Vintage Pet Rescue Gives Senior Dogs a Second Chance at Love

In a world where high-energy puppies often steal the spotlight, one Rhode Island rescue is proving that there is something beautiful about growing old. Tucked away in the woods of Foster, Vintage Pet Rescue has built a national reputation caring for dogs that many shelters struggle to place – seniors, hospice cases, and animals with special needs.

While younger dogs are often snapped up quickly, older pets can spend months or even years waiting to be adopted. For co-founder Kristen Peralta, who opened the shelter with her husband, Marc, those often-overlooked animals are exactly the ones worth saving. “People assume senior dogs are too much work or that there isn’t enough time left with them,” she says. “What we see every day is that they have so much love left to give.”

The couple met at a pet shelter in Los Angeles, moved in together, and adopted a senior dog named Rue McClanahan. “When she passed away, we went to the shelter to adopt another dog in her memory. Honestly, it kind of just spiraled from there – we knew so many folks in animal welfare, people just started sending us old dogs, and suddenly we had 10 senior dogs in our house.”

The couple moved to Rhode Island to be closer to family and opened Vintage Pet Rescue in an old church in 2013. “Honestly, I didn’t know what I was getting into,” laughs Peralta. “I thought we’d take in maybe 20 dogs a year; it would just be kind of a small rescue. We really underestimated the need for a senior rescue in the area and ended up taking in around 20 dogs every few months.”

Thankfully, the community has offered a lot of support, which is important because shelters are expensive to run. Peralta credits media coverage and social media for helping spread the word. “Our social media is big, we have a huge following there,” she explains. “We are able to do this because of the support we get from people financially, and by sharing our posts and adopting our animals.”

At the shelter, dogs start getting care as soon as they arrive. “The bare minimum when we get them is to do senior blood work and full vet checks. Many of them have eye issues, so they need eye meds, checking for ear infections, and checking for any skin infections. The vast majority need dentals, on average, about $1,200. Unfortunately, most of the animals that come into us haven’t had vet care in a very long time.” The shelter relies entirely on donations, which total about $500,000 each year. They also raise money through community events like Paws and Listen, a concert held in April at The Guild in Pawtucket. The shelter even helps with some medical costs for adopted dogs. “We help pay veterinary bills for people who have senior dogs that maybe can’t afford the surgery.

The shelter aims to change how people think about adopting senior pets. Older dogs are usually already house-trained, have calmer personalities, and need less training than puppies. For many adopters, bringing home a senior dog is a very rewarding experience. If you are thinking about adding a pet to your family, Vintage Pet Rescue has a simple reminder: age is just a number. Learn more at VintagePetRescue.org.