No, not at all.
Are you kidding me?
Pinch me now.
I think I'm living a dream.
It's crazy.
I still can't
believe we're here.
I go through the day and I
look up sometimes and go, wow,
what is this.
It's been that way ever
since we started building it.
It was almost like we were
building it for somebody else.
And I'd have to just
shake myself and say, hey,
this for our dogs.
We never, ever, ever
believed this would happen,
that it would get this big.
So-
We were talking about moving.
And we said, we should have
a parade to move the dogs.
And it stuck.
Isn't it awesome.
Yeah.
Cute little floats
and everything.
Yeah, that one's great.
I know.
This is great.
Yeah, this is going to be good.
Yeah, well done.
All right, thank you all so
much for joining us today
for the senior dog parade.
My megaphone is on the way.
But for now, I'm
just going to yell.
So we have about 60
dogs who are going
to be moving during the parade.
We have more volunteers than
we do dogs, which is awesome.
So what we're going
to do is everyone
is going to go to
their assigned float,
we are going to call each
float up, one by one.
That's when you will come up.
And then we are going to start
bringing your dogs out to you.
And then staff are
going to help you
place your dog into
either a shopping cart
or stroller or a wagon.
When we- I really wish
I had my megaphone.
Once we get to the
pavilions, you all
will take your dogs
into the building.
Staff will show you which
rooms they are going in.
OK.
Come on, let's hear you.
They can't hear you.
Hello.
Yeah.
OK, so that's pretty much it.
Oh, nice.
All right, we are
about to get started.
We've got Sally.
This is Sally.
This is Dino. come
on, Bud Dino is
going to go in a shopping cart.
OK.
Yeah, we're going to be taking
100 of our dogs from point A
to point B. And we want
to do it in a parade form.
Yes.
OK.
Brandon is going to
be in a shopping cart.
Looking good.
With our new location
being less than a mile
from our old location,
it made sense.
Why not make a huge
event out of it?
Hi, hi, what do you want.
Oh.
We provide lifetime
homes for senior dogs,
either at our sanctuary or
in forever foster homes.
And we make sure that
they never end up
in a shelter for the
rest of their lives
and are always in a good place.
I know I love you too.
The whole thing started one
day when Zina said to me,
why don't you go out and
do something with yourself
rather than sitting there
watching soap operas.
So I said, OK.
I said, you know, I love dogs.
And she said, well, they
need dog transports.
And I've got just the place,
Middle Tennessee Golden
Retriever.
The first dog we
fostered for them
was an ancient
Golden Pyrenees mix.
And he only live for two weeks.
We got him because
nobody else was
willing to give him a chance.
We decided to take him on.
And again, he didn't
live very long.
But we saw that need.
So we said, OK, we'll take
the next senior dog that comes
along that really needs a home.
And that was Lucy-Lu.
So Lucy-Lu who we
consider a co-founder now,
as well, because she showed
us the way with senior dogs.
Zina started thinking, I think
we can run our own rescue.
And I said, really, seriously,
let's think about it.
Well, overnight, she came up
with Old Friends Senior Dog
Sanctuary.
And so we were off and running.
She said two things.
What we'll do is we will
post pictures of old dogs
on Facebook.
And I just said, you have
got to be kidding me.
It's not going to work.
Completely wrong.
And then, also she
said, the other thing
we're going to
have to do is we're
going to have to pay for the
medical for all the dogs we
bring in.
And I said, how are
you going to do that?
These are old dogs.
They cost a lot of money.
And if there's an
emergency, it can be $5,000.
She was like, what do
you mean, that's nothing.
We're going to have the money.
It went from basically
0 to 90 miles an hour
in a matter of two months.
Likes started rolling in and
we started getting calls on,
oh, we understand
you take old dogs.
We have a lead on a dog.
And I was like, wow, this is
really starting to take off.
And at the time, we had 18 dogs.
I was like, well, OK,
we got some more rooms.
So I started building
gates and things
of that nature because that was
the only place these dogs could
go, was our house.
One of our first big
experiences with expansion
was we were sitting
in the backyard
and we found out our
neighbor's home was for sale.
I found out first.
And I said, Z, did you know
that Jay's selling the house.
And she went, get it.
And I went, what do
you mean, get it?
We don't have money
to buy a house.
We didn't.
At that point, if we got
$10,000 in, we were in heaven.
It was like, oh, my god, what we
can do with this for the dogs.
Before we paid a dime, we had
our first biggest donation
come in.
And we paid for it in cash.
OK, today, we're
moving all of our dogs
over to the Grand Paw's Gardens,
which is our new sanctuary.
We want to do it all in one day.
And from there on, forget it,
seriously, roller coaster ride,
up and down.
Last week was our fourth
birthday in the Gardens.
It's when Old Friends moved
from Michael and Zina's house
to where we are currently.
So today, we're doing
a surprise birthday
party for Michael and Zina.
We want you to be a
part of everything.
When we started out,
it was in our house.
We thought that's where
it would always be.
When we got the cabin next
door, we thought, this
is where it will always be.
When we moved into
the Gardens, we
thought that was a forever move.
And it was only 18
months after we moved in
that we were looking to go
into a more specific senior dog
facility.
We learned a lot of things that
we needed that would be better.
And we started thinking
about moving again.
It just sort of happened.
We've kind of followed the path.
It's led us, we haven't led it.
I think it's hard for
people to understand
that started out, maybe here
or even at the old building,
of how-
I mean, it was literally
in their house.
I'm one of the few people
that have been along with Zina
and Michael's ride
from the beginning.
I think she said I might have
been the 10th foster home.
And now there's 400.
I just found them on Facebook.
And Michael called me and then
they drove the dog to my house.
To see the progression from
them to go from their house
to the Garden building to
here, it's pretty awesome
to be a part of it.
We have been able to do this
just through the generosity
of our donors.
The majority of our donations
come from fundraisers
that people set up on Facebook.
And it's funny because a lot
of people just sort of say,
there's no way they built
this thing on Facebook.
Well, guess what?
There is a way.
What people do is they'll
be prompted by Facebook when
their birthday is coming up.
And Facebook will say,
it's your birthday.
Do you want to run a fundraiser
for a non-profit organization?
They simply put it on
their page and say,
I'm raising money for Old
Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary.
They explain our mission.
And their friends pitch in
and donate to the cause.
So we get a lot of
donations that way.
But the average donation
is only about $25.
So we have a lot of
people supporting us.
And it really shows how
important each donation is.
Building this place took
over a year, literally 24/7.
I was on this all the time.
It's hard for me to
wrap my brain around
that this building was
possible because of donations.
Over $5 million.
It came from those
$25 average donations.
And that's to this day
what built this place.
You're talking major money.
Just to give you an example,
in one two-week period
we got $600,000.
And that month was over
a mill, in one month.
It just really amazes us
that so many people would
be interested in our cause.
There are so many dogs
that are surrendered
to shelters as seniors.
And as heartbreaking as that
is, Old Friends Senior Dog
Sanctuary make everything
OK again for those seniors.
They help senior dogs live the
best life that they possibly
can until it's time
for them to go.
They rescue senior
dogs that usually
have been dumped at a local
shelter at 15 or 16 years old.
Those dogs are probably
very likely that they're
going to be euthanized.
Old Friends goes and scoops
them up from these shelters.
And then what old
friends does is
to make them feel
comfortable and at home.
It's a place that we
accept them no matter
what their disabilities
are, no matter
what their care requires.
And Old Friends will
do whatever it takes
to get these dogs fixed up.
Yeah, good boy.
It's OK.
I'm going to fix it,
make it all better.
I started at Old Friends
about three years ago.
I moved here from Connecticut.
I'd never been to
Tennessee before.
And it was kind of
like a leap of faith.
I met Zina and learned
about this organization
and believed in the cause.
It's my dream job.
Here, I feel like I'm
making such a big difference
for the dogs that don't have
anybody to do that for them.
Come on.
Hey, come on.
Come on, you can do it.
Right here.
Come on.
What are you doing?
Belly rubs.
You want bellies.
I'm on call 24/7.
And I like it that way.
I'm so invested in these dogs
that when something happens
to them, if it was my day
off and nobody told me
that somebody was seizuring
or this was happening,
I would have a breakdown.
So yeah, they're my
kiddos, so I want
to know what's
going on with them.
It's one dog.
I don't know anything about
it until I go to pick it up.
The times I picked
up the small ones,
they've always ridden
in my lap back with me.
It's just, I feel like
we have this little bond
because I'm like
the first person
that they meet coming in.
And they're my little babies.
I can't hold the big
ones, unfortunately.
But they're like my little
babies when I bring them in.
Oh, my goodness.
Hi.
Oh, OK, I know Sarah
had talked to-
Hi, I think your name's Charlie.
Hi.
Given that it's like a
Peke mix, Dr. Puskaric
will immediately fall
in love and name her.
So it doesn't matter
what I name her.
She's going to name
her something else.
That's funny.
Pekingese, she's all over that.
Let's go.
We're going to go to
your new home, huh?
What do you think?
I would call you Sweet Pea.
But Christine will
probably name you
something completely different.
Say hi.
Hey.
It's a new baby.
I want to call her Sweet Pea.
On the bed?
You kind of match the bed.
Here you go.
What you think?
You like that?
That comfy?
Yeah?
I'll get you some water
and you'll be all set, OK?
There's this cute
little Pekingese
I think Christine's going
to fall in love with.
Oh, it's a Pekingese.
It's a mix.
I know.
She doesn't have a name.
And she's 12.
And she's matted and
severe dental...
but once she -
Which is just what
Christine loves.
Exactly.
Little blonde, right there.
Oh, I see her.
You see her?
Oh, yeah.
It's a little girl.
Oh, look at that face.
I know.
Oh, my gosh.
Has Christine seen her yet?
Uh-uh.
Oh.
She's not around.
I know.
Oh, she's going to go nuts.
And she's got hip problems too?
Oh, my god.
She's going to go nuts.
Call Christine.
