Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary

Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary — usually shortened to OFSDS — was founded in 2012 by Zina Goodin and Michael Baker in response to a specific gap in American animal welfare: the population of senior dogs whose previous owners died, divorced, or otherwise could no longer keep them, and who were being euthanized in shelter systems unable to absorb the long-term medical needs of geriatric dogs.

The sanctuary's current campus on Stewarts Ferry Pike in Mount Juliet, Tennessee — roughly 20 miles east of downtown Nashville — has grown into one of the most operationally distinctive senior-specific rescues in the United States. OFSDS does not function as a traditional adoption shelter. The organization takes lifetime custody of senior dogs and houses them in a purpose-built home-style facility where they live out the remainder of their lives.

How they work

Unlike standard rescue organizations, Old Friends does not adopt out the majority of the dogs in its care. The sanctuary's model is different:

Sanctuary residents — most of the dogs at OFSDS live there permanently. The sanctuary provides veterinary care, hospice care, end-of-life support, and the home-style environment of a multi-dog household for the remainder of each dog's life. This is the program the organization is best known for.

Foster-based adoption — for dogs whose health and behavior make them adoptable, OFSDS does coordinate placement with carefully vetted homes. The adoption process is more selective than at traditional shelters, partly because the dogs are older and have specific care needs, and partly because the organization is mindful of avoiding additional disruption for animals already adjusting to a sanctuary environment.

Public visits and sponsorship — OFSDS allows the public to visit the sanctuary and to sponsor individual dogs. Sponsorship is one of the organization's primary funding mechanisms; sponsors receive updates on the dog they support throughout the dog's remaining life.

Beyond the core sanctuary operations, OFSDS runs:

• Hospice and end-of-life care for dogs whose remaining months are best spent in the calm, supervised environment of the sanctuary rather than in a shelter or a new adoptive home.
• Educational outreach — the organization's social media presence has reached a large audience and has been part of the broader cultural shift in how senior shelter dogs are perceived and supported.
• Veterinary partnerships with regional veterinary teams to handle the high medical needs of geriatric dogs.

The senior-specific context

Old Friends fills a gap in American animal welfare that no traditional shelter is structurally able to address. Most municipal and nonprofit shelters operate on a turnover model — animals come in, animals are placed, the cycle continues. Senior dogs with complex medical histories or behavior issues that limit adoptability often face euthanasia in this model, not because anyone wants that outcome but because the structural economics of a turnover-based shelter cannot sustain long-term care for a population that is unlikely to be adopted.

OFSDS's sanctuary model is the alternative. The organization is not trying to place every dog; it is trying to give every dog the rest of its life. The economics are different — long-term medical care for geriatric dogs is expensive, and the funding model depends on sponsorships, donations, and the broader public goodwill that the organization has built through its social media reach.

The model is unusual but not unique. A small handful of senior-specific sanctuaries operate around the United States, including Lily's Legacy in Petaluma, California; House With a Heart in Maryland (founded by Sher Polvinale before her death); and Frosted Faces Foundation in Ramona, California. OFSDS is, by reputation and reach, the largest and most visible of them.

The Mount Juliet location — semi-rural, close enough to Nashville for veterinary access but far enough out to give the dogs a quieter environment — has shaped the operational rhythm. The volunteer rotation includes Nashville-area residents who drive out for shifts. The annual sponsorship and visitor revenue depends partly on the Tennessee tourism economy and the broader country-music adjacent donor base that has supported the sanctuary's growth.

How you can support Old Friends

The standard ways apply, with some sanctuary-specific options:

• Sponsor a dog — the organization's primary funding mechanism. Monthly sponsorships of individual residents.
• Donate to general operations. Veterinary costs for geriatric dogs are significant; donations directly offset these.
• Volunteer — on-site shifts for visitors based in the Nashville metro, plus remote support for the organization's communications and outreach work.
• Visit — public visits to the sanctuary are part of the experience and part of the funding model.
• Adopt — for the smaller subset of dogs that are placement-eligible, the adoption process is selective but the organization works to match dogs with appropriate households.

Field & Era at Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary

The Stewarts Ferry Pike coordinates appear in Companion Edition orders from former sponsors and from adopters whose senior dogs originally came through OFSDS's adoption pipeline. The address tends to carry a particular emotional weight — the sanctuary's adopters and sponsors are, almost universally, the kind of household that takes the dog's whole life seriously and that wants the geography of that life marked.

If you adopted a senior dog from Old Friends or have sponsored a sanctuary resident and want the address set on archival paper, see the Companion Edition. 10% of every Companion order supports a rescue partner.

For a longer discussion of senior dog adoption specifically, see our piece on adopting a senior dog.

Last verified May 29, 2026. Facts about hours, intake policies, and adoption fees can change. Confirm with Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary directly before visiting.