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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In the chill of the morning air, you can hear the animals awaken. As the fog breaks the crisp air comes alive. Set admidst a surrounding neighborhood in lies Catty Shack Ranch. Catty Shack has been the creation and ongoing management of Curt LoGiudice who began his journey with the big cats over 30 years ago. Curt was the first person I met that morning surrounded by chickens, horses and volunteers that were arriving. Catty Shack is run 100% by volunteers, people who have genuine passion for helping big cats have a forever home. I met with Catty Shack’s volunteer coordinator Jordan Joseph, on this crisp morning. Jordan took us on a behind the scenes tour of the Catty Shack Ranch. She spent time introducing me to each of the many big cats and providing their story and history as to how they came to the ranch. You see Catty Shack does not buy or sell any of their big cats. Whenever they acquire one, usually from people that should never have had a big cat in the first place. Catty Shack takes them in and provides them a forever home and habitat. The first to greet us as Jordan opened the gates was one of their many resident roosters T.R., this one is more like a puppy than a chicken. First of the cats we met was Sarah who greeted us with the spray like cats will do. Next was Czarina who had a large Boomer Ball to play with, which is a ball […]

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Your kids tug at your sleeve and beg you ‘please, please’.  You take me home and give me my own bed to sleep in oh boy!  We play chase around the house and a game of fetch out in the front yard.  You pet me and rub my belly and tell me how much you love me. As the days go by the games grow shorter that we play, you tell me you are tired and ‘won’t I just go away!’