Come see Sweet Pea.
I named her Sweet Pea.
She's six pounds and
all up your alley.
No, sir.
Oh, my lord in heaven.
Oh, she's a little scared.
I named her Sweet Pea.
Oh, hi, you got some
knots on your toe toe.
She's got mats everywhere.
Hi, aren't you the most
beautiful thing in the world.
I knew it.
I knew it was going to happen.
I knew it.
Oh, my goodness.
Hi to you!
Oh, you're blowing
your snots on me.
Hi.
Oh, my goodness.
New medical dog.
Oh, boy, this is really bad.
Yeah.
Yeah, I know.
That's really bad.
I love her.
I know.
I knew you would.
Not getting any more
work out of this woman
for the rest of the day.
That's it.
Focus is on her.
Oh, my gosh.
He's super cute.
He's very sweet.
All right, yes.
Sorry, I get distracted.
Easily distracted by dogs.
All right, do you want me
to give Halo a bath now?
I think with a lot of
mainstream veterinary clinics,
if they're 13 or
they're 14, they'll say,
well, if they were
six years old,
you might want to
do this surgery,
but at 14, maybe just put them
on some steroids or something.
That's not how we work here.
It's if they have a good quality
of life and they're happy
and this could help them,
who cares if they're 14.
And those 14-year-olds go on
to be 17 or 18 or 20 here.
And that's almost unheard of
out in the general population.
And I think finances
are a concern.
At 14 years old, is it going to
be worth it to spend the money
and then maybe have
them die in six months.
But at 14 years old,
six months is a lot.
And if that's going to
be a quality six months,
we're all for it.
The shelter that
reached out to us
basically said, you are our
last chance with this dog.
When he went into that
shelter, in addition
to his medical issues, he
was very food aggressive.
I think he had been
starving and he
was biting people because
of the food aggression.
I mean, he came in here
so bad that I actually
was like, where is
his quality of life,
should we even be
bothering to try
and help him because
euthanasia might be kinder.
Hugh, I still worry about.
He's still going through his
diagnostic phase right now,
so we're waiting on biopsy
results and culture results
to see how we can address that.
When we go to take something,
maybe on an emergency,
to one of the local specialists
or something, they'll say,
you might want to
consider euthanasia.
And I'll say, I want
to give this 24 hours.
If they're stable and
they're not in pain
and they're not
suffering, I want
to give this 24 hours
because it is amazing what
these dogs can recuperate from.
I can't tell you how many
dogs in the past two years,
if she wouldn't have
said, give it 24 hours,
wouldn't be with us today.
From what I've seen in
the past with how we've
turned some of
these dogs around,
I have absolute faith
that we can help you.
Yes, I do.
When we get these
guys in, a lot of them
require specialty treatment that
a lot of people can't afford.
I think that's what
the local animal
control and the local shelters
have associated us with.
If we don't take
those dogs, those dogs
are going to be euthanized.
There are very few
rescues that can
afford the medical care that the
Sweet Peas and the Hughs need.
And so now that they
have us as a resource,
when those dogs come in that
they used to not even consider
for placement anywhere, we're
the first ones they call.
So I just got a sweater
on this morning.
Come on.
Look at you.
She was found running
down..
And they posted and posted
and no one's claimed her.
A lot.
Zina has- if I get old dogs,
I continuously call Zina.
And she's been great.
Yeah, it's helped us a lot.
Thank you.
She's so cute.
This is Marla.
She also was found
running as a stray.
And nobody ever came for her.
But these are her favorite
toys and have to go with her.
And her jacket, she
gets cold..
She's so sweet.
When you take her out to
introduce her to people,
she gets all excited
and she hops around.
And she gives them
kisses and her tail wags.
She's just darling.
She really is.
She deserves a good home.
Bye.
All right.
Oh, look at this.
How big.
There's your toys to travel.
All right.
All right, thank you so much.
Thank you, all.
It's nice to meet all of you.
It's just frustrating when we
have dogs being turned over
because they're not
as active anymore
or they're not as
playful anymore.
It's a stage of life.
And every stage, I think,
needs to be celebrated.
And there is a lot
that can be done
rather than giving up on them.
It's awesome that
we're helping them.
But when you see that somebody
is dumped a 16-year-old dog,
it makes me angry.
I mean, it's like dumping your
grandma when you're older.
You just don't do
that kind of stuff.
It's disgraceful.
And I mean, most of the reasons
that they're being turned over
are fixable.
That's the really sad thing.
So don't neglect them and ignore
all of the care that they need
and then just dump them.
If they're provided
for all along the way,
then you'll have a
healthy, happy senior dog.
Hi, sweetheart, how are you?
I can't get-
I know.
I've got to wait for
Taylor to come in.
I don't know if there's
many people other than Dr.
Puskaric who would be as great
with senior dogs as she is.
She's just amazing.
She's really taken
it on as a challenge.
No, she is amazing.
We're so lucky to have her.
She loves the dogs,
which that's something
that you can't train somebody.
She just loves them.
No.
It's lots of fun
when you come here.
I want to tell you
how much I appreciate
your care for.
Aw.
I can't even say her name.
I loved her more than
any dog I've ever had.
And I've had a lot.
So thank you.
Yeah, she was precious.
She changed my life,
I'm telling you.
I don't know why,
but she just did.
Yeah.
Caring for her.
Yeah.
But thank you.
Yeah.
Well, I wish you had her longer.
I wish we had all
of them longer.
Me too.
She was wonderful.
Yeah.
Yeah, I appreciate it.
Old Friends is- well,
it's heaven on Earth
just because it's a place
full of dogs and full of love.
It is the most
amazing organization
I have ever heard of.
I think it's just the
most wonderful thing
since sliced bread, myself.
Old Friends Senior
Dog Sanctuary,
love what they stand
for, love what they do.
And we just have always thought
about being a part of it.
It's the most wonderful thing
that I can think of for a dog
because dogs are just
like children, really.
And they need care
and they need love.
There's a need for
these babies to spend
their golden years
being loved and have
a forever, loving home.
It must be very traumatic
to lose your owner.
And you don't know
what's going on.
We don't know what
their circumstances are
a lot of the times, why they
ended up at the sanctuary, how
they ended up there.
It's nice to see them get a
second chance, so to speak.
Old Friends, I think, has opened
up doors for not only dogs
but for people to care for them.
Senior dogs have become
like the throwaway of dogs
because they're older,
they're more expensive,
and the fact that Old
Friends covers that expense,
there's really not a
reason why you would not
foster a senior dog.
I mean, what they're doing
is just- it's unbelievable,
just the way they've touched
people across the world,
not just here in Nashville.
Just started with
the few, and now it's
just grown into what
it's grown into.
I was watching the parade.
And people from New
Zealand and Ireland
were chiming in
and saying, we're
going to come visit one day.
It's just pretty incredible.
Here we go!
Hi.
Hey, guys.
Hey.
Thanks for coming.
New home sweet home.
We need it.
No.
He's on steroids,
which is what's
helping to clear up his skin.
He probably has an
autoimmune disease
and the steroids have
helped a huge amount.
But steroids slow down healing.
So we were going to get
him scheduled for surgery.
We're going to have to
put that on hold for now
until we get him
back on track again.
When he first came in, he
wouldn't let me do that.
He gets a little bit upset
when you get on these sides,
but he's come a long way.
Dr. Puskaric does amazing
things with the dogs.
She's brought in dogs like Hugh.
Hugh, right now, looks awful.
But she's brought in
dogs that are just
as terrible that have
turned into some pretty
fantastic dogs.
She'll try to give it as
much time as she possibly can
until it becomes obvious
to her that dog is-
it's time for that dog to go.
When I put him under anesthesia
to clean off all of his scabs,
one of my technicians
was actually
crying while we were doing it.
And she said, I really think
we should euthanize this dog.
And I told her, I said,
he hasn't given up.
And I'm not giving up on him
yet until he tells me it's time.
And until we've tried
these medications-
he's ultimately going
to end up losing
that left ear altogether.
They're going to have
to remove the ear canal.
He's getting there.
Slow and steady, but
he's getting there.
I worked with Dr. Christine
in Connecticut five years ago.
She is the best doctor
that I've ever worked with.
She found this place and
just the stars aligned
and everything happened.
And she came here and
this was her dream job.
And she said, you have
to come work with me.
And I said, OK, eventually.
Because I was in Connecticut,
she's in Tennessee,
and constantly
like, come work me.
And finally, I'm like,
yeah, I'm doing it.
So I moved a thousand
miles to work with Doc.
And I love my job.
And she's part of the
reason why I love my job.
She says, I'm a princess.
I'm a princess.
Is she smiling?
So little Sweet Pea had her
surgery postponed a bit,
but she had her spay.
And now she's got to get
her legs fixed because she
has luxating patellas.
So it's really hard for her
to walk on her back end.
He loves her.
She wasn't feeling so well.
And she was at the
ER a week or so ago.
And he was just beside himself.
Huh, that's your girl.
Are you going walk or what?
Come here.
We've got vets who are dedicated
to senior dogs, know more about
senior dogs than anybody else.
So we have probably one
of the best senior dog
veterinary clinics anywhere.
The medical area has
improved a hundredfold.
We were in a space that was
the size of a regular office.
We couldn't perform
any surgeries.
It wasn't sanitary
enough, so everything we
would have to resource out.
In the previous building, I had
two small rooms and absolutely
no diagnostic capabilities.
So I didn't have an X-ray.
I also didn't have
a surgical suite.
So I was evaluating them,
seeing what they needed,
and then utilizing either local
veterinarians or specialists
if needed.
Some of these round trips were
taking 2 and 1/2, 3 hours just
to get the care
that they needed.
She's in these two small rooms.
She's trying to do dental.
She's trying to do all this.
We need to get her a vet clinic.
That was the beginning.
Then we had a few problems
with the building,
like the back foundation
started to leak a little bit,
the floors weren't any good.
So then the wheels
started turning.
