OLD DOG HAVEN

Old Dog Haven's mission is to remove old, and more often than not sick, dogs from shelters so that they can receive the medical care that they need to recover as much of their health as possible. Old Dog Haven is not a shelter. The dogs taken into our care are placed with loving foster families where they will remain for the rest of their lives. Old Dog Haven provides all of the medical care necessary for each dog, and the fosters provide all of the love and support.

Old Dog Haven is notified each time that a senior dog (8 and older) comes into any shelter in Western Washington. We receive a health assessment of the dog, as well as a report on its temperament etc. Old Dog Haven pays for the shelter vet to do preliminary medical testing, so that we know what the challenges are for the dog. When a dog is accepted into Old Dog Haven's care, we review our network of over 200 foster homes and find the best fit between the dog and the home. Old Dog Haven also receives e-mails/calls from individuals wishing to list their dog on our website. We work hard to help those owners find placement for their dogs so that they aren't left with a shelter as their last option.

Old Dog Haven currently has 200+ foster homes available to take dogs, and most of them have several ODH dogs at a time. At our outreach events we always talk about being a foster for an old dog, and we receive applications weekly from people wanting to sign-up to give an old dog an end of life home. Our network also extends to over 60 veterinary clinics and emergency care facilities. The dogs we take in are seeing one of our vets within a day or two of going to their new foster home. The vet clinic to be used is matched carefully to the foster's location and to the dogs specific medical needs. All of those appointments are scheduled by our staff, so that the foster can focus on the dog.

Old Dog Haven is currently caring for 327 senior dogs in our foster homes. Since our beginning in 2005 we have taken more than 2,000 old and sick dogs out of shelters and made their lives comfortable for as long as they could stay. We have educated people on the joys of sharing their life with an old dog. We have participated in spay & neuter programs in an effort to keep so many dogs from winding up in shelter care.
There is constant outreach going on between Old Dog Haven and the communities that we live in to offer help to anyone who contacts us regarding an old dog. Sometimes, all we can offer is words of comfort when it's time to let an old dog go. We have volunteer help who speak with owners facing end of life decisions. This help is available 24/7.

What we hope is next is owners understanding that old dogs deserve to be remain with their families if at all possible. Old Dog Haven would love to fade away due to a lack of need for what we provide.