The St. Louis Senior Dog Project

As the phone rings and the emails ping

Wiley...one of our newer rescues

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.  Meet your new best friend  11 to 3 Saturday,January 31, and noon to 2 Sunday, February 1, in the Kirkwood Petco. To see which dogs will be there plus other available dogs, go  Here.

 

    My life sometimes seems like a soap operation.  The phone rings, the emails ping, and I go from one crisis to the next.  Actually, crisis is usually too strong a word.  Usually it's a request that we take a dog in need or take a dog back.  Sometimes someone calls about a dog found with one of our microchips, and often it's someone anxious to meed and maybe adopt one of our dogs.

    I've just been off the phone with someone at a vet clinic calling about a stray dog just brought in there.  They'd scanned for a microchip and found it went back to St. Louis Senior Dog Project.  We couldn't find the owner (yet), so the dog is heading back to me.

    We've heard from people who've asked us to take dogs for a variety of reasons.  We've taken in a couple whose owners had just died.  We've taken in a couple more from people who were losing their homes.  One dog came to us because it kept running through the undergound electric fence.  A few came to us from breeders who didn't need them anymore.  And, of course, several came from local animal shelters where they were at risk for euthaniasia.  Those include Wiley, above, and Cedric, below.

Another shelter dog is Coco, a little rat terrier mix.  Here she is.

We've been able to offer hope to these dogs because we've celebrated several adoptions that opened up some foster home space. Recent adoptions have included several senior dogs including Peppee the poodle, Miley the Bichon frise, and Caroline the Pekingese.  Puppies Bella, Cruse, Webster and Avery found their new homes.  Daisy the senior shelter and Sherman the maltese are also adopted.  And Brock, whose been waiting longer than the others, also found a home.

Congratulations to all of those recently adoption.  And to the rest, welcome and good luck.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

[email protected]

A world of second chances

 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.  Meet your new best friend  11 to 3 Saturday,January 17, and noon to 3 Sunday, January 18, in the Kirkwood Petco. To see which dogs will be there plus other available dogs, go  Here.

 

    We live in a world of second chances, and third chances and fourth chances and sometimes more.

    Hawkeye, above, seemed down to his last second chance when Teresa offered to work with him.  Teresa is a talented trainer and she accomplished miracles with this troubled dog.  Hawkeye received plenty of exercise with Teresa and plenty of behavior lessons.  Hawkeye is now in his new home and doing well.  He adores his human who returns the feeling.

    Jake is a lively youngster whose come back from a couple adoptions for being what he is -- a very active youngster.  Fortunately, he's going to a new home with people who specifically asked for an active dog.  Fingers crossed. Here's Jake:

 

    Sheila is a Miniature Australian Shepherd who ended up in a local shelter frightened and sick.  She was heartworm positive and infested with fleas, ticks and intestinal worms.  She's better now.  No fleas or ticks.  No intestinal worm.  And she's no longer shy.   This weekend she will go home with new owners who will keep tender eyes on her while she goes through treatment for heart worms.

    Earlier this week one of our vets called to see if we would take a 10 year old poodle who had brought him in to be euthanized because his new wife didn't want the dog.  We said yes, and he'll be available soon.

    Brand and Peaches needed new homes because their owner was very ill.  Molly also lost her home to illness.  All have found new homes. Here's Molly.

    We also agreed to take in a pair of senior minpins whose owner died.  And we took in four shelties and two dachshunds (all seniors or nearly seniors).  All are now ready for their second chance -- this one really a first chance at being a pet.

    And the list goes on.

    I'm answering a lot of calls and emails this week from people who say they're coming to our adoption events this weekend.  Might be busy.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

[email protected]

    

Where we get our dogs

 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.  Meet your new best friend  11 to 3 Saturday,January 10, and noon to 3 Sunday, January 11, in the Kirkwood Petco. To see which dogs will be there plus other available dogs, go  Here.

 

    Where do we get our dogs?  That's a question I hear a lot.

    Well, we find them in a number of places -- frequently from local pounds.  We regularly take dogs from Jefferson County and St. Louis County and a number of rural shelters.  We also sometimes take dogs that have spent their entire lives as breeding dogs in commercial dog breeding facilities.  And, of course, we also take dogs from owners and relatives of owners.

    Above is Deets, a retired breeding dog.  And below, meet Sheila, a Miniature Australian Shepherd who was in Jefferson County Animal Control.  For awhile it looked like she was adopted, but she came back when the potential new owners found out she was heartworm positive.  We'll be paying to have her treated.

Next meet Blondie, who owner went in to a nursing home.

And here's Brad, who lost his former home due to his owner's ill health.

Buster was one of more than 20 dogs taken from a hoarder.  We took in two of those dogs -- Buster and Gus.  Other groups took most of the others.

    Some of the dogs we take in are ready for adoption almost the day they arrive.  Others need work and time to become adoption ready.

    George, a senior shih tzu, was found in a home where his owner had died several days earlier.  A policeman on the scene called one of our volunteers and asked if we could take the dog.

    These are only a few of the dogs in our program, but they represent several of the most likely situations they bring them to us.

    They all need-- and ultimately find -- good homes.

 Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

[email protected]