And Zina and I said,
we really should
start looking at building
something from ground up.
The fact that the entire
area of the old building
is the same size as our medical
facility at the new building
is huge.
This just revolutionizes
everything for me.
I can practice
full medicine here,
which I couldn't do before.
We have enough room now
for having two vets.
So she's like a kid
in a candy store.
She loves it.
It's way better than
I ever dreamed, yeah.
We have special needs here.
What we had problem
with the Gardens
is the fact that primary
for the dog's care
is their living areas.
That has to be special.
We take on our dogs for life, no
matter what their temperament.
So some of them do have a
problem living in a group.
So we had to build
little containment areas
for these dogs at the Gardens.
And it was really, really
Rube Goldberg type of stuff.
I'd have a contractor and
put some cinder blocks in.
So we knew we needed to have
suites for individual dogs
that preferred to live alone.
So we called it Barkley Suites.
But everybody has
their own yard.
And then they have access to
a much larger yard so they
can really get some exercise.
We put in all canine turf,
specially made for dogs.
They're loving it.
They're rolling in it.
They're scratching in it.
The canine turf folks
also had a side company
that put in splash pads.
So it's a doggy splash pad.
And we call it "The Oasis. "
And so since we've been
here, I think two of them
have actually approached it
because they're afraid of it
right now.
So we're going to have a
learning curve with that.
And then we have our group
areas, which a lot of dogs
prefer, obviously, because
they're pack animals.
We have two rooms for little
dogs, one room for medium size,
and then two really large
ones for our big guys.
We've only been here less than
a week and they're loving it.
Another major thing we wanted to
do is try to get away from mud.
Our old building did
not make it easier.
Mopping constantly,
mud constantly,
cleaning dogs
constantly, didn't work.
I mean, we made it work.
But for four years,
it was like, ugh.
With a hundred plus
dogs, it's a fight
that you don't need to
have because you need
to be focusing in on the dogs.
So we thought about cleanliness,
cleanliness everywhere.
So that's when we
came up with, OK,
let's go find an
internal cleaning system.
Oh, man, everything's
so clean now.
We used to have a lot of
trouble with the floors
because the floors
were not sealed well.
They looked great
when we moved in.
From cleaning and
cleaning and cleaning,
they got worn away
pretty bad to where
they were almost just concrete.
So having the epoxy resin floors
that nothing can penetrate,
and the drains, and
we have a spray system
so that we can keep
everything clean.
We're not mopping,
so we're not just
slopping the same dirty
water over and over again.
It's amazing how clean
we can keep things.
What used to take them
probably an hour and a half
now takes about 15 minutes.
The other big thing we wanted
was windows everywhere.
And the reason for that is
you walk through a hallway
and you look down, and
there's a dog in their yards.
We want everybody to
have viewing for dogs
and have an interactive
type of thing.
We have three people that are
going to do tours constantly
through here.
And then we'll have a
lot of special events.
It's just going to allow us
to do a whole bunch more.
So back to the actual
building, it just
sort of piecemeal together.
And it grew and grew and grew
until our architect said, guys,
it just keeps growing every day.
I mean, can you afford it?
And we went, yeah.
I'm a builder.
I like to build things.
I like to see them grow.
That's one thing I've loved
about being part of something I
love to begin
with, but something
that has no bounds because it's
never really been done before.
The sky's the limit.
We don't have anything
holding us back.
So that's how we ended up
with 20,000 square feet.
Count down.
We're open for business.
Now we're going to talk.
All right.
Good morning, everyone.
I'm Zina Goodin, Co-founder
and executive. director of Old
Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary.
Thank you so much
for coming today.
Got a few people to thank.
Only the ones that
are here though.
Just kidding.
Zina and Michael have always
been focused first and foremost
on the dogs.
Everything else seems
to fall into place
with that philosophy.
Thanks to a fabulous group
of supporters and donors,
we have been able to build a-
Whoo!
- nearly- a nearly 2,000-
They liked it, Z.
OK.
We've been able to build this
dream home for senior dogs here
at the PAWvillions, a
state-of-the-art facility built
specifically for
our old friends.
It's just amazing.
We can't believe it.
Couldn't imagine the
success that we've
had saving literally
thousands of dogs.
There is no other organization
in the world with the vision
and mission of Old Friends.
I think I speak for
the entire staff
when I say it has been amazing
to be a part of this journey.
So thank you very much.
All right, all right, all right.
We're home.
The parade was, I think, a
once-in-a-lifetime event.
It was a great way to bring
the dogs to the new sanctuary
without them burning
their feet or having
to do that walk in the heat.
I think the dogs actually fared
better than some of the people
did.
That was a long 8/10 of
a mile to push a grocery
cart with a dog in it.
What a great way to
move from A to B.
Beautiful.
Hi, Lady, welcome
home, baby girl.
Go over to the
base storage unit.
There are a ton of
water bottles in there.
Do you know where that is?
Hot girl.
Yes.
Put her in a crate.
No worries.
Probably not.
You don't have to sit down.
Baby's in here.
Go ahead and get him in a crate.
Hello.
Shasta's also in here.
She can go right into a crate.
And they keep water
everywhere so that way,
you can give it to her.
I got it.
Thank you.
OK.
I'm Devi Sanford, the
photographer for Old Friends
Senior Dog Sanctuary.
I was going through
the airport one day,
and they had this
mosaic dog behind a case
along with 10 others.
And it happened to be a
fundraiser that they had done.
And the one that has the
camera around its neck,
I was like, oh my god,
I have to have that.
So I saw this- oh,
excuse you- sign.
And to see what is Old
Friends Senor Dog Sanctuary,
I sent an email to sign
up for one of their tours.
And come to find out,
I was the first tour
that they had ever offered.
And Zina gave it.
And I think it's probably the
only one she's ever given.
So I gave her the tour.
And there was something
about Devi that just clicked.
I knew when we first
met Devi that Devi
would be good to take
pictures of our dogs.
Perfect.
And she's been taking them
ever since that first day.
She contacted me,
and she said, we
have a good feeling about you.
Come on in.
I told her I wanted
to do a gallery show
to raise some money for them.
In three hours, I think
we raised close to $5,000
for them.
I was hooked.
Another thing that's
really great about that
is when I went back to
the airport the next day,
the dogs were gone.
And then when I went for
my tour and walked in
up high on a shelf
in the old building,
that dog was in there.
And whoever had bid on it
originally never came for it.
And so it was like one
of those "oh my gosh,
I was so meant to
be here" moments.
So I bought it.
When we first moved to
Grand Paw's Gardens in 2017,
I think we had two full-time
employees other than us.
Most of them are full time now.
If not, at least 75% of our
60 employees are full time.
OK, well follow me.
We pretty much doubled our staff
when we moved to this building.
So this is a break room.
We named it after Leo.
And if you follow us on
Facebook or Instagram,
you should know who Leo is.
He was the dog that just
caught everybody's eye.
He was found in an alley behind
a hair salon in Nashville.
And he just became the
face that everybody loved.
He passed away a
couple of years ago.
I still have people on
tours that come in and ask,
I miss Leo.
He has sold over
30,000 t-shirts.
He has three t-shirts
with his face
on them, over 30,000 t-shirts.
When he died, several of
our vendors sent flowers.
He was he was a character.
I've been here
from the beginning.
Zina and Michael were still
with Middle Tennessee Golden
Retriever Rescue.
They were just starting to
collect dogs in their house.
But we became
friends, and I've just
been doing whatever I can
along the way to help.
When we moved to
Grand Paw's Gardens,
things just literally blew up.
Everything just grew I
think faster than anyone
could have anticipated.
It was very difficult to build
our staff before we moved here
because there was
nowhere to put them.
We were trying to
train them, but they
were tripping over each other
in the smaller building.
So now that they're
spread out, it's
going to be easier
to add more people.
We've got a lot of people
who are younger than us that
will be able to pick up
right where we leave off.
And they're learning everything
we know and adding to that.
We are the ones who are hands-on
all the times with the dogs.
We feed them.
We walk them.
We do their day-to-day care.
We are the people
who alert medical
if there's a slight
change in their behavior.
And we advocate for them.
When you say shelter-
or in our case, we're a
sanctuary, but a shelter-
I think people
just envision dogs
in cages just languishing there
until somebody adopts them.
This is so not like that.
They run around free unless
they're eating or sleeping.
They've got the splash pad.
They get laser therapy.
Any time Ellie has anything
small, and I tell the vet team,
they're back there
checking on her.
It's great.
I mean, I would love to
live here if I was a dog.
Even as a human, I would
probably want to live here.
I was unaware of how much
these dogs are valued,
and they're not just
dog number 375 to us.
They all are so loved.
And what's amazing to me,
too, is the dog caretakers,
I just pictured they
come in the morning,
and they're assigned
to whatever room.
These dogs have the
same caretakers,
and the caretakers are
so attached to them.
The goal is to keep
them in the same room
until they're forever fostered.
So that way, they have the same
people, the same dog friends,
everything.
So it's more like a
family-based setting for them.
We have 11 big dogs in a room.
Most of the day, we just
hang out with our 11 dogs,
walk them every day, feed them.
If any dog needs any medicine,
we administer that as well.
A lot.
I think it's about 200
pounds of food a day.
That's what it was at one point.
And that's just the dry food.
We also feed wet food
and other types of food.
Oh, we feed at 9:00 and 5:00.
So our feeding time is an
hour and a half to two hours
of organized chaos.
This is the cabinet
where the meds are.
We pull them from
the vet clinic.
So not only does Jen have to
put the right food in the bowl,
but then, after she
gets all the food,
she has to get the medication.
Each dog has its own bowl.
Those white boards there,
each of the vertical columns
is a different dog area.
You might make a bowl,
and then they're like,
eh, I don't want that today.
So you have to make
them another bowl.
But they're old.
Let them have what they want.
I'm just going to
park this over here.
We have to get our dinner.
I mean, it's so cool
to come to work.
And my first day,
I set up my desk.
I walked away for a second.
I came back, and there was
a dog standing on my desk.
I mean, it's a dream job.
So we do must definitely
build a bond and a connection
with these dogs, for sure.
I feel like at other
places, when they see a dog,
they're just like,
oh, it's just a dog.
And I think here, when we
see the dogs, we're like,
that's family.
That's our dog.
For me, it just
feels like the dogs
are at the forefront
of our minds
as opposed to our rules being
at the forefront of our minds.
You know what I mean?
It's not as worried about cold
structure as it is about, OK,
I know exactly where Baby is.
I know exactly where Charlie.
Is I know exactly
where Woody is.
That's the difference.
It's like you have a team that
wants to get these dogs better
and happy, so.
And now with this setup,
it's so much easier
to get around and see the dogs.
We don't upset them every
time we go to see them.
We can watch them
through the windows,
and we don't have to
go through all the dogs
to get to a single dog.
I've been working here
for almost three years.
So me being used
to the old building
and then coming over here is
like a complete game changer.
But over here, it has helped
the dogs tremendously.
The other building
was so open and loud,
that it just upset our dogs.
And now that we're here,
they have their own rooms.
And we can play music, and they
are just the happiest here.
The dogs are so much happier.
Because you can just tell.
They have their own space.
Obviously, they have
desks to stand on.
Yeah.
Her food gets matted down
because she has no teeth.
So I was just
fluffing it back up.
I'm in it for the dogs.
My joy in my association
with old friends
comes from interaction
with the dogs.
The people that I've met along
the way, especially people
that I meet on
the tours, they're
just from such
varied backgrounds,
with such different
reasons for coming here,
that it just amazes me.
This is Tigger.
Tigger is in a foster home.
Tigger is a dog that one
of the earlier tours,
there was a young
couple on the tour,
and they were from Lithuania.
And as we were going
through the building,
they let me know that Tigger
was an internet sensation
in Lithuania.
Out of that conversation
and that visit,
he has his own t-shirt.
There's one that you
can get online called
The Wonderful World of Tigger.
I mean, just strange
things can happen.
This is Central Bark, hence
the skyline of New York.
It's used by our physical
therapy department.
We are dealing with old dogs.
And fortunately, we're
funded well enough,
that we can do a lot of
physical therapy for these guys
to make their lives peaceful.
Release the beast.
Let's see if-
On the right.
There we go.
So I work in the medical
department at Old Friends
Senior Dog Sanctuary.
I am actually head of the
physical therapy department.
So I do the laser
treatment and coordinate
all the other treatments
within the sanctuary.
And for me personally,
I no longer just
have to find a little
corner wherever I can.
We now have an area that
is specially designed
for the physical therapy.
And what they've done is
recreated Central Park in here.
But with some of our dogs-
Sharky, Maxwell- you're going
to recognize Leo's on top
of the fountain over there.
Simba, Oreo.
1.24.
How long does she
normally go for?
20 to 25 minutes.
The most she's done is 20-
she's done 28, that's the most.
Oh, wow.
We also have an
underwater treadmill.
I mean, it's state of the
art, and it's all digital.
And the water fills
into the treadmill.
It's fantastic.
Treadmill water therapy,
which is awesome for dogs,
because it's weightless
for these old dogs.
So when they need to
heal or arthritis,
it's really great for them.
It obviously, also,
depends on how hard
you want to push your dog.
Because a different
level of water
will either make it
easier or harder.
So we have a class for laser.
It's a modality that we
use in our physical therapy
department.
The laser therapy, it does
all sorts of things, actually.
But primarily, we use it to-
it reduces inflammation and
therefore, offers pain relief.
It's a way that we can treat
discomfort, pain, swelling,
without having to
use medications.
But it also promotes healing.
So we can do wounds,
post-surgery.
It has actually helped
to improve mobility.
So dogs that were
previously unable to walk,
we've seen them with improved
function in their legs.
Yes, our Sweet Pea is literally
two weeks out of surgery today.
And we've been doing
laser treatment
daily since her
surgery because it's
really good for wound healing.
And as you can see,
it's very non-invasive.
She enjoys it.
She just pretty much relaxes
and lets me do my thing.
Good girl, Sweet Pea.
Aw, more scratchies.
Where I might get involved
with you is once we got him
to a comfortable enough
place that he trusts us,
we hope to be able
to get in there
and do some laser for him.
Because we can
also use the laser
to help with skin conditions
and what have you.
So yeah, I'm very hopeful.
But his personality
is coming out.
You can tell he's
a lot more comfy.
He broke my heart because
when he was first here,
I put him in my office
because I thought
he needed to be socialized.
And once he got
into my office, I
realized he really wants
people to touch him.
He would come over and
rub his head on me,
but he wouldn't
let me touch him.
So he's come a long
way from there.
Now his sores are
healing up, so he
lets us touch him
now- so just balancing
antibiotics and oral
steroids and the right dose.
So we're waiting on him
to get a little bit more
stable on a lower
dose of steroids,
and then we'll get
his ear addressed.
Who's a good boy?
He has such a good spirit.
Yeah.
He makes me really
happy with his progress.
You just see on his
face the relief.
He's like a different dog.
Hello.
Good boy.
Want to lay down?
This is Lil.
How are you doing, old girl?
She says, I've been
through the wringer.
But I think everything we
need done is all finished now.
So she had surgery done
on both of her knees.
And she's doing phenomenal.
I mean, if you go
back to what she
looked like when she first came
in, she was super hunched up.
I mean, that was
how she was born.
And she's an older dog now.
So it's like she's
learning to walk
on normal knees
for the first time.
Good job, little girl.
Look at you go.
She was already on three
different medications
in both eyes because she
had issues in both eyes.
And she was completely blind.
She had cataracts.
So both of her
eyes were removed.
And I mean, it sounds horrible.
But she couldn't see from them,
and she's actually a lot more
comfortable without them.
So that's healed up nicely.
Now she's just going through
her rehab and her laser.
And she'll be heading into
the underwater treadmill
eventually.
She's super cute.
So Nikki, who also has Abner,
who's a forever foster,
has been taking her home to
do some extra physical therapy
and stuff with her at home.
And she's fallen in love
with her other foster.
They sleep together,
and everything.
So I think she's found herself
a permanent place to go.
It wasn't until I lost one
of my own non-Old Friends
that I realized I could
get my own forever foster.
But I thought, having
worked at the sanctuary
for a number of years,
I was like, how on Earth
am I going to choose out of
all these wonderful dogs?
So it was just a
regular day at work.
And I got my laser goggles on.
I was lasering one
of the dogs in there.
And after a few minutes,
I felt this cold, wet nose
on my cheek.
So I took my laser
goggles off and looked,
and these big,
beautiful brown eyes,
they literally spoke to me.
And I knew then and there
that he had chosen me.
He was going to be my foster.
And those eyes are
still speaking to me.
Just before Christmas, a dog
named Abner found himself
living in the medical
department because he had
some pretty bad health issues.
And one day I said
to Christine-
Dr. Puskaric- I think I'd like
to take him home and just see
if I can help him.
So I took him home
for the weekend.
But after about 10
hours, I thought
to myself, how am I going
to take this dog back?
I love him.
A couple of weeks
later, I was heading
towards a decade birthday.
And my husband said
to me, Nic, what
do you like for your birthday?
And where most people might
say, a new pair of shoes
or a nice bottle of perfume,
I said, I'd like Abner.
And he just rolled
his eyes at me
because he knows what
I'm like with these dogs.
So along comes my birthday,
and my family sit me down
to give me a couple
of birthday cards
and actually, handed me this.
The Dench family is
growing by four feet.
And then I heard the door open,
and in walks Abner wearing
a big gold bow.
I can honestly say
that's the best birthday
present I've had in years.
So they don't really do
much playing in the house.
But when I get them
in the back of my Jeep
and take them to
the local park, they
will turn into completely
different dogs.
My husband I have to
stand ready to catch them.
They're ready to
just leap out and go,
and it's just
lovely to see that.
Most days- I kid you not-
either me or my husband
are asked, where did you
get that wonderful puppy?
And when I tell people that
he came from a senior dog
sanctuary, they're
just blown away.
I just really try to
just enjoy every moment
I've got with these guys.
I love the seniors.
I've always had a special thing
for seniors and special needs.
And I wish every
state in America
had an Old Friend
Senior Dog Sanctuary.
This is our grooming area.
We do have a groomer on staff
with 100 and some dogs here.
We can keep her busy.
Our fosters can also make
appointments with Stephanie
to bring their old friend in
and have her groom the dog
at no cost.
I do nail trims.
I clean ears.
A lot of dogs have
really damaged coats
or a lot of mats when
they first come in,
so a lot of shave-downs.
There's dogs, they
get medicated baths
because they have really bad
coats whenever they first
come in.
So they have to get
regular medicated baths,
and I do that as well.
Usually, dogs like
Caesar, very fluffy dogs,
or dogs that need
frequent haircuts,
I do every three weeks.
And then other dogs, I
try to do every six weeks.
Accidents always
happen, especially
for the compassionate care dogs.
They have mobility issues.
Mabel has three legs.
She can't really stand up
on her own to go potty.
So a lot of the times, when
I first come in the morning,
I'll just go check
on them because they
will need a regular bath.
So there's really no point to
putting them on the schedule.
I see them very often, yeah.
As you notice walking
around the building,
you really don't know that
there's 100 and some dogs
in the building.
When you walked
into the building,
you knew there were 100 and
some dogs in the building.
So these are three of our
dogs that have dog aggression.
But all three of these
are at a point where
they could go to a foster home.
Bella's the one on the far end.
She's the newest
one to this group.
Miss Peggy does not like dogs.
She is also deaf.
She is one of the first
dogs that new volunteers get
to go and visit
with because anybody
could walk in that room,
pet her, and she'd be fine.
Just don't put your
cell phone down.
She has eaten a couple of them.
I don't know why, but
she is a character.
She's also our cover girl.
