Gray Paws director 'still crying' over news of large donation from 2024 Anthrocon

Jul. 10—A small nonprofit dedicated to saving senior dogs has scored a mega-sized monetary donation, thanks to the generosity of thousands of Anthrocon attendees from the 2024 convention held last week at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Gray Paws Sanctuary co-founders and married couple Darla Poole-Brescia and Joe Brescia of White Oak were presented with the $100,000 charitable gift during Anthrocon's closing ceremony Sunday in Pittsburgh.

"Oh, my gosh. Getting the $100,000 was a last-minute thing," Poole-Brescia said. "It was a total freak-out moment."

Gray Paws doesn't know how it ended up being nominated for the donation and didn't know how much of a donation it would receive, but Poole-Brescia said thousands of furries began donating money in droves, in a matter of minutes, to bring the final donated total from about $90,000 to $100,000.

"They had told the audience they wanted to make it to $100,000, and that's when people just came out of their seats, rushing up, throwing money in boxes and got us $10,000 more dollars in like 10 minutes," Poole-Brescia said.

Anthrocon shatters records

This year's Anthrocon convention broke records across the board in donations, attendance and revenue generated in Pittsburgh.

To date, Anthrocon has donated more than $547,000 to various charities, according to its website.

Attendance this year was expected to be the largest yet, said Emily Hatfield, senior director of communications and public affairs for VisitPittsburgh.

"We don't have post-event statistics just yet, but we did anticipate more than 15,000 attendees and more than $17 million in estimated direct visitor spending across the four-day event," Hatfield said.

Serving senior dogs with dignity

Gray Paws Sanctuary opened in 2014 with a primary mission to rescue senior dogs, provide free care and to avoid any senior dog being prematurely euthanized or surrendered.

Most of the old dogs come from homes where the owner is in crisis.

The sanctuary began in the couple's residence but later relocated to a 3-acre modular home location in White Oak.

The couple both work full-time jobs and rely on about 30 core volunteers to handle the nonprofit's day-to-day operations.

Gray Paws' annual operating budget hovers around $100,000.

"So we just doubled it," Poole-Brescia said Wednesday. "We'll be able to help save more dogs and say yes more."

On average, Gray Paws supports the medical care of about 130 senior dogs annually without any paid employees and at no cost to any senior dog recipient or forever foster recipient.

"We are still a little overwhelmed. The Anthrocon attendees should be very proud of themselves," she said.

The couple, who don't have any human children, have been married for 23 years.

"When I met Darla and she had dogs, I had no idea where this road was going to take us," Brescia said.

Gray Paws typically requires a senior dog be at least 10 years old. At present, eight dogs reside at the sanctuary, which can accommodate up to 15.

There's Sparkey, the oldest of the group at 15, who was surrendered when his senior citizen owner could no longer care for him. He suffers from neurological issues, but that doesn't keep him from wagging his tail and enjoying being outdoors in a large fenced-in run area. And Darcy, a rotund bundle of cuteness, is 9.

Megan Austin of Virginia took forever foster care of a senior dog named Princess, who was slated to be euthanized by a local shelter. She reached out to Gray Paws for financial assistance through its Love Your Animal for Life (LOYAL) program.

Gray Paws supported Austin and donated around $900 to help Princess live out her remaining days in dignity and comfort.

Princess and Austin visited Pittsburgh several times until Princess died in January 2023.

"I'm a single-income teacher, and the help Gray Paws provided allowed me to give that sweet, sweet girl, the best dog ever, a bonus six and a half months that she wouldn't have had under the shelter's care," Austin said. "She lived the biggest, fullest life until January."

Anthrocon has been held in Pittsburgh for 18 years. The donation to a local charity has evolved into an annual tradition.

"The culture they've established is one of the nicest people, and they bring so many thousands of people together. I think our city is very, very lucky to have them come here every year. Their spirit and energy has resulted in a positive outcome for a local charity like us," Poole-Brescia said.

Last year's Anthrocon charity recipient, Rabbit Wranglers, was awarded $52,000.

Messages left for Anthrocon officials were not immediately returned.

Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at [email protected]