a psychologist and says she likes the idea of giving a dog comfort and healing in its final years, or even weeks or months. “It feels like a calling for me,” she says. She’d had four senior dogs—two in fospice care, Duke and then Sandy. After Sandy died, Gates and Danniel decided to take some time off from dogs and do some long-distance traveling. They traveled for a year and a half, and Gates had plans to eventually adopt two Spanish galgos (greyhounds). However, she learned that Mayn needed some foster help, so she agreed to take a dog for four weeks between trips, and that’s how Scooter, a mixed breed that’s predominantly German shepherd, took up residence. He fit in seamlessly with their household routine and lifestyle. “By the third week, it became obvious that he belonged here,” Gates says. The thought of not having him with her became unbearable. She and Danniel had already planned a six-week trip, though, and they took Scooter back to Lily’s Legacy so Mayn could look after him while they were away; Gates cried when they left him. When they went to pick him up on their return, he was confused at first, but when they got him back to the house he was overjoyed. “He’s such a happy dog. His tail is constantly wagging,” she says, and they decided to adopt him. He was a stray in Modesto and was in the pound in Stanislaus County for several months until Lily’s Legacy took him on June 3, 2023, and Gates and Danniel adopted him exactly one year later, on June 3, 2024. “He’s such a wonderful, perfectly behaved, loving dog,” she says. Gates credit Lily’s with doing a great job of evaluating Victoria Benson, resident veterinary technician, takes 7-year-old shepherd Navarro on a stroll.
Saving Senior Dogs USA Alice Mayn gets calls from all over the country about dogs in need of rescue, and recognizing the need for a national network of senior dog rescues, she created one: Saving Senior Dogs USA. Now, when people call for help with a dog, “We always like to help, but if we can’t, we give a reference,” she says. “It’s been very well received, and the rescues really like it.” The last week of October is Saving Senior Dogs Week, and the member rescues participate in a national education and fundraising campaign to benefit senior dogs and rescues throughout the country. This will be its sixth year, and it takes place from Oct. 20 to 26.
Learn more at savingseniordogsusa.org/.
July 2024
NorthBaybiz 33
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