She loves to put
sunglasses on and-
I don't know, maybe the light
bothers her eye, or something.
So there are three girls that
work with these 10 rooms of dog
aggressive dogs, nobody else.
And they have made huge
progress with Archie
in the couple of months
that we've been here.
Archie wasn't in his room
because he's out here.
He had food bowl aggression
in the other building,
and the staff have been
able to work with him.
And he no longer has
food bowl aggression.
Archie's completed a five-stage
food bowl training program
with us.
And Archie is
really intelligent.
And he's a really
quick learner as well.
So stage one of the
food training program
is really just
familiarizing getting a dog
to be comfortable with
occupying a space with you
while he's eating.
And day by day, we move closer.
And eventually, his tail starts
to wag when he hears us talk.
So we're ready for stage two.
Stage two is staying in that
same spot, keep your distance,
but toss pieces of
food in his food
bowl while he's eating from
your distance, or treats,
or whatever.
We use pieces of food.
So then you inch a little bit
closer and inch a little bit
closer.
And when you see that
positive reaction,
stage three is walking
up to him while he's
eating, talking to him, and
then dropping food in his bowl
and then walking away.
Stage four would be
standing next to them
while they're
eating and dropping
something in their bowl, not
bending down, just standing up.
And then stage five
would be bending down.
You've got your
hands by their face,
and you're really
getting on their level
and testing their
limits, to make sure
that they're OK with it.
Since I work with the iso dogs-
for example, Miss Bella
here, she loves people,
but she can never go to
a room with 10, 15 dogs.
It just stresses her out.
So I work with dogs
like her and some dogs
who are people aggressive.
So we have special plans with
every single one of our dogs
to help them get over their
people aggression, dog
aggression, food
bowl aggression.
There are currently
only three of us.
Over in Barkley
Suites, we have what
you call a Forever Project Dog.
So what we would do is,
for example, Bella is
one of my Forever Project dogs.
So I'm going to
keep trying to get
her used to other
people and other dogs
until she gets a home.
Most of the time,
when the dogs get
fostered, we have a
whole waterworks session
because it's bittersweet.
We want to see them go and get
homes, but we also love them,
and we want them to live the
best life they could possibly
live.
I'm pretty sure if
anybody sees Hank,
and they're just
like, oh, he just
he doesn't look like
he could do much,
or he's probably doesn't have
that much life left in them.
But he most definitely does.
And I'm sure he can make
a family pretty happy,
so whenever he gets
fostered out of here.
She doesn't act like she's 10.
She runs around.
She plays.
He is an old one, but
he can run for days
and jump and play all he wants.
And they're just as much fun
as a puppy, except they-
They are.
- stop.
They don't go for 8 hours.
They might go for 15 minutes.
You've got to remember
they're old dogs.
They get their bursts of
energy and run around,
and then they just
want to relax.
That's pretty much what
I do, too, so it's great.
I swear they appreciate
the being rescued, being
able to be in a home again.
Always give a dog a
chance, regardless of age.
Age doesn't define a dog at all.
I just- I love
what they do here.
I love senior dogs.
And honestly, my financial
situation is not the greatest.
And this way, I don't have
to pay for the vet care.
Because I've had
dogs that got old,
and I know how that can run.
So this is just perfect for me.
I have a friend who
told me about it,
and I'm just so glad she did.
Oh my gosh, beyond, beyond-
oh, my whole neighborhood's
waiting to meet them.
They might see a
dog on the website.
They might see a dog on
our public Facebook page.
They might find out
about us in many ways.
We do want fosters to know what
we expect from them, going in,
that it's not a typical walk
in, choose a dog, leave,
we never see them again.
They're coming back for meds.
They're coming back
for vet visits.
They're coming by
to pick up food.
The dog, they like you
to be within 100 miles.
We don't just hand
a dog to anyone.
We do home visits.
There's a series of questions.
We check references.
So we're making sure that these
dogs are set up for success.
Because once they're out of
that 100-mile range, the chances
of that dog coming back
to us, should something
go awry with the arrangement,
is a lot slimmer.
And we do want to
know that they're
in a good place for
the rest of their life.
I think it's a
journey for everybody.
We invest so much in
these dogs before they're
ready to go into foster,
that they really are
a member of the family here.
And so we make sure
that everything
is going to be safe for
the dog that they choose.
And I sit on that
foster committee.
And so I feel like
when they choose a dog,
I'm handing over one of
our babies to their care.
And my goal is to be
here for the fosters,
so that when they have
something going on
that they're worried about,
me or my support staff
just want to be there
and let them know
we don't care what time it is.
We would rather you call us at
2:00 in the morning and ask us,
is this OK?
than to have something
fall through the cracks.
Because when they
foster they become
a member of the
Old Friends family,
and we want to take care
of them like family.
I've always wanted to go
get a dog that maybe not
everyone else wants.
Everyone wants to
go get puppies.
If there's a puppy in
a kennel, that puppy
will probably be gone
in a couple of days.
These dogs end up sitting
around for a lot longer
than they should.
And so I like the fact of
bringing some of those dogs
into my house and
giving them a good home.
We have an online application
which is very helpful.
It provides a lot of information
about the physical environment
of the home.
I had to do
interviews, and I had
to walk around with
my phone and show
them the house and the
property and everything.
Often, someone has fallen
in love with a face,
and they don't realize
the whole package that
goes with that face may not be
compatible with the home they
can provide-
no fault of theirs.
Just if you have an
incredibly arthritic dog,
and you have to walk up
two flights of stairs
to your apartment,
that's not going to work.
So we get to see all of that.
So we decide yay or nay.
It's almost always yay.
And then I call him and say,
you're approved for this dog.
When can we do Gotcha Day?
The vet goes over their diet,
how to administer the meds.
And then they take a
picture for the newsletter,
and they go on their way.
And we do stay in
touch with them
and make sure things
are going well.
There you are.
Hi, girls.
Perfect.
Oh, look at you girls.
Some dogs, I don't
understand why
they don't get the
attention that you
believe they would get.
And Sadie and Sally have
been here almost a year,
and they are probably
the most gentle bonded
pair that I can think
of that we've ever had
and just so delightful.
And they're going home-
For Christmas.
Yay!
You're going home.
We're taking Sally.
Let's go home.
Bye, girl.
Good girl.
Well, we've spent a
lot of time with them
the last couple of weeks.
We have.
We've taken them to so
many different things.
Yeah!
I'm just excited.
Over a year.
They've gone to events.
They've been all over.
And Barbara's so perfect.
I know.
I was going to say,
there's a right person
for every dog out there.
It's just finding
them to- getting
them to find one another.
Exactly.
And we did.
Email is great.
Social media is great.
We have the family
page, and they
post on there their
photos, their updates.
I love the fact, too,
that we have a Facebook
page for the families.
There's people, humans, that I
know the names of their dogs,
but I would not recognize
them if they came up
to me on the street.
So it really is like a family.
Most of the time, it
really works out well.
We do everything we can
to try to help them work
through the adjustment issues.
But sometimes, they're
just like, wow,
this is just more work.
I just can't do it.
I just cannot give
this dog what it needs.
Then we, of course, allow
them to bring that dog back.
That's part of our program.
Those worries are taken
away from the fosterer.
Go Buddy, go.
One question that a
lot of people often ask
is, do you know where this dog
came From and 99% of the time,
we don't have any
answer for that.
We don't know.
They came from a shelter.
They've been through a lot of
changes in a very short time
by the time they get from
animal control to us.
These dogs come in.
They have a lot of baggage.
But mercifully,
they don't carry it
like we do, for the most part.
They're very resilient.
They live in the moment.
We want to make
the moments count,
and we want people to
share in that with us.
And you have?
Six.
All from Old Friends?
All from Old Friends-
over the year, I think
17 dogs since 2014.
I can handle up to 10 dogs.
But depend how I feel.
Six is, I guess,
enough right now.
I like the senior dog a lot.
This one's Charlie.
Charlie is an
original cabin dog.
Then this is Snow.
Since I got Snow,
So I picked Lincoln Parker.
He's the oldest dog.
He's 17 years old.
Annabelle is a funny dog.
I like her, too.
I like everybody.
This one's Chloe.
I just pick up her last week.
And?
And that one is Smoozie.
Smoozie I picked
up two weeks ago.
They play a lot.
They don't like
the next door dog.
They lie around
the fence and bark.
They are like puppies.
they're brilliant.
They think a senior
dog need help.
Then they decide to
make all the friends.
They have another
life with them.
So it's really nice.
Yeah, I have so many dogs,
and I have so many ashes.
See.
I think 13 is here.
Without them, none of
my dog would survive.
He's the biggest
one I've ever had.
Here's Forrest coming home.
Forrest,
I love my Forrest.
He's got a snood to wear.
He's going to be the most
famous Basset Hound anywhere
because he's Forrest.
Well, I found his picture.
And I noticed right
off from the start
that he's got an
issue here going on
that he doesn't seem to mind.
His eyes were removed I
think within the last year.
From Glaucoma.
Yeah, glaucoma- and I just
I fell in love with him.
Before he came to Old
Friend Senior Dog Sanctuary,
a family in
Nashville found him-
On the side of the road.
The side of the road, yeah.
And God bless the Old
Friends Sanctuary.
They took him.
We fell in love instantly.
Susan from Old Friends called
me, and we went and got him.
And everybody was teary-eyed.
We were joyful but the
staff was teary-eyed.
And even though they
didn't have him very long,
they all had just
fallen in love with him.
Forrest.
Here, boy.
It's a foster situation.
We're supposed to love them
and care for them until they
pass on, like we all do.
But we're also supposed to keep
up with Old Friends medically.
And I give them
reports all the time.
I'm always asking the medical
staff to refill his pills,
like his heart worm.
And they also supply
food through the vet.
It's really like a
no-brainer program.
To me, it was just
like, OK, they
take care of all the reasons
why I wasn't ready for a dog.
I didn't have the financial
capacity at the time
to take care of a dog,
much less a senior dog.
