Thanks to Almost Home Dog Rescue, and with the help of a grant from Ohio Animal Foundation, senior rescue dogs have the resources they need to give them a chance at a fuller life. 
Since their beginnings 20-plus years ago, Almost Home’s mission has been “to provide homeless collies, shelties, and mixes of both breeds a safe place where they will receive medical care, nutrition and love until we can place them in their forever homes,” says Kathy Garvin, Co-Director of the Senior to Senior Program at Almost Home.
She shares that 1,708 dogs have been rescued to date.
According to Kathy, dogs they rescue come from owner surrenders, strays pulled from shelters, puppy mills and backyard breeders. Other dogs come from loving homes where the owners can no longer care for them; some have been dumped or abandoned because the owner no longer wanted the dog, or they come from abusive situations which are either from neglect or where the dog has been physically abused.
At the end of the day, their hope is to find loving homes for those in their care, including dogs in their Senior to Senior program that received grant funds from OAF in 2023.
“Our Senior to Senior program takes the senior dogs that we have rescued and places (them) with seniors to live out the rest of their lives. Almost Home pays the medical, food, grooming and any necessities that the dog requires,” she said.
OAF’s grant contributed funds to help cover medical expenses for some of these senior dogs.
“Without grants like yours, we would not be able to take care of these dogs that no one wants and give them the life they deserve for the short time they are with us,” Kathy said.
Kathy gave three examples of dogs that have been helped in this program:
Tara was adopted from Almost Home Dog Rescue into a loving home. Tara’s owners both passed and Tara, who was then 11 years old, was brought back into ADHRO in the Senior to Senior program where Tara was then placed with former adopters who wanted to help with her. She is adored and spoiled rotten with her new parents. If we did not have the Senior to Senior program and the monies to fund it, we could not have taken care of Tara.
Brutus, 11 years old, was rescued from a shelter where he was taken by his owners to be euthanized. When Brutus was pulled from the shelter, he had an eye infection, an infection in both ears and was losing his hair. All of this has been easily taken care of with medications. Brutus’ foster mother is in love with him and the feeling is mutual. He just wants to be where she is. With the proper care Brutus could live for another 4 or 5 years.
Joe was found wandering the streets of Knoxville, TN. Joe was 12 1/2 years old and deaf. Little did we know that when Joe was brought into the rescue and put in the Senior to Senior program that he only had a few months to live. Joe’s last weeks were spent with a foster who loved and spoiled him. Joe crossed the rainbow bridge in his foster’s arms knowing he was loved.
Though based in Dublin, Almost Home has volunteers and fosters in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
If you would like to learn more about how you can help either through donations or volunteering at Almost Home Dog Rescue, visit their website at almosthomeohio.org. One hundred percent of all donations and fees go directly to the care of rescued dogs, according to their website. Additionally, you can find and can fill out an application to foster a dog.
“Most of these dogs deserve a much better life than what they come from. I have noticed that no matter how bad the situation was that they were rescued from, they are sweet, loving dogs that just want to know that they are safe and loved,” Kathy said.