Susie, a Lily’s Legacy volunteer, with 9-year-old foxhound Henry.
the dogs’ care, so Mayn must balance the number of dogs she keeps with what she can afford. “We’re a small rescue,” and limits the size intentionally, taking in only 100 to 125 dogs a year so she can provide a high level of care. Even so, by 2012, Lily’s Legacy had outgrown its Forest Knolls home, and Mayn found a larger property to lease in Petaluma. “We were very fortunate to be able to do that,” she says. She had no plans to move again, but in 2015 she got a call out of the blue from a supporter who said, “We’re going to help you buy a place.” And so she went shopping. She found the perfect spot on the outskirts of Petaluma, just a stone’s throw away from the property she was leasing. And Lily’s Legacy settled into its forever home in a pastoral setting with a barn and bunkhouse to house the dogs and Lily’s Big Field, where they can go for walks and run freely. They even have their own swimming pool, thanks to another dog-loving donor. Dogs suitable for adoption stay for an average of 30 days, and her dogs have a high adoption rate with few returns. Rather than putting up dogs for adoption on a first-come first-served basis, Mayn and her staff of five make sure the potential adopter and dog are a good match. They ask for references, check with veterinarians to make sure adopters are clients in good standing and make a home visit to ensure that the environment is appropriate. In addition, “We have dogs who have lived out their lives here,” she says. Those include dogs which aren’t suitable for adoption, while others
With Lily as her inspiration, Mayn founded Lily’s Legacy at her home in Forest Knolls in 2009. Her mission is to rescue displaced dogs older than 7 and larger than 50 pounds, which are the least likely to be adopted, and either find homes for them or take care of them at the sanctuary in their golden years. Such dogs become homeless for a variety of reasons. Sometimes people move and can’t take their dogs with them, and elderly owners who must go into assisted living might be forced to leave beloved dogs behind. Others have financial difficulties, and Mayn recalls a case in which a family had to give up their pet reluctantly, because they had a baby who was allergic to dogs. A visionary approach Dr. Aaron Wentzell and Dr. Mary Beth Goetting, husband- and-wife owners of Fairfax Veterinary Clinic, provided care for Lily and knew Mayn initially as a client. After she lost Lily and started to consider creating a senior-dog rescue, she invited them to her home for a barbecue and pitched the idea. “Alice wanted to do it right, in a thought-out manner,” says Wentzell, and they talked it through and discussed how a senior dog rescue could operate successfully. He describes Lily’s Legacy’s sanctuary environment as different from a crowded shelter and more like a living room, and says, “Having a property with space for dogs was an important part of her vision.” Lily’s Legacy is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, and donations pay for
30 NorthBaybiz
July 2024
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker