You may not be able to teach old dogs new tricks but you can give them a new lease on life at The Old Dog House.

I had the opportunity to talk with Kim from The Old Dog House, a nonprofit dog rescue located in Jacksonville Florida. They have been saving older dogs in our community for many years now. By rescuing the dogs that would otherwise be ignored at the shelters they provide them a place to live out their golden years. In doing so they save them as well as foster and provide adoption opportunities.

1. How did the old dog house first start out?
When I worked at the humane society about ten years ago, I realized that older and senior dogs were not getting the opportunity for adoption that they deserved. The shelter was open admission at this time, so space was always an issue and hard decisions had to be made. When I left the humane society, I decided to be an advocate for older and senior dogs. That is how The Old Dog House started in 2006.

2. How many senior dogs do you take in?
We have an average capacity of 15 dogs. Our adoption numbers are low with 4 to 8 getting placed in new homes each year. Dogs can stay with us anywhere from a few days to the remainder of their lives, which could be years. Adoption is our ultimate goal with each dog we bring into the rescue.

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Anyone that owns a dog knows that getting them proper exercise, socialization and play time is key to a happy life. Dog exercise is actually good for its owners as well. It is our responsibility to ensure our pets receive what they need. Dogs are not meant to be tossed out in the back yard and ignored. They need stimulation and exercise to remain healthy. A ten minute walk around the block is okay, but not nearly enough for most breeds. Most dogs can use a good 30 minutes of real exercise as a minimum each day. Larger dogs and those with higher energy levels will need more to keep them healthy and happy. In addition to the daily walks and the throwing of a ball, dogs need to be able to play hard every once and awhile. Dogs are natural pack animals and generally speaking do well with other dogs. A dog really gets its work out is when it gets to… well be a dog. Providing dog exercise with other dogs every once in a while will help in many ways. Even dogs that may not be so social can benefit for good hard off leash fun. Some Benefits include: 1. Socialization – even if you take your dog to every store or restaurant that may allow them. That does not make up for the good old fashion butt sniffing fun they can have together with other dogs. No matter the size or breed, or fear the owner may have, generally dogs can hold their […]

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 Why Animal Shelters are not what people think There has been a great deal of publicity and opinion lately on the overpopulation problem in our animal shelters. Every city especially in the Southeast seem to have a never-ending struggle to stay under the kill zone. Hundreds of rescue organizations work day and night just to keep the animals out of the shelters. Meanwhile there are groups and individuals that berate the animal care workers and volunteers calling them names like killers, abusers, or heartless. These workers do what they can with the space and resources that they have. People make it seem like they enjoy putting animals to sleep. Nothing could be further from the truth. They put their blood sweat and a whole lot of tears to protect these animals, mostly from people. Unfortunately when you have bureaucrats making decisions without understanding the real issues, whenever it comes to budget cuts the animals are the first to lose. Also when ignorance within public opinion is rampant like dogs in summertime breeding season. There are opinions thrown about that are no more than fact-less lies. These opinions grow and people become complacent, they see an animal shelter as evil and refuse to support it. Public funding is the only way that animal shelters and rescues will ever be able to meet or maintain a no kill status. Without the generous support through volunteering and funding we would never be able to save as many as we are saving. Before passing judgment or even worse thinking that […]

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