'Touch of Grey' rescue hosts fundraiser for senior dogs

Touch of Grey, a nonprofit that focuses on helping older, ownerless dogs, is holding a fundraiser on Saturday, May 30, 2026, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Space Coast Realtors Association building in Palm Shores. The event is raising money for a new halfway house for senior dogs called the Landing. Brevard Sheriff Wayne Ivey will cohost, and his K-9, Saint, will take part in a “kissing booth” to help collect donations. The Landing is intended as a temporary, home-like care site in central Melbourne where older dogs can receive medical attention, time to settle, and help finding appropriate adoptive homes. It has opened quietly and currently can only take a small number of dogs because it is located in a residential neighborhood; organizers hope to expand to a nonresidential location in Brevard when feasible. The exact site is not being fully released yet, though it’s on Turtle Mound Road, and more details are expected at the fundraiser. Founder Wendy Johnson started Touch of Grey in 2019 and stepped back from daily operations after her family situation changed; she later returned to lead the Landing effort after a longtime supporter made a significant gift. Johnson and Sheriff Ivey also reconciled after a public dispute in 2021 about the treatment of Ozzy, an elderly, arthritic shepherd mix; Ozzy later served as a symbol for the work both groups now support. Touch of Grey emphasizes the high need among senior dogs — many, especially pit bull mixes, are found stray and arrive with costly medical needs. The group helps cover medical bills and runs a hospice network of volunteer fosters; roughly one-third of dogs they handle go into hospice foster care. A blind senior dog named Doug, whom volunteers briefly cared for before he passed, highlighted for Johnson why a place like the Landing is needed: to let older dogs show their personalities and needs before being moved into long-term homes. The fundraiser is free and will feature coffee and donuts, door prizes, merchandise, volunteer sign-ups, and adoptable dogs. Touch of Grey is asking for donors, volunteers, sponsors, fosters, and community partners to help build fencing, a Rainbow Bridge and memorial garden, and expand the program. For event details or media contact listed with the story, the article gives: Space Coast Realtors Association building, 2950 Pineda Plaza Way in Palm Shores, and contact J. Waymer at (321) 261-5903 or jwaymer@floridatoday.com.