no one can do everything,

but we can all do something.

Be Their Someone/Sheri Harney  BeTheirSomeone@gmail.com

A Loving Couple Who Will Always

Make Room for Just One more...

I met Jan several years ago when I went to a new dental office.   She had the walls and even ceiling of her exam room covered with pictures of her "furry children".  I had met many dog lovers in my life, but never one as dedicated to them as she and her husband!  I asked her if she would share her story of how she got started on this journey and she was nice enough to do it!

After losing our two Golden Retrievers to old age, I thought we would be pet-less in the future.  The freedom to come and go without responsibility seemed like a great idea.  That is, until my husband brought home a "trial" Malti-poo puppy that the owner wanted to give up.  When a dog is that cute, you fall in love instantly and there's no going back!

Not wanting Charlie to be lonely, we soon adopted a rescue named Coco.  We then started volunteering at a local no-kill shelter and that's when our dog ministry officially started.  After a stray-mix, two Italian Greyhounds, and a Golden Retriever, we moved from a neighborhood to a small farm.  Then we thought with all that extra acreage, it was a shame not to fill it with dogs in need.  We focused on dogs that were hard to place, sick or elderly.  We've acted as a hospice where dogs come to be in comfort and surrounded by love until they pass.  Our maximum capacity has been twenty-six dogs, but through the cycle of life we are now at eighteen.  They live in two separate buildings, the larger dogs in one and the smaller dogs in the other.  It's like a Disney movie!  The dogs can come and go freely through a doggie door and we never crate them.  We even take all eighteen dogs in our van to visit our home state where we have another small farm!  Believe it or not, the dogs get along fine when we travel.

Included in our "family" right now is a three legged lab who was going to be euthanized, and a Chinese Crested with no teeth and an auto immune disease.  Word began getting around about our dogs and their storybook existence and it became harder and harder to turn dogs away.  Our life became our dogs.  We knew if we were going to really devote ourselves to this it would mean giving up vacations and recreation because any free time would be spent with our dogs.  My motto is "there's a fine line between having a dog ministry and being a hoarder", and we'll never cross that line.  Our dogs are always on time with their immunizations, teeth cleanings and general well being.  We even have a vet that comes to the farm which makes their care so convenient.  We are very blessed to have the means to take care of all of their needs.  Being retired now, I can be with them 24/7.  They are like little toddlers that never grow up and all they ask for is loving attention and treats.

As the dogs age, their needs grow and therefore we are trying to stop at eighteen to properly care for them.  At times there's a lot going on with the active dogs and it's definitely a full time job to give each and every one of them the attention they need and deserve!  But, it definitely warms your heart when their love, loyalty and devotion are the gift they give back in return.

Do you have a story you would like to share or know someone who does about going the extra mile for a dog?    email me!