The St. Louis Senior Dog Project

Will we see you Sunday at the reunion?

The St. Louis Senior Dog  Project is a not-for-profit dog  rescue  organization specializing in older   dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages...even   puppies.    We'll have dogs for adoption from 11 to 3 Saturday, June 1, in the Kirkwood Petco near I-44 and Lindbergh . To see which dogs will be there as well as other adoptable dogs, go  Here. And don't forget to attend our second Barkfest/Reunion.  See below for more information.

    Bonham, now Rudi, can't make the reunion, but he sent his regrets and a couple pictures, above.  He also included a note that said, "Life is good as you can see from my photos.  I've been living with the Chosays for 2 1/2 years now.  How time flies!  I have a new best friend.  She was also a rescue dog, and she has taught me a lot!  I am now house trained, can make it up and down stairs, walk well on a leash and love the outdoors, and I have started to appreciate a chew toy.  I wake up happy everyday with my tail a wagging and still get quite excited about food.  I have become a "health nut" and enjoy some fruits and a lot of vegetables!  Carrots are my favorite!!  Life here is good and I plan to be around for a long time to keep my owners ontheir toes!!

We hope to hear many stories like that Sunday. 

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

[email protected]

Picking Ticks Off Elsie

Elsie is safe today.

The St. Louis Senior Dog  Project is a not-for-profit dog  rescue  organization specializing in older   dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages...even   puppies.    We'll have dogs for adoption from 11 to 3 Saturday, May 25 and noon to 3 Sunday, May 26, in the Kirkwood Petco near I-44 and Lindbergh .  We will also have dogs at the St. Charles Petco on Zumbehl Rd from 11 to 2 Saturday,  May 25. To see which dogs will be there as well as other adoptable dogs, go  Here.

 

Today I spent part of my day picking ticks off Elsie -- the dog I took out of Jefferson County Animal Control this morning.  Elsie is a medium-sized ( 30 lbs or so) black dog with a grey muzzle.  The shelter pegged her as about eight years old.  I'm thinking she acts younger, but maybe that's because she's just happy to be safe and in a home.  A couple things are certain.  Elsie recently had puppies and she was loaded with ticks.

And yet for all the ticks and the obvious rough life she's lived, what I did for her today was the easy part of rescue.  I may have saved her life.  And I will certainly get her the veterinary care she needs. She's already scheduled for spay surgery and dental cleaning next week.  All of this feels very good. It's something to celebrate. But like I said, that's the easy part.

The hard part is getting the dogs adopted, paying the bills, and staying in business so we can continue to do the easy, fun part of just rescuing them.  Every day I need to worry about whether we're getting enough dogs adopted or whether we've got too many dogs that we just can't seem to place.   If we take in too many hard-to-place dogs, we may soon have no room for other dogs in need. That goes through my mind a lot.  And then I'm prone to mutter, "When our dogs don't get adopted, other dogs die."  That's just the way things go.  We can't rescue new dogs if we don't have room for them.  And if adoptions grind to a halt, we aren't bringing in the adoption fees we need. 

Maybe I worry too much, because we're still taking in dogs and getting most of them adopted.Another of today's activities proves that.

Today I did a home visit with Carmella, a senior dog who's been with us for six months.  Tomorrow she goes to her new home.  Hooray for Carmella and for her new owner, an older gentleman who was looking for an older dog. Here's Carmella.

This week I also took in a couple cute terrier mixes whose owner went into a nursing home.  They're Fuzzie and Fozzie and even at 8 year of age, I think they'll find homes easily.  Here are their pictures.

I also took in a yorkie and a dachshund -- a couple others who might be easy to place.

But I'm hoping we'll get lucky this weekend with a few who are staying with us longer than they should.  Maybe this will be the weekend for Saffron, the senior boxer who needs to be an only pet, or Rex, the big fluffy guy whose younger years were anything but wonderful.  Here's Rex.

Here's to a great adoption weekend.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

[email protected]

 

Sr Dog Project Reunion June 2

The St. Louis Senior Dog  Project is a not-for-profit dog  rescue  organization specializing in older   dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages...even   puppies.    We'll have dogs for adoption from 11 to 3 Saturday, May 18 and noon to 3 Sunday, May 19, in the Kirkwood Petco near I-44 and Lindbergh .  To see which dogs will be there as well as other adoptable dogs, go  Here.


