Senior Dog Helps Older Animals Get Adopted and Pet Nonprofit Reach its $8 Million Donation Goal

Stevie the senior dog has inspired animal lovers through social media and helped her former home, San Francisco's Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, receive a $35,000 grant

Photo: Cait Bourgault/Petco Love

Skechers is celebrating a major animal rescue moment.

On May 12, Skechers announced in a release that its philanthropic BOBS from Skechers collection has donated over $8 million to animal rescue work since its launch.

For every BOBS from Skechers item purchased in the United States and Canada, a donation is made to animal welfare nonprofit Petco Love and its 4,000 rescue partners across North America. Those donations have gone on to help more than 1.5 million rescue pets.

To mark the milestone, Skechers is planning adoption events throughout June with Petco Love and animal welfare partners in California, Texas, Nebraska, and Vancouver. Skechers is also looking back at the furry lives the company has changed with its philanthropic work.

The brand hasn't done it alone. They have received help from countless hero pets and their passionate owners. One of those fluffy do-gooders is Stevie the senior dog. With her owner Lisa Arden, the 10-year-old canine got a big grant for her former home, Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco.

Before meeting Stevie, Arden had fostered 28 dogs from Muttville Senior Dog Rescue.

"I love absolutely everything about senior dogs. Senior dogs have so much love to give. The love I get from these senior dogs is incomparable. I also love their personalities. Seniors have the silliest and quirkiest personalities, and they always make me laugh and smile. And I love how chill senior dogs are. They make the perfect work from home buddies. All they need is a cozy bed to hang out, and they are good to go," Arden tells PEOPLE about why she chooses to foster senior dogs.

To help others understand the joy that comes with fostering and/or adopting a senior pet, Arden documented her foster journey with Stevie on social media. Arden's honest answers about fostering senior pets and Stevie's cheerful personality and sweet demeanor reached thousands of animal lovers and inspired many of them to look into adopting or fostering an older animal.

"Showcasing Stevie on my social media has shown people how amazing senior dogs can be and how much life they still have left to live. I'm always showing videos of Stevie running around and playing, and it really shows people that seniors can still have such a zest for life. She has inspired a lot of people to foster or adopt a senior dog," Arden says.

Cait Bourgault/Petco Love

Seeing the impact Stevie had on her followers, the small business owner — who donates a portion of her Etsy sales to Muttville — decided to submit the senior dog's tale to the Petco Love Stories campaign in 2021.

The campaign, a call for moving animal adoption stories, picked 100 winners and awarded the organizations they adopted with grants from Petco Love and Skechers. Arden's story about Stevie — who she later adopted — was one of the winners.

Thanks to Arden and Stevie's efforts and another winning story from Mutville adopter Erick Smith, Muttville Senior Dog Rescue received a $35,000 grant from Petco Love and Skechers.

Petco Love

"This grant from Petco Love and BOBS from Skechers has saved lives! Because our dogs are seniors and some come from neglectful backgrounds, our veterinary costs can be staggering. We are committed to giving each dog what they need to continue their journey into their forever homes. This grant from Petco Love and BOBS from Skechers allowed us to step up for some of our neediest cases!" Sherri Franklin, the founder and CEO of Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, says about the grant Stevie made possible.

Stevie's story is just one example of how Skechers philanthropic efforts and the over $8 million it has donated to pets have changed the lives of shelter animals across North America.

To learn more about BOBS from Skechers' commitment to making a difference for rescue pets, visit BOBSfromSkechers.com.