The David A. Martin "Devoted to Dogs" Stray Dog Sanctuary

Izzy is the oldest resident at the Sanctuary. She, and her brother Dizzy (who died a few years ago), have been with Devo for as long as we can remember. We don't know her exact age, but we estimate she is 14-16 years old.

Izzy is very stubborn and refuses to let anyone control her. She needs a bath and needs to be brushed, but like the rest of Devo's dogs, Izzy has never worn a collar or been leash-trained. Because of her age, we don't push the issue.

Izzy doesn't go on "The Walk" anymore, but prefers to wander around the Sanctuary by herself when the other dogs are gone. She loses her balance easily when the other dogs bump into her, so she enjoys exploring when she is by herself.

Izzy shares her kennel with the other two older dogs, Killie and Slick. Although she has access to the building, Izzy prefers her Igloo doghouse.

Izzy is losing the use of her back legs and her tail doesn't work at all. She has a hard time getting around and needs a wheelchair. Her teeth are worn out and she can't eat dry dog food anymore. Izzy is almost completely deaf.

We don't know how much time she has left with us, but we would like to make her last days as comfortable as possible. Donate today and help us make Izzy comfortable!

He is an unaltered male that still wants to be alpha, but his strength is waning, his youth is gone, and he has lost the title. Killie & Happy don't get along very well.

Before we installed the kennels, Killie was banished to the back of the yard by Happy and had to sleep under a tree. Now he sleeps comfortably in a bed of straw in the temporary building.

Killie shares his kennel with the other two older dogs, Izzy and Slick. And although he and Slick fight over food, at their age, their fighting consists of leaning on each other and growling. No one ever gets hurt.

Killie is a fearful dog. We don't know where Devo found him or what his background is, but he does a lot of shaking and he is a fear biter. He's a little slow warming up to strangers, but once he is okay with you, he will rub up against your legs like a cat.

Killie has never worn a collar or been leash-trained. Leashes scare him, and like Izzy, he hates to be controlled. He wears a collar now and we hope to get him leash-trained soon so we can take him places with us. As he learns to trust us more, his world will become bigger. I think Killie might enjoy a trip to the ocean or going camping with us.

Killie's back legs are getting a little wobbly and give him problems, but he still enjoys "The Walk". He is also very skinny, although he gets plenty to eat. His teeth are worn out and he has a growth on one eye.

Killie has a few years left in him and we hope to make them memorable. Donate today and help us make Killie's last years great!

One of the Sanctuary's three elderly residents, Slick is the good 'ol boy.
He is such a pleasant, well-mannered dog. Everybody loves 'ol Slick.
Slick is about 14-15 years old.

Slick shares his kennel with the other two older dogs, Killie and Izzy. Sometimes he sleeps in the building and sometimes he sleeps in the Igloo doghouse with Izzy. It's a tight squeeze and we're not sure how they fit in there together.

Slick loves food and balls. Although he doesn't play fetch anymore, he will carry around a tennis ball for hours. He also enjoys chewing on bones or rawhides. Slick still goes on "The Walk", and although slow and always bringing up the rear, he still enjoys it very much.

Slick is almost completely deaf and going blind, and his back legs give him a lot of problems. He has a hard time sitting down and then getting back up again. Slick has suddenly lost a lot of weight in the last three months. We think his age is catching up with him.

Slick still has a year or two left in him and we just want him to be comfortable. Donate today and help us make Slick's last year or two enjoyable!

Slick's wish list:

Tennis balls, bones, and rawhides to chew on.

One large can of food a day, plus dry food.

De-worming.

Vet care.

Happy used to share his kennel with Hazel, but he wasn't very nice to her, so Heidi is now his kennel-mate.

Happy is an intelligent dog and needs something constructive to do. He spends most of his time in the pond and picking on the other dogs. Or, given the chance, he loves to untie people's shoes.

Happy doesn't really want to be boss, he just is because of his size and strength; he submits to people quite easily. With extensive training, Happy will be a great dog.

Happy has many years left in him and we want him to live up to his name. Donate today and help us make Happy's life wonderful!

Happy's wish list:

To be neutered.

A doggie backpack.

One large can of food a day, plus dry food.

De-worming.

Vet care.

