A recurring theme in this blog is the celebration of people and/or organizations that have a positive impact on their communities. What they do is not easy, but it’s inspirational, and we don’t hear enough about them. So I’ve decided to commit to singing their praises at least once a month. I’ll be calling it Mid-Month Marvels. If you have any suggestions for the focus of this monthly spotlight, let me know in the comments below!
For my first Mid-Month Marvel, I’ve decided to focus on one of my husband’s favorite organizations: Old Dog Haven. According to their website, “Old Dog Haven is a small nonprofit group using a large network of foster homes to provide a loving safe home for abandoned senior dogs in western Washington. When we have room and the means, we take these dogs into our homes. We adopt out those dogs with a reasonable life-expectancy. We care for the rest as members of the family in permanent foster homes (what we call “Final Refuge”) for as long as they have good quality of life. In addition, we try to assist owners in finding new homes for their senior dogs through our website and referrals.”
This amazing organization is about to celebrate its 15th anniversary. They usually have about 330 dogs in their care, and these are dogs who are in their final years of life and deserve extra love and care. If left to regular shelters, their odds of being adopted would be very slim. And the stress and confusion of shelter life for these dogs would do more harm than good.
Old Dog Haven doesn’t have a kennel. All their dogs stay in loving homes. It’s all about quality of life without heroic measures. When an ODH dog is placed in a final refuge home, ODH pays for all veterinary care and medications. Their medical costs average 80k a month, so needless to say they appreciate donations as well as foster homes.
There are several ways you can help. You can adopt a dog, in which case they become yours and that includes their medical bills. You can become a Final Refuge for a dog, and ODH pays for all veterinary care and medications. You can make a one time donation, a monthly donation, or sponsor a dog. You can donate to the Maranda Fund to help pay for major surgeries. You can donate a vehicle. You can even leave a legacy in your will. You can also volunteer to be a foster parent, or transport the dogs, or participate in outreach events or fundraising.
When I asked my husband what he loves most about this organization, he said, “I love the knowledge that there’s an organization that values these dogs. Sometimes they are left behind when an owner dies, sometimes their health issues become too expensive for owners. This organization saves the dogs and covers their medical bills and what they need are open hearts, open minds, and open homes to give the love these dogs deserve. I’ve respected this organization for years and donated to them on many occasions. I was so pleased to discover that one of my first clients (that had dogs instead of kids) was a foster home for Old Dog Haven. Later on I was pleased to discover in the ODH newsletter that he had gone on to become a board member for them.”
Organizations such as Old Dog Haven reaffirm my faith in mankind. I hope you’ll join us in supporting them or places like theirs in your community.
An attitude of gratitude is what you need to get along. Read my book! http://amzn.to/2mlPVh5
The View from a Drawbridge 
Now if they had something like that for 1] cats, 2] people.
Right? I hope they have it for cats somewhere, at the very least. I may have to google that.
Woof! Wag, wag.
🙂