Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary - Homecoming Tales: 15 Inspiring Stories from Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary

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Homecoming Tales: 15 Inspiring Stories from Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary

Text and cover photos 2020 Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary

Illustrations Thomas Nelson

Tommy Nelson, PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Tommy Nelson. Tommy Nelson is an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

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Written by Tama Fortner

Illustrated by Rotem Teplow

Cover photo by Mandy Whitley Photography

ISBN 978-1-4002-2293-3 (audiobook)

ISBN 978-1-4002-2291-9 (eBook)

Epub Edition August 2020 9781400222919

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Fortner, Tama, 1969- author.

Title: Homecoming tales : 15 inspiring stories from Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary / written by Tama Fortner.

Description: Nashville, TN : Thomas Nelson, 2020. | Includes bibliographical references. | Audience: Ages 8-12 | Summary: With stories of inspiration and adventure, doggy profiles and fun facts, sweet tales of older dogs adventures, a full-color photo insert, and plenty of canine kisses, Homecoming Tales is sure to follow your young reader home-- Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020021810 (print) | LCCN 2020021811 (ebook) | ISBN 9781400222926 (paperback) | ISBN 9781400222919 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Animal sanctuaries--Tennessee--Anecdotes. | Dog rescue--Tennessee--Anecdotes.

Classification: LCC HV4746 .F67 2020 (print) | LCC HV4746 (ebook) | DDC 636.7/08320976854--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020021810

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020021811

Printed in the United States

20 21 22 23 24 LSCC 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Mfr: LSCC / Crawfordsville, IN / October 2020 / PO #9589867

Step inside the Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary, and youll meet all kinds of new old friends!

Shelby is out playing with the big dogs. Shelby is a lively husky mix with the prettiest eyes youve ever seenone bright blue and one golden brown. Miles is probably napping in his favorite spot right outside the laundry room door. Miles could barely walk when he first arrived at Old Friends. But with a little medicine and a lot of love, this chocolate-colored Lab mix is now up and movingwhen hes not napping. And then theres Tank. At 120 pounds, this gray giant definitely lives up to his name! Dont let his size fool you though. Tank is pure sweetness and is just looking for a family to love.

These three are just some of the wonderful and amazing dogs at Old Friends. Sure, theyre a little older than the average doggo, but each of them needs the love, care, and safety of a forever home. Many people who want to adopt a dog walk right past these sweet seniors. But not Michael and Zina Goodin.

Years ago the Goodins began to notice all the older dogs in need of homes, and they began to dream. One day there would be a place for these dogs. One day older dogs would have all the vet care they needed. And one day the Goodins would create a program so that senior dogs would always have a home.

That one day came in 2012 in a little city called Mt. Juliet, just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Zina and Michael opened a home for older dogs and called it Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary.

The dream for Old Friends began when Zina and Michael were working with Middle Tennessee Golden Retriever Rescue. Because of their sweet personalities and beautiful smiles, golden retrievers (or goldens) are one of the most popular of all dog breeds. Yet most people coming to the rescue to adopt a dog wanted puppies or younger dogs. The older goldens were being passed by.

Michael and Zina realized that if the goldens werent getting adopted, then it must be much worse for dogs of less popular breeds. Those dogs werent even making it out of the animal control shelters. You see, each year, over three million dogs end up in shelters. While many are adopted, many are not. Over 670,000 shelter dogs are euthanized, or put to sleep, every year. Its done by giving them a shot that stops the brain, heart, and lungs from working. Its quick and painless, and it isnt done because the shelters dont care. They simply dont have the money or the space to keep all of the dogs. They have to focus on the animals that have the best chance of being adopted. Dogs who are older or injured or have medical needs are most in danger of being put to sleep.

Michael and Zina saw this happening and decided to do their part to help. Over the next couple years, whenever a senior dog arrived at the rescue, Zina and Michael took it home. At one point, they had eight beautiful golden retrievers and golden mixes living with them. Just imagine! Thats eight smiling golden faces to say hello to you every morning, eight wagging tails, eight wiggly balls of golden goodness to hug, and eight ready-to-play partners for a game of fetch.

Then along came Lucy-Lu. This sweet golden overcame a terrible, terrible past and went on to live a rich, full, and happy life with Michael and Zina. From the moment she arrived at their house, Lucy-Lu was smiling. And she never stopped smiling the whole time she lived with the Goodins. Lucy-Lus joy proved to the Goodins that they could make a real difference in the lives of older dogs. And she inspired them to find a way to bring that same joy to the lives of other senior dogs. Michael and Zina will tell you that in her own way, Lucy-Lu was one of the cofounders of Old Friends.

The Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary officially began in April 2012 in Michael and Zinas home. With plenty of fences, gates, and room to roamas well as plenty of cozy dog beds inside the houseMichael and Zina provided a safe place, or sanctuary, for a number of dogs. When they needed more space, the Goodins purchased a cabin and land next door. But with so many dogs in need of rescue, they quickly outgrew that space as well.

In 2017 Old Friends purchased an old garden center in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. Inside the building, they created spaces for all of the dogsno dog would ever have to live outside in the rain or cold again. Comfy couches, cozy cubbies, and dog beds of all shapes and sizes filled every possible spot. The Goodins and their staff carved out a kitchen and a laundry area. They even made a place for a small examining room for the vet. Outside the building, they added gates and fences for play areas, one for the bigger dogs as well as one for the smaller guys. And then, to make the transformation complete, they changed the name to GrandPaws Gardens.