Over the years I have grown to love senior
dogs. I have volunteered in small dog rescue for a little over five
years. In November of last year, I decided I wanted to do something more
for these precious little creatures. I decided to transform a room of my
home into a senior sanctuary. Small Paws Senior Canine Sanctuary was
born! The room was one that was more of an office/computer room....so
that got moved to the spare bedroom, and that room is no more...a small
sacrifice! I began tearing out carpet, pad and tack strip....repainting walls
and decorating with a doggie theme. It took months of work, as I was
doing this all myself, in between every other responsibility I had.
I did not have to go far for my
inspiration. My little Clarisse, a
Maltese, then 17 years old, whom I’d had since she was eight weeks and three
days old, had certainly placed a permanent paw print on my heart. Blind from cataracts, she needed a safe place
to be away from the other ‘younger’ siblings.
This was a perfect accommodation for her, but one I was hoping to share
with other senior dogs in need. I have
commented over the years that I don’t remember my life B.C. (before Clarisse),
and how I couldn’t imagine my life A.D. (after dog). Unfortunately, my sweet baby was diagnosed
with kidney disease in May, and at the end of August, five weeks and one day
short of turning 18 years old, she passed to the Rainbow Bridge. I certainly want to honor her….she was a good
girl. I do not want her memory to die…she
has a legacy now that needs to live on so other senior dogs can live out their
golden years in a loving environment.
By the time Spring of 2013 rolled around, I
had managed to complete the room. On May 5th, we were guests at a local
t.v. station WISH-TV Channel 8, to promote the Senior Sanctuary. I had
gotten my first two 'residents' at the end of April. Taegan, a 9 year old
Chihuahua, and Tobie, a 10 year old Pomeranian, both from Ohio....both 'Craig's
List' dogs. Each one had their own sad
story. Then by May, we brought in Otis,
a 19-year old Chihuahua. He was an owner
surrender. He had been brought to a
shelter as a stray with another dog.
When the family came in to pick them up, they said to ‘put Otis down’,
they didn’t want to take him back…he was ‘too old’. I have the surrender paperwork, that’s the
words the owner used! Can you imagine? Being abandoned by someone you’d spent a
decade of your life with to have them throw you away? It is sad…it makes me angry, and it is far
more common than most people would think.
Of course, there is no ‘free dog’. Dogs are a daily expense, beyond the monthly
heartworm meds, and yearly shots, they eat every day…and from time to time
require extra medical attention for things that pop up. Especially these older ones, you just never
know, but they deserve to live out their lives, not have it callously
extinguished before his/her time. These
are precious lives, they have emotion, they feel pain, but they are also very
loyal and capable of unconditional love.
Would you please consider helping me to help them? I need financial assistance
to care for them…to pay for their food, vetting and such….as I said, there is
no free dog. I want these babies to have
the best I can offer, they deserve that.
I am limited financially…it’s just me doing this, and it is a tremendous
responsibility personally and financially.
I am hoping to raise enough funds to apply for 501(c)3 status, which
would make Small Paws Senior Canine Sanctuary not-for-profit, and those
donating could make tax-deductible donations.
The cost of that is $450. There
are other fees that go along with that as well.
If you could donate to support this cause and help Clarisse’s memory
live on to help other senior doggies, it would be so appreciated. There is a donation button at the top left of
this blog. You do not have to have a
PayPal account to donate. Even $5
helps. Thank you so much.
Clarisse when she was about 2-1/2 years old
Taegan - Small Paws Senior Canine Sanctuary resident
Tobie - Small Paws Senior Canine Sanctuary Resident
Otis - Small Paws Senior Canine Sanctuary Resident
