Saving Our Seniors - SOS

02/02/2024

Thank you for opening your heart to the world in assisting senior dogs in need of homes. I reached out to you many years go to help crosspost with some of our seniors here in Seattle and was grateful to find a like minded human that "got it" about senior dogs.

My canine companion Aisha, (RIP 1/14/14) who I adopted at age 11 yrs old, started it all for me by showing me how much wisdom an old dog has. It was because of her I started my small grass roots advocacy here in Seattle called Saving Our Seniors - SOS. Like you, I found homes for every single dog that found it's way to me. I still think of them all and how much of a blessing they all were to my life and how they perservered despite their circumstances in their previous chapters in life.

Enjoy your next chapter my friend. You've earned your wings and I have no doubt the dogs that went to heaven will be there to greet you with waggy tails and sloppy kisses! God bless you for all that you did over these last 10 yrs. Sending love to you from all of us here in Seattle!

10 YEARS of Susie's Senior Dogs!!

January 2024 marked the 10th anniversary of SSD. Where does the time go?

In January 2014 Susie's Senior Dogs was officially created (and less than a year later received its 501c3 nonprofit status) with a simple yet clear mission: to showcase the overlooked, adoptable senior dogs all over the country.

The mission of SSD was inspired by our own little dog, Susie, a mohawk-rocking senior. My husband (then boyfriend), Brandon, walked by Susie every day on his way to Prospect Park in Brooklyn, NY and became friendly with Susie and her owner. One day, Susie's owner asked Brandon if he could take her home because he could no longer take care of her. Everyone told Brandon not to and that it was a "bad idea" to take home an old dog. Nonetheless, Brandon brought Susie home. 🥰

We started dating shortly after and I fell in love with Susie too (who wouldn't?!). I also quickly learned that adopting an older dog was a rather unusual thing. There were a handful of organizations around the country that specifically took in senior dogs to their sanctuary or shelter, but in general there was a real lack of awareness from the general population and older dogs were overlooked in shelters every single day.
The plan was simple: find old dogs (typically via the shelters' website or Petfinder), write about them in detail, and feature them on Susie's Senior Dogs' new page. After a nice little bump from Humans of New York, the community grew rapidly and every dog that was featured received tons of attention. The first dog who got adopted after being featured on SSD made me realize..."Wow! This works!" And so things continued and were very successful. Social media was really quite different 10 years ago. The organic growth, shares, and interest that came pouring in for these senior dogs was incredible.

Fast forward to today. SSD has featured thousands and thousands of dogs over these 10 years, and thousands and thousands of them have been adopted. But, most amazingly, senior dog adoption awareness has drastically increased. Social media looks very different these days - for better or for worse - but the word is out there. There is a sea of senior dog advocates and it is amazing! I am so proud of what this community has accomplished. And so honored to have known the little dog who inspired so many people.

It is with great sadness that I share this will be the final year of SSD, which was a very hard decision to make. But also feels very much like the right choice. We have done so much good together, and it is a season of life where I am excited to explore new paths. I encourage all of you to continue to advocate for senior dogs every chance you get - this may be the end of an era for SSD, but the need will always be there and YOU can continue the mission!

This year will look a lot slower on social media. SSD will no longer be actively fundraising (although people are still welcome to donate if they wish) and all remaining funds will be given out through our grant giving process throughout the remainder of 2024 until we officially close things down.

Thank you to every person who has contributed to SSD by adopting, volunteering, donating, sharing the posts, and spreading the word.

Thank you, thank you, thank you....and cheers, to Susie!

-Erin

07/07/2023

This was the very first time I met Buddy. Rest peacefully sweet one.

07/07/2023

SOS would like to extend our condolensces to Drew and Leah who adopted Buddy last June 2022. Buddy passed away on Thursday, 6/22/23 almost 1 yr to the day he was adopted. He got to live out the best rest of his life with his loving people. Thank you both for opening your hearts and home to Buddy.

