Pam Vandergriff and Betsy, a 14-year-old, mostly blind and deaf dog.It's never a dull moment at Pamela Vandergriff's Sale Creek home as the sound of 30 dogs' barks and howls fill the air. Feeding, playing and trips to the vet fill up her days from morning to night as she cares for senior rescue dogs at her registered nonprofit For the Love of Dogs.
From the moment she rescued her first dog, a Pointer mix she named RCA, Vandergriff knew it was her life's calling.
RCA was less than a year old when he was abandoned. After changing hands through many rescue and adoption agencies, he was eventually picked up by Vandergriff, who provided him with love, comfort and a home for the next eight years until he was adopted by his forever family.
After several years of taking in dogs and housing them in her own home - and following her retirement from the Coast Guard - Vandergriff decided in 2007 to start her own dog rescue to try and save as many as she could from high-kill shelters and from owners who discard them on the streets when they become too much of a commitment or burden.
She works with local Chattanooga animal shelters and other shelters nationwide to take in dogs that aren't getting adopted, and also welcomes members of the community who need to rehome their dog because of special circumstances.
Vandergriff started focusing on senior dogs about five years ago because older dogs have a harder time getting adopted from shelters, she explained.
"It was heartbreaking to see those little gray muzzles that were so confused when they ended up in high-kill shelters," she said.
Though she wishes to exclusively be a senior-dog rescue, Vandergriff said she wouldn't turn her back on a young dog in need, either.
All of the dogs in Vandergriff's care have access to both the indoors and outdoors via spacious kennels and play areas on her fenced 6-acre land. She keeps approximately 10 dogs with special needs inside her home to provide a higher level of care. She currently has five blind seniors that require extra attention and assistance, she said.
Because For the Love of Dogs is a nonprofit organization, Vandergriff relies on donations to provide all the necessary items and equipment for her dogs. Funds are used for food and routine vet and preventive medication costs, along with any extra expenses to make each dog's life happy and healthy.
If an animal has severe medical complications, money can be raised through community donations to provide treatment.
"I make a commitment with each and every dog that I rescue to do the best I can to find them a home or make sure they have what they need with me," Vandergriff said. "I can't imagine my life without these special dogs."
She encourages the adoption of her healthy rescue dogs, but is content to keep the eldest ones who require special assistance with her for the remainder of their lives. She said she doesn't want any of them to have to readjust to another home and add more stress onto the end of their lives.
"There's nothing like a little senior dog," Vandergriff said with a shaky voice and tears in her eyes. "All they want is to be loved."
While she admits it can be hard to give a dog up for adoption that she's had at her rescue for several years, it's worth it in the end.
"A dog that gets adopted means you get to save another dog," said Vandergriff.
Applications to begin her adoption process are available upon request, and available dogs can be seen at tinyurl.com/PamelaVandergriff.
Donations can be made via PayPal to fortheloveofdogs@epbfi.com, or by check made out to For the Love of Dogs and mailed to P.O. Box 1597, Soddy Daisy, Tenn., 37384.
Email Carley Olejniczak at colejniczak@timesfreepress.com.