Companions: Seniors for Seniors & Therapy Dogs

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Companions: Seniors for Seniors & Therapy Dogs

The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs is proud to offer Companions, a program designed to bring senior dogs and senior people together. Medical and psychological research documents the health and emotional benefits of companion animals, especially to senior people.

As an important part of this program, senior dogs are available to qualified adopters 60 years of age and older for $60, rather than our usual adoption fee of $125.

Companions also sponsors the use of senior dogs in the community as therapy dogs, working with people in need of the companionship only an old dog can give. Our work ranges from visiting people in nursing homes, hospitals, and assisted living communities to helping children in reading programs. The jobs an old dog can do are nearly endless.

Henry & Mary Lou

The Sanctuary's first adoption & the first Companions adoption, 2001

Another important part of the Companions program is the vital work our therapy dogs do in the community.

OUR THERAPY DOG IN TRAINING: NOLAN

Nolan has been with us for nearly a year now. Shortly after coming to us, he developed gastric torsion and against the odds survived, thanks to the quick attention of the staff at Little River Pet Resort where he was boarding. He came to a foster home to recover and stay while looking for his own forever home. After two appearances on WKYC, he was still with us. Then in the summer, he suffered a cervical disk injury that was life-threatening. ER doctors did not give us much hope for his recovery. But once again, Nolan proved that he could beat the odds. So we decided to give him a chance as our therapy dog in training. He is perfectly suited to the job except for a tendency to pull on his leash in his excitement. We are working on his training, but, in the meantime, he visited the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities and was a hit with the participants there. So we are hoping that he will be ready to test by spring and begin his work in earnest.

OUR THERAPY DOG: J.J.

Congratulations to J.J., a 9-year-old Yellow Lab mix, found wandering by a good Samaritan and taken to an area shelter where staff quickly discovered that JJ is entirely blind. She passed her therapy dog test with her handler Jolene and now serves as the Sanctuary's therapy dog. Special thanks to the great folks at Gold Star Dog Training in Medina, Ohio, specializing in handicapped pets, who worked with JJ through her training. And special thanks also to The Grey Muzzle Organization for awarding the Sanctuary a generous grant to support our therapy program and J.J.