Saving Senior Dogs USA
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Saving Senior Dogs Week
October 25 - 31, 2021
Smiling senior dog to rescue
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​Senior dogs bring joy and devoted companionship to those lucky enough to share their lives with them. Yet sadly, many senior dogs end up homeless and end their lives alone in a shelter. You can change that and bring unimagined meaning and love into your life.

                                           
They need your help!

What is the Saving Senior Dogs Campaign?

It's a national senior dog awareness campaign to benefit senior dogs and senior dog rescues in the United States presented by Lily’s Legacy Senior Dog Sanctuary in collaboration with senior dog rescues throughout the US.

About Saving Senior Dogs Week

Each year we partner with senior dog rescue organizations from across the United States to present Saving Senior Dogs Week, a national campaign to raise public awareness of the plight of homeless senior dogs all across the United States and the joys of adopting them. It provides dog lovers a resource that is available 24/7 for information about how and where you can adopt a senior dog. The participating rescues welcome your inquiries about senior dogs and about adopting them.

Your support of this cause will help raise much needed funds for senior dog rescues, making it possible for them to continue to carry out their missions. Seventy-five percent of the funds raised during Saving Senior Dogs Week, as well as those donations that come in throughout the year, are divided equally among the participating rescues. Twenty-five percent of the funds go into a grant fund to help new senior dog rescues with medical and other dog care supplies for their rescues.
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3 senior dog sisters - adopted!
Senior dog sisters Bella, Camo & Kia were adopted together by a senior dog lover.

Buddy's Story - A Blind Senior Dog and His Forever Family

Buddy, the blind senior dog rescue
Although totally blind, Buddy gets along fine and has been living “the life” with Paula and Russ since he was adopted in March of 2017 from Lily’s Legacy Senior Dog Sanctuary.
 
If you haven’t considered adopting a senior, read these loving words from his mom, Paula…
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“Why a senior dog? Well, with a senior you get cute, or handsome really (like Mr. Buddy), lots of snuggles and Appreciation, Adoration, Wisdom, Experience, Maturity and Calm. And let me tell you, the gratitude from those eyes is unending. No one knows how long they have left on this earth, but the deep satisfaction of knowing you’re making every single one of those days matter, makes all the difference in the world.
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No, you may not get 10, or even 5 years with a senior dog. We’re living with our 4th Lily’s Legacy senior, Buddy, a blind chocolate lab. He’s somewhere around 15 or 16 and was lovingly surrendered after having had to have his eyes removed due to medical reasons. His blindness doesn’t slow him down one bit - his GPS works better than my car’s. He knows the route down the hall, into the bedroom and onto his memory foam bed (1 of 4 in the house). He has a pretty sedate life with his 2 cats, Lily and Rose, 6 1/2.  His predecessors were Cali, Samantha and stubborn Clyde, all Lily’s dogs. All 4 no doubt had very interesting doggie lives before us, but we had, and have, the extreme pleasure of seeing them to the end of their days. They sure don’t require much - a warm bed, healthy food, a dignified rest-of-life, and most importantly, lots and lots of *love*. I promise you that our next dog will also be a Lily’s dog; there are plenty waiting for a forever home, and far too few forever homes waiting for a Buddy.”

Senior dogs to adopt
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Barkley's Story: A Transformation

​Barkley was a stray from a city shelter, found on the streets in a rough neighborhood. When Barkley arrived at Lily’s Legacy from the shelter he was 15 pounds underweight, had no hair on his body and multiple skin infections.
Saving Senior Dogs - Barkley Day 1 at shelter
Saving Senior Dogs - Barkley in bad shape
​It is amazing how things can change for a senior pup who is in desperate condition when you add excellent veterinary care, nutritious food and lots and lots of TLC. Three months later Barkley had blossomed into this handsome boy.
Saving Senior Dogs - Barkley fully recovered
Saving Senior Dogs - Handsome Barkley
​Barkley was adopted by a wonderful couple, Holly and Leroy, and is now living happily on a fenced acreage property with them and his cat. He loves to supervise his dad gardening and hanging out on his dog bed with his cat. 
Senior dog Barkley is adopted
Adopted senior shelter dog Barkley and his cat buddy
​Leroy reports; "We have doggy doors on both the front and back doors so he comes and goes as he pleases. So does the cat.”
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Participating Rescues

