Susie’s Senior Dogs is a one-woman movement to save dogs that have entered their golden years. Erin O’Connell lives on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. A while back, Erin created a Facebook page called, “Susie’s Senior Dogs.” Its tagline reads: “Matching humans and senior dogs one bond at a time.”

Word spread fast. Snce it’s launch in January 2014, the nonprofit’s Facebook page has reached 596,040 likes. This 501(c)(3) organization is responsible for multiple senior dog adoptions. I wanted to find out what had inspired this great effort so I clicked “Like” on the page and sent a private message asking for an interview. Erin graciously agreed to talk about her instant-soup campaign success.

Dorri Olds: What gave you the idea for Susie’s Senior Dogs?

Erin O’Sullivan: The first part of my story is about my boyfriend Brandon Stanton. He runs a project called “Humans of New York.” He takes photos of random New Yorkers. Brandon lives in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, and three years ago he spotted Susie the dog and her previous owner. He took a photo of Susie, who was 11 then, and posted it to his blog with the caption, “This is the best dog.” Soon afterwards the owner contacted Brandon and asked if he could adopt Susie because his new wife said they couldn’t keep the dog.

Brandon was hesitant at first. Friends said he’d be crazy to take the dog; a senior dog would die and he’d be better off getting a puppy. Who doesn’t love a puppy, right? But Brandon felt bad for Susie. He didn’t want her to go to a shelter so he took her in.

Susie is Brandon’s dog?

Susie is technically Brandon’s dog because he adopted her and if Brandon and I were standing next to each other Susie would jump inside of his lap  but I love Susie so much, too. She really is the best dog in the world. Just for fun I started a page called, “Susie The Dog.” It started getting likes and I wondered how to take that already engaged audience who loved Susie and make it more than random meaningless posts. I didn’t really plan anything out but I had this vague idea and made the new Facebook page, “Susie’s Senior Dogs.” Within 48 hours the new direction took hold.

How do you think you got so many followers so fast?

It’s really thanks to Brandon. He had been building his own big audience by taking photos of people he interacted with in New York City. His audience got so big he even has a book now. His Facebook page is up to 3.5 million likes so I asked him if it would be okay to post a link to Susie’s Facebook page. I told him I’ll do all the work and he’d get lots of love. So he said okay. When I’d posted a photos to my Susie’s page I got 400 likes but when Brandon shared it on his page, Susie’s Senior Dogs got 100,000 likes in one night!

What breed is Susie?

We’re not sure what breed she is. Her ears make her look like she’s definitely part Chihuahua and the poof frizz of hair on top of her head makes her seem like she’s part Chinese Crested.

Did you know things were going to catch on this fast?

We were on ABC World News and we’ve been filmed by Animal Haven. It’s been a whirlwind. I just hope we keep spreading the word to encourage people to adopt a senior dog. You know, you can plan and plan in life, but sometimes an idea just comes to you and it works. This was like that.

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A team of animal rescuers deliver abandoned dogs to a Massachusetts correctional facility where inmates train and prepare the dogs for adoption. Connected by their troubled pasts, the dogs learn to have faith in people again while the inmates learn how to get outside of themselves to be a useful member of society.

I was very touched by the movie and grateful I had the opportunity to sit down with both filmmakers and my favorite “star” in the movie, prisoner Candido Santiago.

Dorri Olds: What were you in prison for?

Candido Santiago: I used to sell drugs. I was young. I was 27 when I went in and came out when I was 37.

Would you say that this dog-training program rehabilitates prisoners?

Yes, it does and in a big way. It depends on the person, too. He has to want to change. For me, I knew I had to take responsibility for my own actions first. I had to stop thinking it was everyone else’s fault. “I’m having a bad day, so it’s society’s fault or my boss’ fault.” I used to use a lot of things as an excuse for my actions. But no one else can dictate your actions. I figured I was a product of my environment so it was OK. I was very ignorant and self-absorbed. I was a little naïve as well. It’s harder to go against the grain.

Do you mean that the people around you were selling drugs, too?

Yes, I used to hang out with a few guys who sold drugs as well. My schedule was going into a club at 10 o’clock at night and staying till it closed, and I just sold drugs. It’s not life. It really isn’t. You’ve gotta watch your back from getting robbed, you’ve gotta watch cops.

Did you carry a gun?

Yes, I did. I was also charged with that.

Did you ever hurt anybody?

No, thankfully, I never did. I kept it because I was in fear of getting hurt.

