SANCTUARY

Meet Nelly, one of our sanctuary residents. Nelly doesn't know what sanctuary means but if that is the name for a warm bed, lots of pets and kisses, regular meals and safety, then it is more than o.k. with her.

Nelly entered rescue at an age some would call old. Her heart is weak and she gets stressed easily so BTRNC decided to place her in what we call The Sanctuary. She bonded so well with her foster family, fur and human variety, that she has remained in the same home which is wonderful for all concerned! Sanctuary means that she will not be posted as available for adoption, but she will remain in foster status, with her basic and medical needs covered by donations to BTRNC for what we hope will be a very long time. Don't tell Nelly or her foster family that she is in foster status though. To them, Nelly is as much a part of their family as if she had always been with them or if she had been officially adopted. Sanctuary care allows our volunteers to care for these babies without shouldering their expenses on their own. As seniors age, their medical expenses often increase. Nelly doesn't care about any of this money stuff, she just loves her family.

Nelly spends a great deal of her time outside searching for just the perfect spot to do her doggie business. Once she has finally selected just the perfect spot, she comes to find her foster Mom to let her know she did what she had to do, she's proud of it and now she is done with it!

Nelly and her family recently lost Tootsie (see blog archives and the Memorial page) to the Rainbow Bridge. Nelly and Diego help each other and their Mom through this difficult loss. Tootsie would woo woo Mom when she came home. Nelly makes sure she barks enough to remind Mom that there is still someone waiting at home and who is so glad to see her.

Nelly loves her fur brother Diego, but she can still muster the energy to chase him if he annoys her too much. Her heart makes the chase short and Mom has to calm her down but she gets her point across! She becomes very upset however if Mom raises her voice at Diego. She runs to Mom first and foremost to make sure she is not the one in trouble and second to make sure that Diego is not in too much trouble.

Nelly is a little love and an absolute joy to foster. Her favorite things are squeaky toys and dirt piles...Oh, and sleeping next to your shoulder in the "big bed! Not bad for a sanctuary ah?

You can see all of our sanctuary babies at the bottom of our Available Dogs page. Should you want to donate to their ongoing care, they and their human care givers say thank you. In any case though, BTRNC is very thankful that we are able to offer these cherished seniors a place to live out their remaining years!