  • Albert's Dog Lounge – Whitewater, Wisconsin [2019, 2020, 2021]
    Albert's Dog Lounge is a foster-based rescue focused on providing loving homes to seniors, special needs, and hospice dogs. We help dogs in need from overcrowded shelters and also from local families who are no longer able to care for their pets. Albert's Dog Lounge was established in 2017 with the vision to be the stepping stone to a new life for those dogs who are less likely to be rescued, adopted, or at a higher risk for euthanasia.  
  • Daisy Lu – Camarillo, California  [2020, 2021]
    DaisyLu Ranch is a 501(3)c non-profit senior dog rescue and sanctuary located in beautiful Camarillo, CA. We have over two acres of property filled with avocado, citrus, and palm trees. Here our dogs are free to roam and explore as they wish. We at DaisyLu Ranch bring these forgotten dogs to our sanctuary, where they get the unconditional love and care they crave and deserve, possible for the first time. Their new home is theirs for the rest of their lives, free from worry about ever being abandoned and lost again.
  • Dog Lodge - Hempstead, Texas [NEW IN 2021]
    Dog Lodge Sanctuary is a Texas-based 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing a permanent home for senior and/or special needs dogs that otherwise might face a very bleak future but in the right environment can still lead a quality life. We are focused on providing a safe, loving, healthy and stable environment for our dogs so that they may know peace and dignity for the rest of their lives. The primary function of Dog Lodge is to come to the rescue of dogs that are, for all intents and purposes, considered “unadoptable” because of advanced age or because they have chronic illness or physical disabilities.
  • Forever Dream Senior Dog Sanctuary, Tyron, NC
    We are a sanctuary and forever hospice home for toy breed, 10 lbs and under, senior and special needs dogs. While providing a lifetime home for senior dogs, we strive to raise awareness of the joys and challenges of living and caring for aging dogs. While never forgetting where these dogs have come from, we want to emphasize the positive aspects of their life in retirement.
  • Forever Loved Pet Sanctuary – Scottsdale,  Arizona [2020, 2021]
    Our mission at Forever Loved Pet Sanctuary (FLPS) is to help overlooked senior dogs in Arizona find their forever homes. We’ve been rescuing and adopting out senior pups since 2012, and the success stories are powerful. Dogs who were abandoned or tossed out as strays are incredibly resilient — they simply want a place to call home and people to love. Older dogs make loving, loyal, wonderful companions. 
  • Frosted Faces Foundation – Ramona, California [2020, 2021]
    Frosted Faces Foundation is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization that delivers the promise of family and quality veterinary care for senior animals whose love and lives are in jeopardy
  • Gray Face Acres Senior Dog Rescue – Catharpin, Virginia [2020, 2021]
    Gray Face Acres was established in 2016 by Debbie and Bob Gretz.  After many years in rescue, Debbie realized there was a real need for a safe space for seniors so she started a rescue geared toward older dogs.  We are now a foster based rescue in MD, DC, VA and WV.  Gray Face Acres is completely volunteer run and donation driven.  If there are senior dogs in need, whether in a shelter or a home, we want to support dog’s needs.
  • Grand-Paws Senior Sanctuary – Acton, California [2019, 2020, 2021]
    Grand-Paws mission is to rescue primarily large breed senior dogs who’ve been abandoned.  We rescue from local high-kill shelters and let them live out their lives in our sanctuary or in one of our wonderful foster homes: happy, safe, and loved.
  • Homer J's Senior Dog Sanctuary – Reno, Nevada [2019, 2020, 2021]
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    Our mission is simple, encourage the adoption of senior dogs by discovering engaging ways to demonstrate the benefits of senior dog adoption and, by proving once and for all, you can teach an old dog new tricks. ​​
  • Lily’s Legacy Senior Dog Sanctuary – Petaluma, CA [2019, 2020, 2021]
    Lily’s Legacy Senior Dog Sanctuary, located in Petaluma, CA is a 501(c)(3), volunteer run, non-profit established in 2009. We provide 24/7/365 care in a safe and loving sanctuary for senior large breed dogs who have been displaced from their homes or abandoned for any reason. Our mission is to ensure that each of our senior dogs will live out the rest of his/her life as a well-loved family companion in a forever, adoptive home, a foster or hospice home or here at the Sanctuary. Each dog we rescue receives a thorough medical evaluation and treatment as necessary, as well as temperament assessment. If the dog is adoptable, a home that will meet his or her emotional, medical and daily care needs is sought. Dogs who are not adoptable, for whatever reason, remain at the Sanctuary or in permanent foster or hospice home for the remainder of their natural lives.​​
  • Lionel’s Legacy – San Diego, California [2019, 2020, 2021]
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    Saving One senior dog at a time and educating MANY young minds to create a legacy of compassion and advocacy.
  • ​Marty's Place Senior Dog Sanctuary - Freehold Township, New Jersey [NEW in 2021]
    Offers senior dogs physical comfort, emotional care and enrichment in a safe, loving and protected environment. Marty’s Place is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of senior dogs and ensuring that older dogs whose owners can no longer care for them will have a loving home for life. Each dog has comfortable living spaces, human and canine companionship, and access to physically and mentally stimulating activities suited to their age and abilities. Once with us, dogs will either have a home as residents in our sanctuary or with a new family through our foster or adoption programs.
  • Muttville – San Francisco, California [2019, 2020, 2021]
    Muttville’s mission is to give senior dogs a second chance at life. We rescue them, give them the care they need, find them loving homes, and spread the word about how WONDERFUL they are!
  • Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary - Mt. Juiett, Tennessee [NEW IN 2021]
  • Peace of Mind Dog Rescue – Pacific Grove, California [2019, 2020, 2021]
    Our mission is to be a resource and advocate for senior dogs and senior people on California’s Central Coast. We focus on helping dogs and people from Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties.
  • Senior Dog Haven & Hospice – Wilmington, Delaware  [2019, 2020, 2021]
    The mission of Senior Dog Haven & Hospice is to rescue and re-home senior dogs (age 7 and older) and to offer hospice care to rescued senior dogs in our program. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that incorporated in June 2012. SDH&H is an all-volunteer foster based organization located in Delaware. Our goal is to be there for the older dogs who have been abandoned at a time in their life when their need for comfort, companionship and care is at its highest.
  • Senior Paws Rescue – Hardinsburg, Indiana [2020, 2021] 
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    Senior Paws Rescue provides a refuge for homeless senior dogs to live out their lives in a safe, comfortable, and loving environment.  Our dogs are not up for adoption.  Our philosophy is that these dogs have been through enough and just need a final place to call home.  We are with them when it is their time to cross the Rainbow Bridge.
  • Tails of Gray - Livermore, California [NEW in 2021]
    Tails of Gray is dedicated to saving the lives of innocent senior dogs left homeless for any reason, providing quality medical care and placing them into loving, responsible and permanent homes whenever possible.
  • The Roland Senior Dog Rescue Gang – Melrose, Florida  [2019, 2020, 2021]
    The Roland Senior Dog Rescue Gang, Inc. is a registered 501 c3 non-profit established to help senior dogs who have been abandoned in municipal shelters and seniors who's owners can no longer care for them due to their own health issues or age. We provide vet care, quality food and a loving environment for them to live out their lives. We promoted and find foster homes for seniors. We also promote education concerning the joys of having a senior dog and senior dog health issues​​.
  • Vintage Paws Rescue – Sarasota, Florida  [2019, 2020, 2021]
    ​We rescue senior dogs who have been abandoned, surrendered to shelters or whose humans have gone into senior living facilities or passed away. Our goal is to provide sanctuary fir these old souls to live out their lives with dignity surrounded by the loving care they deserve.
  • Vintage Pet Rescue – Foster, Rhode Island  [2019, 2020, 2021]
    Vintage Pet Rescue is a Rhode Island based 501c3 non-profit run by Kristen and Marc Peralta (who met in an animal shelter in Los Angeles in 2013). Their mutual love for senior dogs is the driving force behind Vintage Pet Rescue and they are committed to rescuing vintage (senior) pets from shelters and assisting owners who can no longer care for their senior pets. Along with their small team of volunteers, Kristen and Marc give these animals love, attention, and medical care for the last months or years of their lives.   
“On behalf of all of us, we are so grateful to have been included in Saving Senior Dogs Week 2020! This has a big impact on our rescue!” - Forever Loved Pet Sanctuary