I asked about the gun because I worry about people with a violent history being around the dogs. Are prisoners vetted first?

They check into all of that for the program. If you had a violent past where you actually hurt someone, like violent domestic abuse or any mistreatment towards animals, they wouldn’t put you in.

Watch an excerpt of this interview:

Were any prisoners asked to leave the program because they became physical with a dog?

No, we were all trained by a woman who was a very good trainer. She taught us to have patience. It took a lot of bribery with treats. Dogs love treats. We persuaded them. Some were skittish, like Sam. He was very afraid. I put half my body in the crate in order to get him to feel comfortable with me. It took time. I didn’t just go in the crate. It took a few days. I would get close, and he would growl. I’d wait. Give it time. I’d walk away, but still talk to him. “Hey, Buddy, don’t worry. I got you.”

Dogs fill a loneliness, right?

Yes, and trust me, I know. Prison is a lonely place. You don’t know when you’re gonna get the next visit or the next letter. In a 10-year period, I saw my parents maybe once a year. Sometimes I wouldn’t see them for a year and a half. They lived in Brooklyn, and I was in the prison in Massachusetts. I understood they had a life. Nothing was going to be put on hold just because I put myself in prison.

What kind of work did you get when you left prison?

I got a construction job. I was very honest. I said, “I was incarcerated for drugs. I was very young and dumb. I made a lot of bad choices that led me to have to go to prison, but I won’t miss a day. I will do whatever it takes to stay [at the job].” [The boss] didn’t judge me. He just said, “Start tomorrow.” I was really blessed.

How long have you been there?

A year. Ever since I got out.

THE FILMMAKERS

Dorri Olds: What was the seed that planted this idea?

Co-Director Brean Cunningham: We were looking for a story that would make people feel better after seeing it. We really wanted to focus on dogs. I started digging around on the Internet and found this program, “Don’t Throw Us Away USA.” I contacted the founder and pitched her the idea of this film and the magic of the human-animal connection. She loved the idea, and the process began with Doug [Seirup] and I going for it.

Watch more excerpts of this interview:

Did this experience change your opinion of prisoners?

Co-Director Douglas Seirup: Absolutely. In the media, all you see are stereotypes. I think it helped not knowing what we were getting into. We didn’t have any reservations. When we first went to the prison to interview inmates, we didn’t bring cameras. We just wanted to establish trust. What made it easy were the dogs. The dogs served as the brokers to our conversations. It was really amazing.

Cunningham: We operated under the glass half-full assumption. Of course, you never forget where you are, which is prison. They’re not all great guys like Candido [Santiago], but where we were, it was minimum security, and we felt it was very humane.

Watch the trailer for “Dogs on the Inside:”

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“I have strictly been designing couture for dogs,” Rubio told me. “This is only the third time that I also designed women’s wear.”

And design he did! The women and dogs wowed the crowd.

Rubio had just returned from vacationing in Italy. “It’s non-stop,” he said. “I’ve been invited to so many shows. I’m getting to be known as the designer with the dogs, and I’m breaking the mold. In the past, you might’ve seen dogs used as fashion accessories, but in my shows, it’s the humans that are the accessories.”

There were people streaming in, hurrying to get seats. Socialite Eric Andrew stopped for a moment to say he loves attending New York City fashion events. “I feel very fortunate that I can go to so many. I love Anthony Rubio’s fashions, and I’m looking forward to the show! Excuse me, I have to go grab my spot.”

Rubio said, “I’ve done shows before, but this was a crunch. I was receiving e-mails while I was still in Italy. It was at the end of my trip. I said, ‘I don’t know if I can do this in so little time.’ They said, ‘Of course you can!’ [Laughs] Sometimes I amaze myself. I don’t know how I get it all done especially because I’m a perfectionist and my own worst critic. But it all came together for the show, and I feel happy.”

Rubio’s inspirations for this Spring 2016 line came from his vacation in Italy and “a lot of movies.” He described his fashion line as “affordable luxury.” The show included couture gowns and cocktail dresses with lace.

Of course, I have the doggie moms come along,” said Rubio. “After all, the dogs are their babies. I have the moms come backstage because I don’t want anybody else dressing their furbabies. And it brings the doggie moms into the experience, too, so everybody is having fun.”

