By Sheree Hoddinett
Their stories pull at the heart strings, but it really is a dog’s life at the Sanctuary for Senior Dogs Brisbane. The only sanctuary of its kind in Australia, the love and compassion given to older dogs seeing out their days is amazing to say the least. Now running for 16 years and initially starting out on a smaller block in Burpengary, the sanctuary has been at its Morayfield location since 2016, helping more than 60 senior dogs in that time. But as with many stories, it all started with just one.
Sally was the lucky dog that started it all for Karen Goullet and her husband Jamie, the two-legged human component of this mainly four-legged furry space. Karen was working full-time and fostering dogs through Peninsula Animal Aid when she received a call about a big old Staffy who wasn’t doing too well.
“I went in there after work and she was sitting there in the cage, I can still see it so clearly,” Karen says. “She had her back to the door and her head down and she was pushing against the cage and I just thought ‘oh dear’. The staff there told me she was a bit nippy but I went to her, put her head in my hands and told her she was coming home with me. That’s how it all started. We could see there was all these old dogs out there in the shelters or in the pound, they were being euthanised straight away. We realised there was this huge need, so we knew we had to do something to change that.”
Although told not to get too attached to her by a vet, Karen says Sally lasted more than two years before crossing the rainbow bridge. Karen admits it was Sally who truly opened their eyes to the fact there were so many old dogs out there who needed a home.
“We didn’t want to do fostering, it would be too hard on the dog for them to come and go again. For an old dog consistency is important,” Karen says. “So, we thought they would come to us and stay for what was left of their lives. We didn’t want money from the public, we wanted to do it ourselves, that was important to us.”
To hear the horrible things these dogs have been through is enough to bring tears to anyone’s eyes. But as Karen admits, you can’t focus on the bad side, you have to put all your energy into making a better life for the dogs.
“In 16 years, I’ve heard it all,” Karen says. “We never concentrate on the people, just on the dogs. It’s about giving them a home. It’s about helping them and getting the care they need. If I focus on the human, the dogs miss out.”
Karen has had a love for dogs since she was a child and that sentiment is shared by her four children as well. Life with a house full of dogs is always busy with each day following a general routine, including time out in the yard exploring and most importantly, rest time for everyone. But there’s definitely no favourites in the bunch.
“No, there is no favourites! There are ones that get to me a little bit more but never a favourite. You just have to make sure they all get the same love, care and attention all day, every day,” Karen says. “Everyone gets a cuddle and that’s important to them as it is for us as well. We’ve never had to rehome any dogs in the 16 years we’ve been doing this and there’s been over 60 of them. It’s just so important that they know this is their home.”
There is one thing that is still difficult to deal with and that is when one of their pooches passes away.
“It never gets any easier,” Karen says. “We had to say goodbye to Josie recently, she was blind and deaf and it was tough. She came to us with no hair, her skin was bleeding and she had scabs all over her body. We actually didn’t even know what kind of dog she was. But we got her the treatment she needed, her hair started growing back and she came out of her shell. But unfortunately, within a year she was diagnosed with diabetes and when dogs get diabetes and have to have insulin, they go blind. She was already deaf then lost her sight as well, however that dog had the best nose in Brisbane. She could find me anywhere in the house. She ended up with dementia as well, so it was time. We buried her out in the little cemetery we have.”
The dedication, passion and love that Karen and Jamie pour into the sanctuary is evident in the paw-some group that follow them everywhere they go. They were even lucky enough to receive a visit recently from Dr Harry Cooper with Better Homes & Gardens. So watch out for them on screen.
To find out more about the Sanctuary for Senior Dogs Brisbane, check out their Facebook page where they also showcase older dogs you can adopt.
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