And they take care
of all of that.
These are our kids.
We don't have human kids.
When you've got
aging babies, they
require more attention and
more medical attention.
It's like, hey, we're
taking in a senior dog.
There is that fear
of oh, man, his meds,
and there's going to be issues.
There's going to be arthritis.
They take care of all that.
So to know that they're
always there to back us up
is tremendous.
It's tremendous.
That's the biggest things.
I can have six dog.
If I had my own dogs,
and they didn't pay,
I can't afford
this much, the dog.
When I found out that
all they needed from us
was love and attentiveness
to his needs,
we were right there in line.
So really, all Old
Friends Senior Dog
Sanctuary is asking is,
hey, come love a senior dog.
Take me home.
Give me a great life.
Don't worry about
what my past was.
We don't know it.
Just their future is amazing.
Come here.
Come here.
That's a good boy.
Such a good boy.
Say hi.
This little guy came in, and
I just fell in love with him.
He had such a great personality
and such a zest for life.
And there you go.
There's some of his personality.
And I decided he needed to
be mine and brought him home.
And I've had him for just
about eight months now.
He is blind.
His retinas are
completely detached.
So he is completely blind.
He can't see light or anything.
And it's remarkable
what a blind dog can-
he does not know he
is blind, do you?
No, he does not.
OK, let's do it.
Ready?
Let's do this.
Ready?
Oh, good job.
I wouldn't call it
fetch, because he never
brings it back.
It's more like find.
And I discovered if I get
these particular squeaky,
bouncy ba*ls, and I hit it
on the ground really hard
the first time, and then
as it bounces along,
he can hear it and follow it.
And it's fascinating.
He doesn't get it every time.
But there's just something about
seeing a blind dog actually
find a ball that
you threw for them.
Ready?
OK.
Good boy.
So we were expecting
a dog that was going
to be bumping into everything.
And he does better
than I do at 70.
I mean, he can
still run and play.
And he's an amazing dog.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
The first or second day
that he was here- now,
we have a small yard,
but it's very long.
I watched him find the
borderline, which is the fence.
And he went all around the yard
a couple of times in the back,
and stuff.
And then he had it.
When I brought him home,
put him on a leash,
and spent about
an hour and walked
him the perimeter
of our back yard
and showed him where the doggie
door was, and within that hour,
he knew everywhere he could go.
And I mean, it was unbelievable.
You would never have
known that he was blind.
He's taught me a lot.
Because it just shows that
anyone who has a disability,
that there are ways to overcome.
And if a 12, 13-year-old
Basset can do this in a matter
of hours, days, here-
I thought he would
really be something
that we would have to
watch all the time.
But he requires no
watching really.
I mean, we do
because we love him.
But he's amazing.
He's an inspiration.
He has no limitations.
I am in awe of him.
I have lived in this
house for 15 years
and closed my eyes sometimes
just to see how he does it.
And I still run into things.
And I know this place-
I've been here for forever.
There you are.
Freida, Frieda, come here.
Hurry!
Oh, I love Frieda.
Hi, Frieda.
Oh, you're so good.
Frieda, Freida, Frieda.
Frieda, Frieda.
I love you, girl.
I love you, girl!
The photographs that are
currently at the new sanctuary,
the PAWvillions
those were images
that I had shot
the first time Zina
had allowed me to come
in and take pictures.
I've started to learn what it
is that people that follow us,
what it is they really like.
And we have learned
they don't really
care to see people
in the pictures,
and they definitely
like pictures
where you actually-
when you look at it,
you feel like you're
interacting with that dog.
There are some photographs I'll
take that I think, oh my god,
that's a great picture.
I was really happy with it.
But as far as social
media goes, it
might not be as popular
as something else.
One was of Big Ben.
He's a big black dog
we have there now.
And it was an action shot of
him catching a stick in the air.
And it probably had
7,000 engagements,
which is still spectacular.
I'll take that any day.
But then I post a
picture of Roscoe,
who, sadly, we recently lost.
But with him just looking up
at me with these eyes of just
"take me home," and I think
that one had 15,000 engagements.
So it's very interesting
to find out what
pulls at people's heartstrings.
And those heartfelt stories
that tug at your heartstrings,
Rex getting his wheels,
being able to run again
for the first time since he
was one or two years old.
He's probably 10 to 12 now.
We didn't have to use any words.
But that, that told
the story right there.
And you learn the dogs that
like to be photographed,
and you learn the dogs that
don't like to be photographed.
Knight- he hates me.
Knight is a blind
pit bull that's
very selective of people.
He's one of the most
photogenic dogs that we have,
but he hates shutter sounds.
He hates the sound of my camera.
He cannot stand it.
He's blind.
He can hear a shutter.
And when he hears it,
it just sets him off.
He's just like- he's just
rrrr, rrrr, rrrr, rrrr.
So I've gotten some of the
best pictures I've ever
gotten of him now that I can
sh**t right through the glass.
He's not really
aware that I'm there,
and then now we can get pictures
of him out there as well.
Mack, obviously,
always is a rock star.
Everyone loves pictures of Mack.
I can always tell when we
have new followers on Facebook
or Instagram because they'll
make a comment about,
it would be great
if somebody would
trim his bank so he could see.
And then our dedicated followers
will sh**t right back to them
that he has no eyes, so he can
rock any hairstyle he wants.
I think Mack's human.
I really do.
He's just really great.
He's really awesome.
I love photographing
Forrest because of his ears.
He's got those amazingly
great ears that
just almost hit the ground.
He's a hound dog, and he
moves at the pace of a snail.
He is just a rock star.
People love him.
There's just something
magical about Forrest.
And that's why we're here with
him, or he's here with us.
I remember, yeah, going there
and meeting him and taking him
home and seeing what a response
he was getting from everybody
and just realizing how
lucky we were to get him.
He's just a celebrity.
And I can see why.
I mean, look at this face.
Look at these ears.
He's perfect.
And so sweet, yeah.
You fall in love with them
for different reasons.
I mean, one might be you
fall in love with them
because, oh my god, that dog has
more attitude than any person
I've ever met.
Or oh my god, that's the cutest
little thing I've ever seen.
And you get to know them more.
We'll get a new dog in,
and I'll get a picture
when they first come in.
But then over time, I spend
more time with each of them,
so I learn a little bit
more about what each of them
likes to do, doesn't like to do.
I'm really excited to see
who likes the splash pad
at the PAWvillions.
I can't wait for that.
If you spend enough
time with them,
and you learn their
personalities,
they're all like puppies.
And so to go to work there and
spend my day with, I believe,
97 dogs currently and photograph
them all day long doing
anything and everything,
there's nothing better.
And we get to be their voice.
And we have thumbs
because they don't.
So we get to do the
social media for them.
So with more stories
that we could tell,
the better mirror that
we can be as a reflection
of this place for the outside.
And I've never met
a dog that asked me
to make them 15 pounds lighter.
So that in itself is brilliant.
They don't care how they look.
They're just happy.
It's all good.
Show them your little tongue.
Beautiful.
Hey, buddy.
Where is it?
I was sold the
minute I walked in.
It was so great to see
all the wonderful things
that they were doing here.
And not only that,
but the passion that
you see from everybody
that walks in-
the volunteers, the
fosters, the staff.
And immediately,
it was just like,
this is something that
I want to be a part of.
So I'm events coordinator.
And so that's just planning
events and coordinating
either events here at
the center or outside
to just bring awareness and
get the dogs visibility,
and those kinds of things.
So for example, we're talking
about doing a senior dog yoga
class, just those
kinds of things,
to get people's
attention and show them
what we're doing here.
We don't do any advertising,
any marketing for volunteers.
It's just everybody who finds us
is interested in volunteering.
So I think in total, we have
about 250 volunteers trained
and signed up.
But we get about 70
to 80 or so volunteers
on a monthly basis that
are actively coming in.
So we're constantly growing,
which is really exciting.
So we have a couple of different
volunteer opportunities,
depending on what
the people like.
But there's walking.
So people can come in and just-
I mean, we have 100
or so dogs here.
So definitely, those
volunteers just come in,
and they take the dogs.
We have a trail, so they're
able to go walk them around.
So people can come
in, walk those dogs,
take care of those dogs,
keep the space clean.
We also have laundry.
Surprisingly, I think laundry
is what people sign up
for the most, not necessarily
because people want it,
but because there's a need.
It backs up very
quickly, as you can
imagine with 100 dogs, how
often we have to wash the beds.
And it's not a
pleasant job always.
But everybody here
just cares about making
sure we're functioning and
doing the best that we can
for these dogs.
We also have something
called socialization,
which is for dogs who are a
little bit dog selective or dog
aggressive, who are
kept separately.
So people can come in and
socialize with these dogs
and get them that interaction,
and those kinds of things.
So all those are the
different opportunities.
And people come in
and just do one.
Sometimes, they can
come in and do multiple.
And that just like makes
me so excited about all
the possibility for the
lives that we get to touch
and the dogs that we get to help
and the awareness that we get
to spread and hopefully,
will trickle down
into people doing their
own version of this
or being more considerate
about taking out a senior dog.
And that has just been
my favorite part to see,
the way that it impacts equally.
You see the dogs and
their tails wagging.
Then you see the people
leave with this huge smile
on their face, which is why
we see so many people return.
And so that would be,
I think, the best part.
Two or three days after their
eye surgery, Dr. Christine
asked me to come in and laser.
So I went in there to laser
both the incision sites.
And I just looked at this
dog on the operating table
and thought just the idea
that she'd been through
so much in those two days, to
have both your knees repaired,
both your eyes removed,
just literally,
this got me immediately.
So I literally scooped her
off the operating table
and brought her home.
My grandson happened to
be here when I got back,
and I was thinking, this
is going to shock him.
But he just looked at
her for a while and said,
Sweet Pea got no eyes.
He needed no other explanation.
He just accepted her
completely as is.
And the two of them
are now really bonded.
It took about 24 hours
for me to realize
that she wasn't going back.