Morgan Avila owns four Leonbergers. Magneto (above) was a winner at Westminster. She is teaching him rat hunting. “It is finding rats in barns and being able to chase and corner them so that they can be collected and given to the proper authorities who like taking rats,” she said, adding that another of her Leonbergers, Mr. America, “does a lot of movies. He did ‘The Equalizer’ with Denzel Washington. He’s also done plenty of theater work, ‘Annie,’ ‘Peter Pan,’ ‘Oliver Twist,’ ‘The Miracle Worker,’ ‘A Christmas Carol.’” Her dog Hollywood, a dock diver, travels with Avila to many states where he wins AKC titles. “All of my dogs are champions in the AKC.”

Avila said that Rubio made a special outfit for Magneto to walk down the runway tonight, “but I didn’t get to see it yet. I have to get to wardrobe.” She smiled and waved goodbye as she and Magneto hurried into the already-canine-crowded elevator.

“My Boston Terrier Rita had been kept in a crate for five months in a hoarding situation until I I rescued her, and now Rita is modeling,” Patrice Scalera shared. “I trained her and desensitized her so she’d be comfortable around people, and now she is, and she’s signed up with a talent agency, All Creatures Great and Small. She’s obedience trained, and we do trick training now. I also just rescued a Frenchton named Francis.”

I learned that a Frenchton is half “Frenchie” [French Bulldog] and half “Boston” [Boston Terrier]. “Dog fashion designer Ada Nieves always laughs when we have them both in the show,” Scalera said. “She sees Francis and Rita playing, and it’s like a comedy routine. You can’t tell who is cuter.”

Scalera runs a small home-based business. “It’s called PAWfect Dog Beds,” she said. “If I get $35 dollars on a bed, I then give $5 dollars towards animal rescue.”

Ilene Zeins said she and her ZZ will be attending the upcoming “Strut Your Mutt” walk and the Ronald McDonald House “Family Fun Dog Walk.” In June, they went to the “Fabulous Fur-Baby Cotillion” in Florida. “We had a lot of fun,” Zeins said. “ZZ was a debutante and introduced to society; something I never had the opportunity to do [Laughs].”

Summer Strand goes to as many charity events as she can. She said the doggie community here in New York City is growing. “We’ve been a tightly knit group for years, but always welcome new, warm, friendly souls — two-legged and four-legged,” she explained. When I asked about her favorite rescues she said, “I think all rescues are awesome” before adding, “We love to helpWaggin’ Tails Dog Rescue, Sean Casey Animal Rescue and Soi Dog Foundation.” Strand is a personal trainer. She goes to her clients’ homes and teaches them fitness moves they can do with their pet.

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As intimidating as they seem, these gentle-giant-headed pooches are calm, quiet love bugs with patience for children at legendary levels.  And don’t even get us started on the puppies… Sqeeeeeeeeeee!

They are so charming and lovable but many new owners don’t realize that this breed is prone to many medical problems and they are often abandoned. Here is a fact sheet about these marvelous dogs.

Education is the key factor in protecting these funny little beasties.

VIEW THE ENGLISH BULLDOG INFOGRAPHIC

Bulldogs can be high maintenance. They have a tendency toward more health problems than other breeds. They wheeze, snort and snore and can be prone to pinched nostrils that make it difficult to breathe. Treatments vary depending on severity but your dog may need surgery to widen narrow nostrils or shorten long palates.

To learn more visit Beth Stern’s favorite nonprofit for this wonderful breed: Long Island Bulldog Rescue.

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Nancy Rogers, the vice president of K9Kastle, a New York nonprofit animal rescue organization, gathered a brave group that took a dare for charity. They jumped 65 feet to raise money for abandoned dogs and cats.

Dorri Olds: Tell me about your nonprofit K9Kastle.

Nancy Rogers: At K9Kastle, there are five of us that have been rescuing animals for years. I was born to do this. When I was 5 years old, I was already bringing animals home, telling my parents, “But I found it!” It’s always been in me. Joanne Douglas is the founder and president who got us a 501(c)(3), which made us a legitimate nonprofit group. I am considered the vice president, but I do all the work. [Laughs]

What made you think of doing the jump for charity?

I saw an advertisement for a new reality TV show called “Dare Me For Charity.” They were doing a 32-city campaign trying to get nonprofit groups that rescue animals to take on challenges to raise money for their groups. It sounded cool, so I e-mailed them. When I heard back, they didn’t tell me what the challenge was. They just said they’d be coming to New York and setting up various challenges. When I found out our challenge was a 65-foot jump, I was scared, but still game for it. I’ll do anything for an animal.

Read more…

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