It takes a village to rescue an Old Friend....

It is always amazing to me how much goes into rescuing one dog, but at the same time that it works and that it works well most of the time. There is a quiet network of volunteers that comes to life when a dog (or other animal in other rescues) needs help.Without these behind the scenes volunteers and caregivers, we would not be able to do what we do. We are the facilitators, organizing a wonderful group of people who are already there, ready to help.

Facebook has been a powerful tool for animal rescue. By allowing all people who are interested in a cause, in our case senior dog rescue, to come together easily in one place many more dogs can be saved. Our Facebook friends are instrumental in getting the word to us and in getting the word out that volunteers are needed.

Take first, as an example, a rescue that is in progress right now. Sheila is a 14 year old border collie mix. Her human has gone to college and she is not being properly cared for by the remaining family. We were made aware of the situation by the now in college owner who was concerned about poor Sheila living on a chain. Sheila is in a town three hours from us, transport help is necessary. Sue will bring Sheila half way, I will meet her for the other half of the trip. From there Sheila goes to our vet. Dr. Benner and Staff are always there for us, no matter who and when we bring them in. They take wonderful, loving care of almost all of our Old Friends (unless they are just too far away). Sheila will stay there for a night before she goes to her forever foster family. Jerry and his family will take care of Sheila for the rest of her life. They will give her an opportunity to live happy, loved and comfortable for however long she has left.

 
In the case of Bennett and Arty, a 13 year old Yorkie mix and an 11 year old Papillon, there was a much larger distance to travel. Penny picked them up at the shelter in the Chicago area and held them for a night. In the morning, Penny met Brigit who took Arty and Bennett to a small airport. Arty and Bennett were flown from Louisville, KY to Lebanon, TN by another non-profit rescue group called Pilots-N-Paws. Pilots of small planes donate their time and their planes to help animals in need to get from one location to another. Until we needed them, we didn't even know they existed. From there Arty and Bennett were fully vetted and are now living here at the Sanctuary.

We wanted to get Ellie from the sanctuary in Mount Juliet, TN to her forever foster home in Indianapolis, IN. This is over a five hour drive one way. We put out a plea on Facebook and were able to find two wonderful volunteers to help with the drive. We had a three legged transport: Mount Juliet, TN to Bowling Green, KY (us), Bowling Green to Louisville, KY (Tina) and Louisville to Indianapolis (Becky). The transport went flawlessly and that night, Ellie was with her new family and foster Mom Cyndi, settling in.

These are only a few examples, each dog that we bring into our program goes through a similar, but always different, process.

Think for a moment about the IMPORTANT people who might be involved from the point that a dog needs rescue until that time that they are safe:

1. Shelter volunteer or worker or Surrendering owner (may be someone no longer able to care for a dog, or someone who has found a dog)
2. Our Facebook friends who are involved in spreading the word
3. Transport Volunteers
4. Veterinarian and their staff
5. Sometimes a boarding facility is used for an interim period
6. A Forever Foster Family
7. Last but not least, our Donors who help us to afford care and vetting for all of our Old Friends, both at the Sanctuary and in Forever Foster Homes for the rest of their lives.

Without any of these people, we would be unable to , or seriously restricted in, doing what we do.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE INVOLVED!! YOU ARE ALL AWESOME!