She became my forever
foster after that time.
So when I first bought her home,
she was fine for four nights.
Night five, she just would
not settle, came downstairs,
couldn't work out
what she wanted.
So I just put her on
the floor, and she
knew exactly what she wanted.
She walked over to where Abner
sleeps, curled up in a blanket,
curled up with him, and
that's exactly what she did.
She stayed asleep
with him all night,
and that's where she sleeps now.
And they're an unlikely couple,
but they are very, very bonded
with each other.
I also have to admit that I have
ordered her a custom-made dress
for Christmas.
It's pea green.
It's stunning.
Yeah, I don't know
exactly what, but it
would be in the thousands,
without a doubt.
And that's where Old Friends
just comes into its own right
there, because there's
no way that many people
or organizations could
foot that kind of bill.
So she's one lucky Sweet Pea.
Hi, boy.
Yeah, you got your
on?
He has gotten so much better.
I mean, from weight to skin,
I mean, even his spirit,
you can tell he feels better.
You just need to take care
of your ears now, buddy.
So when he first came in,
we hadn't worked him up yet.
And he was just covered
in scabs and sores.
And he didn't even want to get
up, and he didn't want to move.
His ears were so
infected, that to touch
them would make him snap at us.
But you could see that
there was something in him.
He wanted to be better, and he
wanted people to be around him.
And we were trying to manage
his pain as best we could.
So he actually chose me.
And it sounds cheesy,
but it's really true.
It was just, I think,
my understanding
of what he needed.
And he was drawn to just,
I guess, my patience.
I went very slow with him.
So day by day, my love for
him grew, and his love for me
grew pretty quickly.
And sorry.
It was really one day.
I was sitting in one of the
offices, and he walked by.
He was going for a potty
break, or something.
And he walked by.
And he just fell over into my
lap and then looked up at me
and gave me a kiss.
And then from that day on,
we've been inseparable.
I think you can see
it in their eyes
when they don't have life
left in them anymore.
And I never saw that in Hugh.
And to see him and
the relationship
that he has built with
Shay is heartwarming.
There you go!
Yeah, Bubba.
We felt like, OK, at
this point, we really
need to address what's
going on with his ears.
So we got him
evaluated by a surgeon.
The decision was made that
both his ear and his ear canal
needed to be removed
on the left side.
Those were end stage
ear disease that
were so painful, that
for comfort sake,
it would be best to
have that ear removed.
And the surgeon had a big,
long conversation with me.
And the risks were pretty high.
And did we want to
go ahead with this?
And I said, it's either
this or euthanasia.
And he's gone through way too
much at this point to do that.
So we're going to go for it.
He had some complications
under anesthesia.
They actually, in the
middle of the procedure,
rushed out to contact
an anesthesiologist
and to ask, what can we do?
The anesthesiologist talked
them through what to do.
He made it through
the procedure.
And then he came
back here afterwards.
And so we got through
the first surgery.
And after that, it was like
he completely regressed.
And so I'd come in to work
about an hour early so.
I would just lay there with
him before I would clock in
for about an hour.
And I wouldn't touch him too
much unless he wanted me to.
And I just let him know that
even though he's in pain,
and he may snap on me, but
I wasn't going anywhere.
So once he figured it out
that I was sticking around,
we grew closer.
And then he wasn't
doing very well here.
I think we were re-evaluating
quality of life again.
And all along the way,
every time something
would happen to
him, I'm like, am I
doing the right
thing for this dog?
Is there going to be
something happy at the end
of this rainbow for him?
Because I don't want him
to go through all of this
just for us to end
up euthanizing him.
I was like, well, he seems
to do better on the days
that I'm here to do
his meds, and stuff.
He is a little more
himself, the he that I know.
And so I was like,
you know what?
Let me just take him
home and do what I can.
And so I made him a room.
So I set it up for him.
And he was still very painful.
But we got him there.
And the first night,
you could just
tell he knew something
was different.
And it was pretty neat
because he surrendered to me.
I'll never forget.
He dug his head into my neck
and just took a big, old sniff
for the first time at home.
And then I think I
knew he was home to me.
Yeah, but from then
on, I just knew
it was a big part of my
job to get him better.
And so we still had one
year that we were not sure,
can we address this?
Because that year
was really bad, too.
And I had another
conversation with the surgeon
and asked him what
his comfort level
was with what happened under
anesthesia the first time.
And so we scheduled his surgery
when the anesthesiologist
was going to be there to
monitor him completely.
So last week, he had
that second surgery,
and it went much more smoothly.
He recovered really well.
It was like nothing
happened his second year.
He just bebopped out the
doors and was like, all right,
I'm ready.
It just shows his
strength and how far
he's come, not only from what
we can see, but inside, too.
He's a fighter.
My name is Barbara Muncy, and
I am a forever fosterer for Old
Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary.
I've been a forever
fosterer since 2013,
so that's eight years now.
And I am on my seventh and
eighth forever fosters.
Zina and Dr. Christine
both told me,
we've got a couple
that you need to meet.
That's when I got to
meet Trixie and Buttons.
Their story is a fun one because
they're a mother and son bonded
pair.
Trixie is the mother,
and Buttons is her son.
A lot of bonded pairs don't
get adopted, because people
don't want two dogs.
But we're the more, the merrier.
If you have room for one
dog, you have room for two.
I was happy about it.
Yeah, more dogs- bring it.
Two?
All right.
We win.
When I was volunteering,
I was going and visiting
with all the dogs in
the little dog halls.
And when you pet him, he
will not let you stop.
And I just fell
in love with him.
And see?
They told me that they
were a bonded pair.
So I was like, well,
I told him about them.
He's like, bring them home.
He wouldn't even know she
was blind when we're walking.
She has figured out
this place pretty quick.
She jumps on the couch
just like it's nothing,
gets down like it's nothing.
She practically runs.
Yeah, it doesn't slow
her down one bit.
A lady was helping them
get to Old Friends.
And they spent the
night in a local hotel.
Buttons got spooked
and ran away.
So the next day, they took
Trixie to old friends.
And then she was very sad.
But they put the fliers out.
They had people
searching for them.
Somewhere along the way,
during his time out,
he got hit by a car probably.
Because he had a dislocated
hip when they did catch him.
But that Saturday,
he got caught,
and he was reunited
with his mom.
And it was the day
before Mother's Day.
So then I brought them home.
They've been a good
addition to the family.
Well, it's been a
year, and I still
feel like we're getting
to know each other.
You're my good boy.
Seniors are so good at
making you stop and sit
and just realize there is more
important things out there.
Life would be too
quiet if I didn't
have a dog in the
house, at least one.
And I don't ever want
to go down to none,
so I've got to at
least have two.
They are pretty close,
like brother and sister.
And it's funny when they play.
He plays in a way
that she can find him.
Dogs will normally be
running around more.
He'll stay where she can
find him and touch him.
And they'll play tug
of w*r with their toys.
But he'll make sure
that she can get to it.
There's always puppy in them.
And they may not
be able to play as
long as when they're
little bitty,
but Ryker here is
out catching birds.
I mean-
I like the energy
of the senior dogs.
I don't know.
There's just something
in their eyes.
And they're just special.
Old Friends, when I
came out to visit them,
it was just like so
heartwarming that they took
on all these older senior dogs.
And Peaches, with
the sad eyes, totally
won me over with the three dogs
that I met while I was there.
So I took her home.
It was the imperfection
of Peaches, her sad eyes,
her unique skin, which I
really love the freckles.
There was a picture of her
when she first arrived.
And her skin was all chapped.
She barely had any fur,
only the fur on her head.
I think that's why they
called her Peaches.
Because she only had peach fuzz.
Through medication and
giving her a special diet,
her skin has become
really healthy.
And she has a lot of life,
and she has a lot of spunk.
So she can be very active.
She loves chasing squeaky ba*ls,
and she gets very excited when
there's a squeaky ball around.
She came in really bad shape,
and she's really beautiful.
Her skin and
everything has become
quite beautiful and healthy,
and she's become quite healthy.
And it's all through
the help of Old Friends
taking her in and taking the
time to give her treatment
and figure out what she
needed to get better.
So I went online, looking
for adoption places for dogs.
And I came across Old Friends.
And it had the explanation of
what Old Friends represented.
And I said, I like that.
30 minutes to 45 minutes,
I came upon Gertie.
When she came on the
frame, I said, that's it.
That's my dog.
So I called them,
and I said, I would
like to get Gertie Birdie.
And they said, well,
there's a process
that you have to go through.
I said, that's fine with me.
So I went through the process.
And then I called back,
and they said, well,
somebody else beat you to her.
Their application
was dated before you.
And I was heartbroken because
I knew this was my dog.
So about three days later,
they called me back.
They said, Ms.
Hall, Gertie's back.
It didn't work out.
I said, whoopie!
When I went and did a tour
of the facility, I was like,
this is amazing.
I really just fell in love with
their mission and everything.
And I went back a
couple of weeks later
and met Pepper and knew
pretty much right away.
But they had a couple
of different dogs
for me to pick from.
And I was like, I don't want
to tell these other dogs no.
My roommate came with me to-
when we first met Pepper.
And then we both got back and
called Susan at Old Friends
immediately.
It was like, can we come
back and get Pepper?
We were like, we should have
taken her home right then.
So I went back a couple of
days later, and now she's here.
I just love her.
I became ill three months
after I got her, and I fell.
And I couldn't get up.
I managed to get my phone,
which was in my pocket,
to call my daughter.
And Gertie came up and
laid down beside me.
And she just stayed there with
me until my daughter came.
That's precious.
You can't get some
people to do that.
You know that?
So I think this
is a worthy cause.
Because dogs can be
your best friend.
They are your best friend.
One thing about a dog is
if you treat it right,
they're always glad to see you.
When you come in the door,
they glad to see you.
Hey, Pepper.
She's so friendly.
Whenever she meets
people- and she's
just very curious
and kind of shy.
She really likes to
roller skate with me.
