You may not be able to teach old dogs new tricks but you can give them a new lease on life at The Old Dog House.

I had the opportunity to talk with Kim from The Old Dog House, a nonprofit dog rescue located in Jacksonville Florida. They have been saving older dogs in our community for many years now. By rescuing the dogs that would otherwise be ignored at the shelters they provide them a place to live out their golden years. In doing so they save them as well as foster and provide adoption opportunities.

1. How did the old dog house first start out?
When I worked at the humane society about ten years ago, I realized that older and senior dogs were not getting the opportunity for adoption that they deserved. The shelter was open admission at this time, so space was always an issue and hard decisions had to be made. When I left the humane society, I decided to be an advocate for older and senior dogs. That is how The Old Dog House started in 2006.

2. How many senior dogs do you take in?
We have an average capacity of 15 dogs. Our adoption numbers are low with 4 to 8 getting placed in new homes each year. Dogs can stay with us anywhere from a few days to the remainder of their lives, which could be years. Adoption is our ultimate goal with each dog we bring into the rescue.

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For dog owners, more specifically for large dog owners, a good dog toy is hard to find. There is an ongoing challenge in finding a dog toy tough enough toy for your dog to play with. Many companies tout that their toys are ‘indestructible’ or ‘heavy duty’. Some even provide a ‘limited’ lifetime warranty. Anyone that has owns a bigger dog knows that well most just are biting off more than they can chew. I have had and currently have a strong chewer. Meaning no little stuffed toys with squeakers or tennis balls will do. The only toys she is allowed to play with, used to be the black KONG Extreme Dog Toy. Then she figured out how to destroy those too. We have spent hundreds of dollars in toys only for them to get thrown out in days. We have a box (a large box) of toys that our non chewer can play with. And we have others like hard plastic toys and tires that I am not sure what the maker was thinking. If our chewer does not destroy the toys, she will bust her gums up trying. One day we were at their weekly puppy playtime at Happy Hound Dog Resort. I noticed that our chewer was going to town on this bright-colored ball. She spent several minutes trying to destroy it to no avail. I spoke with the owner of Happy Hound to find out what kind of toy it was. He gave me the info and I ordered some on […]

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I had the opportunity and privilege to sit down with Rick DuCharme, Founder and Executive Director of First Coast No More Homeless Pets (FCNMHP). We met for lunch at Joseph’s on Main Street. Over lasagna and cal-zones we discussed the exciting future of FCNMHP. Next weekend December 19th-21st,  FCNMHP will be hosting the final Mega Pet Adoption at the fairgrounds. This provides a one stop place for people looking to adopt a dog or cat. Many of the high risk shelters and rescue groups will be on hand to match you with your next family member. For only a 20 dollar adoption fee you can save two lives, the one you take home and the one that is saved in its place. As we close in on year’s end and people are making last-minute donations FCNMHP has a fantastic solution. With the generosity of a donor all dollars donated between now and the end of the year will be doubled. This means if you donate 25.00 it will be 50.00 or 50.00 becomes 100.00 and so on. This provides a fantastic opportunity for your dollars to go farther to save lives. FCNMHP also believes that animal owners should not be forced to decide whether to get their pet the medical care they need. They have an ongoing Angel Fund that through the generous help of its donors provides medical treatment to the homeless as well as those that otherwise would be unable to afford treatment. This program has been a great success and you can read […]

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