes and calm demeanor won me over,” Tigre’s new owner Kerri Ewing told Newsweek.
Ewing wasn’t aware of the Molly & Me project and didn’t know much about Tigre, but it was love at first sight and she knew she wanted to give him a happier life, even for a while.
Designed to help dogs like Tigre, senior pets who cannot live with other animals and are often passed over in shelters, Smíšek said: “The Molly & Me Project is a unique foster initiative by Frosted Faces Foundation designed to help senior dogs who cannot live with other animals.
“These dogs, like Molly—who inspired the project—are often incredibly loyal to people but poorly socialized with other pets. This makes finding them adoptive or foster homes especially difficult, often leaving them to languish in kennels or risk euthanasia,” Smíšek added.
In 2024, approximately 7 million animals entered U.S. shelters and rescues, according to Shelter Animals Count—an increase of nearly 3 percent from 2023.
Around 748,000 animals experienced non-live outcomes, including euthanasia, death in care, and being lost in care, in 2024. While this represents a 1.6 percent decrease compared to 2023 and a 20 percent drop from 2019, the number remains high. Dogs made up a growing share of these outcomes, with euthanasia rates rising to 9 percent, compared to 7 percent in 2019.
As shelters struggle with overcrowding, foster support helps free up much-needed space for incoming animals without needing to resort to euthanasia.
Through the Molly & Me program, suitable foster families receive a $200 monthly stipend for up to 12 months, in addition to full veterinary care, supplies, and continuous support. Weekly updates with photos are required to ensure the dogs are living in a safe and enriching environment.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see a Molly & Me dog get adopted, not just because they found a home, but also because these are the dogs that people tend to pass over,” said Smíšek. “They often come with a history we’ll never fully know, and limitations that make them hard to place. So, when someone sees past all of that and commits to giving them the life they deserve, it means everything.”
Ewing, who has now officially adopted Tigre, said how important the scheme was for her decision: “After living within cold, concrete walls in the shelter for 1.5 years, Tigre had to relearn how to live in a home.
“I also had to adjust some of my old habits and routines that I knew from my previous dog and learn how to best support Tigre so he can be himself again,” she said. “The Molly & Me Project by Frosted Faces Foundation gave me the confidence and resources to continue investing in him to help him reach his full potential.”
Now, Tigre is living his best life, and Ewing is thrilled to have a new best friend. “He is the best boy, and I am so grateful that Frosted Faces rescued him and that he came into my life. I can’t imagine my life without him! He’s brought so much joy and laughter to my life,” Ewing said.
“He is so full of love and trust with everyone he meets, even after all he’s been through. He’s resilient and has a quiet strength about him. I love that he’s come out of his shell and is living his best life!”
“Seeing him not just safe, but truly happy, in a home, on someone’s couch, sleeping in their bed, being someone’s one and only again, it reinforces why we do this work,” Smíšek said.
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