I roller skate, and she loves
when I walk her as I'm skating.
It's the most fun she has.
I would say that she spends
about, let's say, 70% napping.
And she snores like
a little lumberjack.
She said, I'm going
to get my house.
She does a lot of sleeping.
See, she wants to
go to sleep now.
At other times, she'll
go out in the backyard,
and she'll be running,
running, running.
My granddaughter say, Mama,
I can't catch this dog.
I said, I don't believe that.
She said, come and look.
And she was gone.
So I guess she gets her
energy in spurts, like me.
I mean, I definitely think
Old Friends mission is great.
I think it's kind
of hard to watch
that process of her getting
older and knowing she's
hitting the end of her time.
So it's really great
to know that they
have this whole dedicated
facility and mission to making
sure that older dogs can
have everything they need.
Zina and Michael, they
are definitely saints.
They're living my dream life.
If I could do that, I would.
I feel like they would
spend their last penny
to make sure these
dogs are taken care of.
I'm awestruck about what
they've been able to do.
It's very inspiring.
We had talked
about we would like
to be able to follow in
their footsteps someday.
I honestly can't see something
as big as they've done,
but would like to actually
have our own little sanctuary
to bring in old dogs in need.
They're just amazing,
selfless people.
There's a lot of senior dogs
whose lives are much better,
thanks to them.
So I think it was
about June time.
Reggie, just out of the
blue, stopped eating.
And we tried just
about everything,
just tempting him with all sorts
of food, and nothing worked.
He went to the sanctuary
couple of times
so Dr. Christine
could look at him,
and she couldn't locate anything
particularly wrong with him.
It was almost like
he was so stoic,
he just didn't want us to know.
But I knew something
was going on with him.
We took him to NVS, and
he had an ultrasound,
and they confirmed he
had a mass on his spleen.
Coincidentally, Abner
also stopped eating.
Well, unbelievably,
it turned out
he also had a mass
on his spleen.
So there I am with two
dogs with the same issue.
So one was scheduled to have
surgery on the Monday, Abner.
And then Reggie was
scheduled to have
his spleen removed on Tuesday.
And the one I was
most worried about
was Abner because he has so many
other medical issues going on.
Well, he had his on the Monday,
bounced back like a champ.
Reggie went in on the Tuesday,
and they actually called
Dr. Puskaric while they were
under anesthetic with him
and said that it
looked cancerous,
and it looked like it had
spread quite extensively.
And they were considering not
waking him up from the surgery.
But Dr. Puskaric said, no, he
has a loving family at home
that will want to
say goodbye to him.
Which is what we did.
And he came back here.
And we had him for
about another week.
He would just lie on his
bed with his Teddy bear.
And again, it was his eyes
that told me he was ready.
One day, he just looked at me.
And I just knew he
was ready to go.
And so we actually got
a vet to come here,
and we put him to
sleep in the garden
with the family around him.
There's a poem named "The
Rainbow Bridge," that's
been floating around
for years and years
and years, that
portrays a dog's passing
as going to the Rainbow Bridge.
And the dogs wait at
the Rainbow Bridge
until their people come along,
and they all cross the Rainbow
Bridge together.
Which dog do you miss the most?
Cherie was this-
Cherie.
She was great, a little, tiny
Maltese about this small,
blind-
Diabetic.
- diabetic, the whole bit.
Oh, she had a lot of attitude.
But Gracie really hit her heart.
Yeah, she was my
sidekick it seemed.
Yeah.
So but there's so many, so
many that we just loved.
Our whole philosophy is to focus
on what we can do for the dogs
while they're alive.
And we accept the
fact that they're
going to pass away, when
we're sad when they pass away.
But we focus on what we can do
for them while they're with us.
There was someone at the
sanctuary that told me this.
They said, you're giving
them a safe place to land.
I mean, they've had a really
hard life, most of them.
That's the reason they've
ended up in the pound,
in the shape they're in-
and just to know
that we've given them
love at the end
of their life they
may have not had
their whole lives.
Our senior dogs
aren't disposable.
They are a treasure, and we
are lucky to have them around.
These guys have all the
personality and more.
They're just such a blessing.
People miss out on the
best part of their lives.
They really do.
The senior dogs, they
don't worry about the past,
and they don't think
about the future.
They live in the moment.
These dogs have got
mindfulness down to a fine art,
and we could learn
so much from them.
I can't imagine
a time in my life
when I won't get another senior.
I don't care if we have them
for a month or 10 years.
It's not the quantity.
it's the quality.
The greatest thing about this
is we can go with the flow
and go with where
our mind tells us
it's the right
place for the flow.
Exactly.
So our next project
is Flow's Front Porch,
which is part of our Happy
Even After program, which
will be a neighborhood dedicated
to dogs whose owners have
passed before they
have, so that they
can live in a
home-like environment
for the rest of their life.
And it's just down
the block here,
so it'll be like an
extension of Old Friends,
only it's its own program.
Right now we're
looking at 11 cottages
with 3 to 5 dogs per cottage.
Talk about unique,
that will definitely
be one of a kind in
the entire world.
We're building a
neighborhood for dogs.
I think Mike and
Zina are phenomenal.
And I love their
forward thinking.
Knowing how innovative and
imaginative they are with this,
I think possibilities
are endless really.
And nothing seems
to get them down.
They just keep on pushing
and really deserve
the success they've had.
Michael's and my
job right now is
to build a team that
can take over beyond us.
Since we've started this, we
don't want this to end with us.
So we've been
putting together what
we think is a fabulous
team of people
that can move on beyond us.
It takes an army to
make this happen.
But everybody is fully invested.
And I think that's
what makes it amazing.
I'm just one piece
of the puzzle.
The staff that's here,
every one of them
is so crucial to the
role that they play.
The place wouldn't
run without them.
It's indescribable really.
I mean, it comes to a point
where it's not a job anymore.
I mean, we're so invested.
I love them.
And we have a great
working relationship
with the people here.
It's just like a big family.
Everybody knows everybody.
We're all here to love each
other and love these dogs.
This is a dream,
an absolute dream.
I love coming to work.
Here, it is amazing to come to
work every day and be inspired.
Here, I literally
wake up every morning.
I'm excited to come to work,
and I know that I'm doing good
and that we're helping
these dogs find homes.
I feel like every single
person that works here,
we all have this common goal of
giving these dogs the best life
that we can.
And Michael and Zina
just made that possible.
It's amazing.
I'm really very proud
when people ask me
what I do they almost always
have heard of us when I say it
but I'm thrilled to
be part of the team.
It's a great honor.
To work for a place
like this, you
would have to come to
Tennessee and work here.
I mean, there's
no place like it.
It's a dream fulfilled,
is really what it is.
I mean, who would
have ever thought
that a few dogs in
your backyard would
turn into something that's
unmatched in the entire world?
What are you doing?
Hugh just is an amazing dog.
And he has been an
emotional roller coaster
for the medical department.
I think pretty much everybody
in this medical department
has cried.
And I have agonized over him.
But in the end, I think we
did what was right for him.
Because to see the
relationship he has with her
and how happy he is,
it's just amazing to see
where he's at, yeah.
He's the reason I do
what I do every day.
I hope people will
look beyond the fact
that he doesn't have
ears and see how perfect,
how perfect he
really is right now.
I mean, this kind
of stuff wouldn't
happen without this facility,
without the donations
and being able to give the
medical help that they need.
And he's pretty incredible.
It's like our little heaven.
I'll never forget the
look that she had given me
of just we might lose him.
And I just had this feeling of-
I'm a Christian, and I
just started praying.
I was like, God, I need this.
And I probably sounded pretty
selfish, but I just begged him.
I was like, this
dog has to make it.
And he did.
And he saved me just as
much as I helped him.
The thing that's
been cool about this
is I was in corporate
America for years.
And then we went into retail.
But there's a limit.
The sky's not the limit there.
You have to stay within
the franchise rules.
This has been great because-
No limits.
There's no limits.
We can do what's right.
We can do what feels right.
We can do what works.
There's nobody telling
us, you can't do that.
Well, he tries to tell
me, you can't do that.
But there's nobody to say,
no, you can't do that.
I'm like the dogs.
I go day to day.
I just plow further along.
And I think that's how I did it.
I never had a vision like this.
I think just having our
home be a sanctuary was all
I thought of in the beginning.
And we never changed
our mission, though.
We knew we wanted
to save senior dogs.
Absolutely.
And that's something that
we always remind ourselves,
is that we are
here for the dogs.
And everything we do-
For the dogs.
- is to make the lives
better of senior dogs.
In five years, I hope to
be retired a little bit,
sitting there on
a beach in Malibu,
or something, with
dogs, of course.
But no, I'll never retire.
I'll be here.
I enjoy it too much.
It's not work.
It's not work at all.
I'm living my dream.
There's no doubt about it.
I can't imagine anywhere else
I'd want to be right now.
Another
glass of whiskey coke,
sitting by the telephone alone.
I only drink 'cause legends do.
I'll write another song
soon, when the pain subdues.
Then you saw me
crying on a couch.
You lay down next to me with
your tongue hanging out.
Everybody needs a
friend like that,
to scratch between the
ears when things get bad.
Every runt of the pack
has always got your back.
And everybody needs
a friend like that.
Everybody needs a
friend like that.
Everybody's getting sick of the
news and the way they tell it.
Though my friend
doesn't say a word,
I can listen to any kind
of hurt, even the worst.
When you saw me
laying by the door,
you licked my fears
and tears to the floor.
Everybody needs a
friend like that
to scratch between the
ears when things get bad.
Every runt of the pack
has always got your back.
And everybody needs
a friend like that.
Everybody needs a
friend like that.
When a storm hits like 1,000
bricks, when the world we know
is falling, at least I know
there's someone by my side.
Everybody needs a
friend like that,
to scratch between the
ears when things get bad.
Every runt of the pack
has always got your back.
And everybody needs
a friend like that.
Everybody needs a
friend like that.
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Old Friends: A Dogumentary (2022)
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