I love all the pictures and messages I receive from those who've adopted dogs from us.  The one above is of Skipper (Skip) and his best friend Amelia. I knew this adoption would work when I saw how gentle Skipper was with Amelia, letting her hold the leash while he walked slowly without pulling.  I'm told the two are devoted to each other.  When I first met Skipper, he was in a cage at Jefferson County Animal Control and was one scared little guy.  How things do change and how we do love hearing about the dogs who've gone on to find homes.  That's why we've scheduled our second adopter reunion for 11 to 3 Sunday, June 2, in the Frenchtown Dog Park at 10th and Emmet, three blocks from the Soulard Farmer's Market. Please come! 

Our first reunion was heartworming and left us with a few lumps in our throats as we saw so many of the dogs who had once been our foster dogs.  If you adopted from us, mark your calendar and plan to attend.  We'll have lots of activities including food and drinks for human and canine consumption, off leash playing for well-behaved dogs, attendance prizes and and adoptable dogs.  Admission is free.  No retractable leashes, please.  They can become a hazard.

The following pictures are just a few of our alums.  This is  Molly (then Honey) who was adopted 7  years ago when she was 7 years old.  She is living a life of leisure and is shown here with her summer hairacut.

Next is Pickles,a senior lady who came to us from southern Missouri.  She arrived with a severe skin infection, which has cleared up beautifully.  In the care of her new owner, who is a groomer, Pickles keeps up appearances.

Beauregard, now Buddy, is a more recent adoption.  He went to a new foster home only to end up staying.  He's perfect, his new human mom declares. And here he is with a new kid friend.

These are only a few of the more than 3,000 dogs we've helped find new homes.  We're hoping some of them will reintroduce themselves to us at the reunion we're calling "BarkFest."

If you have any questions about BarkFest (the Sr Dog Project Adopter Reunion), call 314-604-0783 or email [email protected].

 

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

[email protected]

 

 

 

Give these dogs a chance!

Saffron...senior Boxer

The St. Louis Senior Dog  Project is a not-for-profit dog  rescue  organization specializing in older   dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages...even   puppies.    We'll have dogs for adoption from 11 to 3 Saturday, May 11, in the Kirkwood Petco near I-44 and Lindbergh .  To see which dogs will be there as well as other adoptable dogs, go  Here.

 

    Saffron will make someone a great dog, but she's not right for everyone.  We take in some dogs that will work well for almost anyone, and others who need a special situation.  Saffron is one of the latter.  She loves her people, but she doesn't love other dogs.  She needs to be an only dog.  She also needs someone who doesn't mind that she's a lady with a grey muzzle. We think she's about nine  years old.

    Somewhere out there is someone who will give Saffron a chance.  Her foster home (one of only two foster homes with no other dogs) is giving her plenty of attention and training.  She's learning to walk nicely on lead and to ignore other dogs also out walking.

    So Saffron deserves a chance.  She's loyal to her people and good with children.

    And then there's Carmella, another senior lady who needs a special situation.  Carmella also loves her people.  She's also just fine with other pets.  But she hates being left alone.  At her first foster home, she chewed out of her crate and broke off a tooth doing it.  Left uncrated, she tore down the miniblinds.  She then went to a home without miniblinds or crates.  All was going well until the new foster left her in an upstairs bedroom.  The bedroom had a window with a built-in air conditioner.  Carmella chewed through the wood around the air conditoner and squeezed out onto the roof above the porch.  Needless to say, a crowd gathered.  Carmella, the window and the air conditioner all survived, but she then moved over to my place.

    Carmella is doing fine here.  I don't have miniblinds or window air conditoners.  I do have a dog door, which she uses when I'm not at home.  I usually don't crate her, and she's perfectly fine here as long as she can see out of the windows and slip out into the yard when she's felling claustrophobic.  I also learned one other thing about her.  She's ok being crated in a plastic crate.  Maybe she just likes being a cave dog.

    Someone should give Carmella a break.

Both Saffron and Carmella are Red Ribbon Dogs.  That means their adoption fee is only $50 and will be waived for a senior citizen. You can help us expand our Red Ribbon Program by voting for us in the Monsanto Grow St. Louis Contest. Find the Vote Now box at www.monsanto.com and look for Red Ribbon Program, St Louis Senior Dog Project.  The grant would help us cover veterinary and other expenses for senior dogs so that we can lower and even eliminate their adoption fees.

Saffron and Carmella are both also eligible for free vet care through the Stray Rescue Vet Clinic in St. Louis.

Another dog who needs some help -- if not a break - is Samson, the German Shepherd being treated for a rare bacterial pneumonia.  Our bill for him is high and climbing.  Here's my favorite Samson photo and the link to our Chip In site for those who would like to donated.

Here's the link to help this handsome guy.https://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/extraordinary-sam-needs-some-extraordinary-medical-care-/53203

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

[email protected]