Leah wrote..."He had been slowly declining, but still a happy boy! I can never thank you enough for trusting us with Buddy's care for the past year. He truly was my soul mate in a dog. He made us so happy, and we got to take him on so many adventures! He had just been camping with us a few weeks earlier and loved it. He was just a happy guy as long as he was with his people. We are feeling a big loss in our home without him. Thank you again for everything you do. The time we had with that sweet man was priceless. We will love him forever."

03/12/2023

The definition of fostering: "encourage or promote the development of (something, typically something regarded as good). "The teacher's task is to foster learning."

That may be true but I feel that Zeuboose was my teacher. As the months ticked on, everyone said, "oh you're going to end up a foster fail. In the dog world that means you are going to keep the dog you are fostering. As much as I wished to have adopted him it was not an option. The point of fostering is to prepare the student for the next chapter. That's exactly what Zeuboose needed from us.

He arrived in our home not sure of who he was and where he stood in life. He had been passed down through 2 homes, compromising his trust and lack of stability. It was clear that he craved guidance and acceptance. We let him be who he was and from there we worked together as a team as he learned that no one was going to let him down, ever again. I often said to him, "I got your back buddy."

We became close friends over these last 7 months. He learned how to enjoy life again while learning how to be a better canine citizen. I was often asked, were you able to fix him? I said...there is no fixing, but rather adjusting and accepting. Believe me...he challenged me every step of the way. I kept hearing my friend Pauls (RIP) voice, "be like water."

Zubu often made me laugh which helped the healing process of my broken heart. I am certain he knew how sad I was from losing so many loved ones last year.

When we hit the 6 month mark, he started cuddling with me in bed the morning. These were my favorite moments of him giving consent. It was blessing and I welcomed it.

Zeuboose taught me how important it is to stay true to yourself while allowing space for the healing to happen. I am so proud of him for his adaptability, flexibility and his zest for life. Having been raised by terriers, I know first hand how resilent they are.
But we all know that love is the greatest healer of all.

Yes, I will miss my friend, the lil stinker....tremendously! But our task together is complete and this is not good bye. He has settled into his new home as if he has lived there all his life and for that, my heart is smiling big time. His final forever family are perfect and will love him up for the rest of his best life.

02/14/2023

Support SOS/SND by purchasing a custom made SNUFFLE MAT for your dog. Each mat is custom made with anti-pill fleece woven into a weighted rubber mat.

To place your order email [email protected]
Mats are $75 each, $17 for USPS priority shipping.
If you live in the Greater Seattle area, you can pick it up.

All proceeds help senior and special needs dogs.
Thank you for your love and support. Love wins!

02/14/2023

Zeuboose is a 6 yr old Scottie who was surrendered to SOS last July. Although he is hardly a senior, he is "special needs" due to his behavioral challenges and dietary needs. While in our foster care he has been learning to live a more balanced life with counter conditioning/desensitization training, improved nuitrition coupled with lots of healing love. We are so proud of him in how far he has come and how brave he has been in trusting us to help him. We are looking forward to him living his best rest of his life soon with his new family.

02/14/2023

Hello and Happy Valentines to all our dog lovers out there!

It has been a long time since our last post. We have been very busy helping dogs in need. Last year we had 3 dogs surrendered to SOS. Two of which are living their best rest of their lives in wondeful homes. The third is pending adoption and he is the reason we are including "special needs" dogs into our compassion work. More on him in the next post.

SOS is expanding our advocacy to help both senior and special needs dogs. So today we are launching our Snuffle Mat Project to raise funds to assist our current foster and the next dog in need.

Snuffling is not only an enriching activity for your dog it is also calming. When a dog is foraging for his food and sniffing he is benefiting big time! Snuffle mats are great to slow down fast eaters and help anxious dogs be calm. Also a quiet activity for your dog when he starts acting up on your Zoom call!

To order your custom made snuffle mat please email us at [email protected]. Each mat is made with lots of love! I put my heart into every one. If your dog is not picky about colors I'll make it with their personality in mind. Send me a photo.

Snuffle mats are $75 each, $17 additional for USPS shipping or you can pick it up in Seattle.

See the photos below of all our happy snufflers!

Thank you for all the love and support!