The Health & Welfare Assistance fund has been established by the
Giant Schnauzer Club of America thanks to the generosity of the Audry
Fitzgerald estate. Its objective is to provide support through
financial assistance to individuals with a Giant Schnauzer in need.
Any purebred Giant is eligible, but priority will always be given to
senior dogs with assistance focused on helping them live longer,
healthy lives with their owners. The reasons for needing assistance
may include, but are not limited to, health/medical,
nutritional/food, housing, and/or transportation. Any assistance that
is approved will be paid directly to the party or organization
providing the service for the dog (e.g., veterinary clinic, boarding
facility, pet food supplier, etc.) and may not be paid directly to
the owner.
To ensure financial sustainability and that the program prioritizes
Giants in accordance with the wishes of its benefactor, the following
limitations have been established:
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The maximum grant amount is $2000 or 75% of the total financial
impact, whichever is less.
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An individual Giant is limited to receiving only one grant,
regardless of the amount, during its lifetime.
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Giants primarily owned by or in the possession of an active breeder
(one who has bred a litter of any breed within the previous 3
years), a rescue organization or their foster homes, or a municipal
or private animal shelter are not eligible for grants.
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Giants that have been sold, placed, rehomed, or adopted through a
breeder, rescue organization, or shelter within the previous 12
months are not eligible for grants.
The review and approval process may take days or even weeks, and
therefore it is not suited to paying for emergencies at the time of
treatment. DO NOT WAIT TO SEEK VETERINARIAN CARE for your
Giant. However, applications may be submitted after the fact for such
situations to help offset the cost of emergency care.
All requests for assistance should be submitted via the online form
available at Health & Welfare Assistance Application. Submissions
are distributed to all members of the Health & Welfare Committee
for review with one of the committee members following up shortly
thereafter. Final decisions are made by the GSCA Board of Directors
based on the recommendations of the committee. Grants from the fund
are made at the sole discretion of the Giant Schnauzer Club of
America, Inc. All decisions by the GSCA Health & Welfare
Committee and/or the GSCA Board of Directors are final and not
subject to appeal.
Since its inception, the Health & Welfare Assistance program
has given out over $24,000 to Giants in need across the United
States. We are proud to have been able to help the following Giants:
Freeway, Edith, Bee, Angelina, Penny, Lady, Sully, Abe, Shiloh,
Morpheus, Buddy, Shadow, Annabelle, and Tyrion.