If you’ve been to Marty’s Place, you’ve seen the direct impact our organization has had on senior dogs who need a safe, loving, and protected environment. What you may not know is that in addition to caring for the residents at our physical location, we are working hard to place senior dogs in loving, lifelong foster homes.
At Marty’s Place, senior residents have their own rooms, large play areas, toys, food, medications, and most importantly, love and safety. But the number of senior dogs in need outpaces the availability at the sanctuary. That’s where our lifelong fosters come in. Our ability to serve senior dogs in need is directly tied to the number of loving, permanent homes we can find for them.
Fostering a senior dog means opening your home and your heart to a whole lot of love. It is truly a rewarding experience as you watch how much elderly dogs thrive in safe and loving environments. Not only do lifelong foster homes provide senior dogs with a chance to blossom in their golden years, the humans receive just as many benefits in return. Having a dog can positively impact both physical and mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression, easing loneliness, encouraging regular exercise, and promoting overall wellness. It’s a win-win for dogs and humans alike.
Marty’s Place currently has 47 dogs living in active, lifelong foster homes, and the requests for help just keep coming. A huge shout-out to Morgan, our incredible Foster and Adoption Program Coordinator, who keeps all the moving pieces (and wagging tails) together! While many placements occur before the dogs reach the sanctuary, some are sanctuary residents that find their way into lifelong homes. Here are a few who have recently stolen the spotlight.
You may remember Uno, the sweetest beagle who had been at Marty’s Place for the past eight years. If you don’t remember seeing him, chances are you’ve heard him. He never failed to let out a long howl the second he stepped outside. With the threat of an impending blizzard this past winter, Marty’s Place quickly worked to secure temporary “snow homes” for the residents. Some of these temporary homes became permanent, which was the case for Uno. While all of us at the sanctuary miss Uno’s soulful eyes and beagle bay, he is living it up with a loving family right around the corner from us!
The adorable long-haired dachshund, Hudson, who was at Marty’s Place for a short time, also ended up being a temporary snow-home foster “failure” and is now a permanent member of his blizzard family!
Snow isn’t the only reason that sanctuary residents have found their forever families. While our volunteers adore each resident at Marty’s Place, every so often a particularly special connection is made. Several volunteers have found themselves fostering or adopting the dogs they’ve bonded with the most.
Sometimes a resident’s health becomes the deciding factor in needing a foster home. Our very own Executive Director, Doreen Jakubcak, took the famous Peanut into her home when Peanut’s health began to decline. Peanut had been one of Marty’s longest-term residents (almost eight years) and it was no secret that Doreen was her favorite human. When Peanut started to slow down and needed a more restful, quieter place to live, Doreen did not hesitate to make her an official member of her home family. Peanut remained there, showered with love and comfort until she crossed the rainbow bridge.
Over the past five years, the sanctuary has placed a total of 124 senior dogs in loving homes – 94 are with lifelong fosters and 30 have been officially adopted. These numbers speak volumes about just how vital foster homes are to senior dog rescue. It’s easy to see the impact the sanctuary has on its residents, and each of our lifelong foster families is part of the larger Marty’s Place story. Behind every placement is a network of care, dedication, and compassion working to make it possible. While much of this life-changing work happens quietly in the background, it is the lifeline that ensures senior dogs can spend their golden years surrounded by comfort, dignity, health, and love.
If you would like to open your heart, open your home, and be a part of a senior dog’s story, visit https://martysplace.org/foster/ to learn more.
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