This Pet Rescue Is Changing the Lives of Senior Dogs in Rhode Island

Adorable puppies tend to be the popular choice for pet adoptions, but what about elderly dogs?

One Rhode Island couple came up with a solution to give elderly dogs the love and care they deserve, and thanks to generous help from the community, Vintage Pet Rescue is changing the lives of these mature animals.

Kristen and Mark’s Story

Kristen and Mark Peralta decided to take in a hospice dog when they started dating in Los Angeles in 2013. When the dog passed away a year-and-a-half later, they adopted another senior dog in her memory. Soon, Kristen and Mark began accumulating senior dogs.

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Their kind gesture turned into a passion and they ran with it. In 2017, they moved to Rhode Island to start Vintage Pet Rescue.

“We started a website, Facebook page, registered for a 501c3 and it just kind of exploded,” Kristen said.

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The Safe Haven That Is Vintage Pet Rescue

The rescue is run out of the Peralta home, making it an around-the-clock job. This isn’t just a place for dogs to pass on. This a place for senior dogs to thrive.

“Senior dogs get overlooked a lot in shelters and we want people to actually go to a shelter specifically to find a senior dog and give it the last great months or years of its life,” Kristen said.

The rescue is run solely on generous donations from the community and Peralta has been blown away by the love and support the rescue has received over the past six years.

“It’s something I never really expected,” she said. “I never expected so many people to follow our Instagram and to fall in love with our animals and their stories. It’s been wonderful.”

How to Help The Dogs of Vintage Pet Rescue

It costs $1,400 per day to run Vintage Pet Rescue, and without heartfelt donations from the community, the rescue would be unable to provide shelter and medical care to these loving animals. The rescue accepts donations on its website, where you can find a donation link as well as information on how to adopt and how to volunteer.