Tears: Sad and Happy
Welcome to the St. Louis Senior Dog Project Blog. We’re a dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but accepting and placing dogs of all ages. See our adoptable dogs at the St. Louis Senior Dog Project Website.
We received sad news about Marta (renamed Brandy), a lovely spaniel mix with beautiful ears 
and eyes. We fell for her when we first saw her in one of the St. Louis County shelters. She was middle-aged and well-behaved. The people who adopted her said she was “the best dog we ever had-- loving,, gentle, affectionate.” Marta developed an untreatable blood condition only a year after her adoption. We will all miss her.
Ellen’s Notes:
It started with an email about “so many adoptable dogs” in a rural Missouri shelter. I looked at the shelter’s Petfinder site and saw several needy senior dogs and a shelter full of appealing dogs of all sizes and ages. A couple phone calls and emails later, we decided to take a few dogs from the Adair Humane Society near Kirksville, MO.
At first I saw four possibilities. Amanda and Sarah added a few more and volunteered to make the three-hour trip to the shelter. As they left St. Louis, they had 10 dogs on their list. They left the shelter with close to 20. Oh well. Most were small dogs. And the delighted director and her helpers cried real tears. This was their biggest rescue ever.
Amanda later commented that this was “a tiny shelter where no one goes.” The beautiful dogs there were friendly and eager to find homes, but few people came there looking for pets. The bigger dogs lived outdoors in pens. The smaller ones shared space indoors. “The ladies working there were so caring about the animals and so excited that we had taken the time to come there. They kissed and hugged each dog as it was leaving and seemed to know them all.”
Amanda’s advice: If you can’t find a dog in the St. Louis area, try taking a beautify country Missouri drive to someplace like Adair County. We know that shelters such as this can’t find homes for most of their dogs and must deal with heartbreaking euthanasias.
So we have Mitzi, Gidget and Lydia – senior dogs who lost their humans; Clyde, a former working border collie; Paddington and several other puppies, and numerous small dogs confiscated from a substandard puppymill. Some have already found homes. Others are ready. Some are receiving extensive dental care in addition 
to spay/neuter, shots and more routine care. Pictures here are of Clyde, Gidget, Lucy and Paddington. If you can help with their expenses, you can donate through Paypal. Just click on button below.
Meanwhile, we keep hearing from you. Here are a few examples:
The people who adopted April (now Addison Marie or Addie), a Toy Fox Terrier, wrote of falling in love with her at one of our adoption events. This former puppymill dog now sleeps under an electric blanket and has learned to walk on a leash. She also has a heated window seat (see picture).
“She loves to play ball and has trained my husband to crawl on all fours to follow her and fetch the ball and throw it,” writes Addie’s “mom.” Moreover, mom has found a new passion. “Addie and her treatment in a puppymill have inspired me to work at our local humane society. I never knew anything could be so rewarding.”
Dessie (now Daisy) is a tiny poodle abandoned by her former owners . With her new owners, she is now thriving and gaining weight. “She’s a little more secure in herself and her position every day.”
The people who adopted Prissy , a shih tzu, almost two years ago say she is “just the best natured dog.” Maggie, a silkie terrier “is such a sweetheart.” While out for a walk, Maggie and her owner encountered neighbors who were walking dogs they had adopted from us. Small world.
Satchel (now George) is a bassett hound who is now “my 18-year-old sons’ partner in crime,” writes his human mom, who notes that for a short-legged boy, he has a long reach when it comes to food. “He frustrates us at times, but I absolutely adore him , and he has really brought great joy to our family.”
Then there’s Regis, a puppymill shih tzu. His foster parents couldn’t part with him, so he found his home there. His “mom” writes: “Watching this sweet dog progress is such a rewarding experience. I would urge other adoptive dog parents to be patient with their puppy mill dogs because when we first brought him home, Regis was scared with his tail down, no idea what to do with a toy or even how to navigate the one step from the family room to the back yard. Now he walks proud with his tail up in the air, plays with tons of toys, and goes out for potty breaks without a worry about the step or the doorway. He loves to snuggle and burrow his head into us as we pet him. Our lives have been enriched because of him. I hope one day his memories of his earlier life will be replaced with the memories of our family and of warm beds, food, toys, and most of all, love.”
I have too many foster dogs with me, the back yard is muddy, the kitchen floor is hopeless and I’m more frazzled than usual. But it’s been a good couple weeks.
Ellen Ellick
President/Founder
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