"Thank you very much for including SDHH in Saving Senior Dogs Week. It was a great week and the donations will go a long way in helping us rescue the old guys and gals in our neck of the woods. We look forward to working with you in 2021!” - Senior Dog Haven and Hospice

“Thank you for hosting Saving Senior Dogs Week! What an amazing success. We truly appreciate what you do for senior dogs across the country and look forward to 2021!” - Vintage Paws​


November is National Adopt A Senior Pet Month!

#adoptaseniorpetmonth

Press Coverage

Rescue a senior dog like Lucy
  • Americans are starting to give up their pets because of COVID-19 hardships: Animal shelters and other nonprofits are working to help keep pets at home with the people who love them (2020) - Today.com
  • Lily’s Legacy launches fundraising effort (2020) - Petaluma Argus-Courier
  • Flying Tails: Saving Senior Dogs Week (2020) - Kron4.com
  • North Bay Nonprofit Sanctuary Launches ‘Saving Senior Dogs Week’ (2020) - The Bohemian​
  • 'I don't want these dogs to suffer': Pet surrenders becoming tragic part of pandemic (2020) - USA Today
  • Why senior dogs, often the last to be adopted, make great pets (2019) - The Today Show website.  [Download a PDF version of article here]​​

​2021 Sponsors

Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
Jonathan and Germaine Heiliger
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Marin Subaru
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The Radio Pet Lady Network™ - Founded by pet wellness advocate and radio personality Tracie Hotchner, the Radio Pet Lady Network™ is a one-of-a-kind Internet radio network for pet lovers that is accessible from any computer or mobile device.  Spotlight on Seniors features Barkley's story (above).
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NEW FOR 2021: Saving Senior Dogs Week is thrilled to partner with the New York Dog Film Festival™ for their 2021 campaign. The New York Dog Film Festival™ supports animal welfare organizations across the country that focus on the most vulnerable dogs: the old ones. A portion of every ticket sold across the country will benefit all the participating rescues of Saving Senior Dogs Week. The Festival Premiere on October 24th kicks off Saving Senior Dogs Week, but, of course, the life-saving rescues and adoptions take place all 52 weeks of the year, as does the Festival's support of their work. 


For more information on Saving Senior Dogs Week or to become a partnering senior dog rescue contact Alice at [email protected] or call 707-787-7010. You can also fill out the form below and we'll be in touch!

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Saving Senior Dogs USA and Saving Senior Dogs Week were conceived by and are administered by Lily’s Legacy Senior Dog Sanctuary, a California 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation. All member rescues are also 501(c)3 corporations.
​Copyright © 2025 Saving Senior Dogs Week - All Rights Reserved.
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