AKRON, N.Y. — After four years of preparation, the White Whiskers Senior Dog Sanctuary in Akron nears its grand opening this Spring.
The Sanctuary will house up to 25 ‘senior dogs’ and help them find new homes.
They consider any dogs ‘senior’ if they are over 7-years-old – or over 5-years-old if they’re a larger breed that’s heavier than 60 pounds.
When Polla Milligan retired from the Niagara County SPCA in 2019, she vowed to use the rest of her career providing homes for senior dogs.
“I saw how many old dogs come into shelters and they don’t get adopted,” Milligan said. “They’re either euthanized before their time or they die in the shelter, which is horrible.”
She quickly assembled a board of people, like Vice Chairman Jim Lion, who had goals to make a difference in that mission.
“I have a black lab, who is dear to my heart, her name is Maddie, and she goes everywhere with me,” Lion said. “There’s a huge lump in my heart to see stories of dogs that don’t have a home.”
After dozens of fundraisers, the business is just a few months from opening.
“People sent in all kinds of donations and there was all kinds of support,” Milligan said. “We had about 750 people sign up to volunteer, and we didn’t even have a place yet.”
Monday, they replaced the roof on their future location which is an old VFW hall in Akron.
“Right now, I get a lot of people who say ‘My Aunt Martha passed away,’ or ‘My Uncle Joe went into a nursing home, and I have their dog and don’t know what to do with it,’” Milligan said.
Rather than house these dogs in kennels, Milligan will live in an apartment attached to the business to allow the dogs the freedom to roam that she feels they deserve.
If you are interested in donating or volunteering with the White Whiskers Senior Dog Sanctuary you can do so at https://whitewhiskerswny.org/
