We at Forever Loved are so grateful for the help we receive from our volunteers. Nancy Myers is a passionate, dedicated volunteer who assists Forever Loved in many ways, helping with everything from fostering to assisting with adoptions to posting photos on our Facebook pages. Read below to learn more about Nancy and how she helps our senior dogs.
I help Sandy Lentz who is the Adoptions Coordinator. When she moved farther away, she asked for assistance so I help with adoptions on the east side of town. I go through applications to find a good fit for the dogs, and I tell the applicants about the dogs they’re interested in. If they still seem interested after learning more about the dog, then we do a meet and greet, which could be at the sanctuary or at their home where we can do a home check.
I went to an orientation in October 2018 and have been helping ever since. I foster now, and pre-Covid I did adoption events, too. I started helping Sandy with adoptions in mid-2020.
I’m from San Francisco and I volunteered there with Muttville, a senior dog rescue. I still help them out from home. Senior dogs are the most difficult to adopt at a shelter. Everyone wants puppies or young dogs — so foolish — so many of the senior dogs end up forgotten, and a lot of them get euthanized.
I knew when I moved here in 2018 I wanted to volunteer with a rescue, and it had to be a senior dog rescue. So before I moved I Googled senior dog rescues and found Forever Loved.
The happy endings of saving these dogs is Immeasurable. Just the joy I feel in helping, not only volunteering but to have these dogs saved and go to good homes and I think that’s what keeps us going. And I think, what else would I be doing?
When I moved here, I brought four dogs and a cat with me, and I lost three Muttville dogs within six and a half months. Four dogs was my max, and I thought I should really just go down to three.
In February 2019, Sandy had recently lost her father. She brought his three dogs to an adoption event and Buddy, a chihuahua mix, sat next to me. I offered to foster him, and I had just lost one of my three. After a while of no interest from potential adopters, in May 2019 when I lost the second girl, I had room so I adopted Buddy officially.
So at that point I had three dogs again. But then in August, l lost my border collie mix, so I decided I needed one in the 30-pound range and found Sky. I adopted her from Rusty’s Angels Sanctuary and have had her for two years. She had been rescued from a Thai meat market.
I still continue to foster, and right before the sanctuary closed last year due to Covid, two dogs were surrendered and I have one of them, Layla. She was a foster but she had such severe separation anxiety we ultimately decided that she would not be put up for adoption.
I have only one remaining California dog. His name is Fang. In 2011 I had just adopted a hospice dog and I started fostering Fang and the two bonded so much I had to keep Fang. He has been my therapy dog and has shown so many dogs how to be dogs.
Finally I have Mishu, an FLPS hospice dog, who was one of 25 Pomeranians rescued from a backyard breeder (and one of three seniors in the group). The other two seniors were in such bad shape that sadly, they were euthanized.
I also have a cat who is wobbly because of a health condition. That’s the five of us.
I would tell them that senior dogs are the most rewarding. They are done with their puppy stage and there is nothing more rewarding than giving a dog the best last chapter of their life. Again, quality not quantity. We want them to go out knowing love. That’s the most rewarding thing.
We couldn’t have said it better! Thanks, Nancy, for all you do!
