By Nicole Rivard 

Alexis was found abandoned in a stolen car, left behind with no one to claim her. In 2021, she arrived at Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, where she was very selective with dogs and people, requiring a great deal of patience and time to warm up and trust. 

She bonded with a core group of caretakers who helped her adjust so she’d be better prepared to find a forever home. Alexis also suffers from focal seizures, urinary incontinence, skin issues, hearing loss and other health problems.  

Three years later, Alexis finally found her forever family, fondly referred to by the sanctuary as her Geezer Guardians.  

“Alexis’ story is one of my favorite examples of the second chances we are able to give these senior dogs,” said Sierra Leach, development director at Old Friends, which takes in dogs over the age of 8. Since 2012, the sanctuary has also built a Forever Foster Home network to enable them to continuously place senior dogs in loving homes for the duration of their lives. 

Senior dogs, especially those with medical problems or disabilities, face a much greater chance of euthanasia at shelters than younger dogs because it is difficult to find adopters for them due to their shorter life expectancy and unknown veterinary costs.  

That’s why the sanctuary only accepts dogs from shelters—not owner surrenders—and provides free lifetime veterinary care for them. Alexis, for example, has been on 14 different medications to aid her healing, all of which the sanctuary covers. 

There are currently 125 Old Friends living at the sanctuary and more than 400 living in forever homes with Geezer Guardians. So that means the organization is providing high-quality care to 500+ seniors.  

Once Old Friends finds a dog a forever foster home, the non-profit technically retains legal ownership so it can continue medical care for the remainder of the dog’s life. That can include anything from preventative care, special food and surgeries to dental work and annual checkups. 

“Because there are no fees for our Geezer Guardians, it makes having a senior dog more accessible for people,” Leach said. “Our mission is to focus on the quality of time, not quantity of time, we have left with these dogs. When you take away that financial piece, it takes away the stress so people can just enjoy their time with the dogs.”  

To be eligible to become a Geezer Guardian, forever foster families must live within 100 miles of the sanctuary—that way they can take the dogs to the on-site veterinarian.  

Geezer Gala is born  

Covering lifetime veterinary care for all the senior dogs who come through their doors is expensive—Old Friend’s operating budget is about $5 million a year. While the sanctuary has always relied very heavily on social media fundraising since 2012, they’re exploring new ways to raise money because of changing trends.  

That’s what prompted the sanctuary’s first annual Geezer Gala with a “Senior Prom” theme, which was held in April. Nearly 200 supporters and dozens of tutu and bow-tie clad pups looking for homes turned out for the event.  

“We had a snuggle lounge outside the gala—complete with blankets and pillows— so people could go and snuggle with dogs. We even had a prom court so we had prom king and queen that people could vote for,” said Leach. 

The Geezer Gala garnered the attention of the local and national media, including Good Morning America, and raised more than $125,000. 

“It’s been interesting to see the response we’ve gotten from the Geezer Gala,” said Leach, adding that they are already thinking about next year’s theme. “We are funded entirely by donations, so this makes a huge difference in helping us continue our care for these sweet, senior dogs.” 

What surprises most people about senior dogs is how much personality and energy they have.  

“I think people assume they just sleep all day. But they want to go on walks. They still want to play. They just don’t have the endurance—they can still act like puppies but with a shorter energy span,” said Leach. 

Part of Old Friends’ mission is educating people in the community about the joys and challenges of living with  senior dogs. 

Founders Zina and Michael Goodin saw first-hand the misconceptions people have about senior dogs while volunteering at a golden retriever rescue. When they saw that seniors of the most popular breed in America were having trouble finding homes and receiving the love and care they so deserved, the Goodins realized there was a desperate need for a place dedicated to senior dogs of all breeds. 

Old Friends started in the Goodin’s home. Before they knew it, they had 40 dogs, which neighbors weren’t too thrilled about. They eventually took over an abandoned garden center and in 2021 moved into the campus they now call home. 

The Goodins share their experiences and lessons learned during a three-day workshop for people thinking about starting their own senior dog rescue based on their forever foster model.  

“Our hope is that there are little senior dog rescues everywhere,” Leach said.