Hazel is the most loving dog at the Sanctuary. She is also at the bottom pack and gets picked on by everyone. Hazel is about 4-6 years old.

We brought Hazel out to Devo's a few years ago. Hazel's family no longer wanted her. The only thing we know about Hazel's past is she was tormented by children.

We want to build up Hazel's confidence and turn her into a therapy dog. With her need for constant attention, it would be a perfect fit.

Hazel doesn't do too badly on a leash, but still needs a lot of training. She is a jumper, and at her size and weight, it's not much fun.

Hazel has her own private kennel to give her a break from the rest of the dogs always picking on her.

Hazel has many years left in her and we want her to gain more confidence. Donate today and help us make Hazel's life worry-free!

Hazel's wish list:

A pad and door for her Igloo doghouse.

One medium can of food a day, plus dry food.

De-worming.

Vet care.

Duchess is about 4-6 years old and lives at our house now. She had her own kennel at the Sanctuary, complete with a wire floor, yet she still managed to escape. First she ate through the tension bar on her kennel and then she learned how to open the gate.

We brought Duchess to Devo's about a year or so after Hazel. Her owners didn't want her anymore either. What we discovered about Duchess' previous life is that she was tied to a tree and pretty much ignored. The owners we got her from told us they got her from a shelter in Oregon.

Duchess has apparently gone through many owners, and I'm sure that's why she is such a basket-case. Duchess has severe separation anxiety and that is what caused all the digging. She just has to be where her people are! Since moving in with us and living in the house, she no longer digs.

Duchess is also very fearful. She is especially afraid of loud booms. Devo always dreaded the Fourth of July, as fireworks make her panic. She also shows signs of being hit by people, with both the hand and other objects.

Duchess has a problem with one rear leg and can't put the foot on that side flat on the floor. If she is exercised too much, she limps afterwards. It's an old injury, but it still needs to be looked at. If we can fix it, there is no reason for her to spend the rest of her life limping around.

Duchess has many years left in her and we want her to enjoy life more. Donate today and help us make Duchess' life exciting!

Duchess went to the vet on July 3rd, 2008 for tranquilizer's. Her fear of fireworks made her a danger to herself. While at the vet, she received her first set of shots and de-worming pills. The vet also determined that she has a torn ligament in her knee that needs to be repaired and a broken tooth that needs to be removed. The estimated cost for her operation is $3,500. She is counting on her supporter's for the money needed for her operation.

Jake is coming back to the Sanctuary soon. Peggy & Sandy can no longer keep him.

He has decided to chase their chickens and cats, and as much as they love him, they had to resort to tying him to the porch. They know that's not a good life for him, so they asked us to take him back.

We don't know much about Jake; Devo had him for such a short time before his death. As we get to know him, we will update you on his personality.

Jake will be around for a long time and right now what he needs is kennel so we can untie him from the porch. Donate today and help us set Jake free!

Jake has returned sooner than expected. As we were putting together this website, Peggy, his loving owner, died suddenly on June 2, 2008. Jake will stay at our house until we can get him a kennel.

Little Banjo! The youngest dog at the Sanctuary, he is a little over a year old.

We brought Banjo to Devo's less than a year ago. Banjo was our neighbors dog and he was driving her other dog nuts. She got him from a guy that kept Banjo crated for 16-18 hours a day. Because of her work schedule, she wasn't around enough to work with Banjo and decided to find him a better home.

Banjo is an extremely high-energy dog and needs to run constantly. He loves to grab the other dogs' tails and get dragged behind them. He has also decided that he's not too interested in people, other than for food and for going on "The Walk". For that reason, we put Banjo in his own kennel. We need him to bond with us so he can do more with us than just go on "The Walk".

Banjo will not come when called, is not interested in being petted, hates being picked up, and hates being on a leash. Banjo requires a lot of training, and patience, as he has learned how to avoid being caught.

Banjo will be with us the longest. By his age and size, we estimate he will be around 15 years or longer. Donate today and help us make Banjo's life joyful!

Tiny the Terrible. He is the most ferocious dog at the Sanctuary, and the smallest. Tiny is probably 8-10 years old and unaltered.

Tiny has his own private kennel because he doesn't get along with the other dogs. He doesn't get along with people very well either. Tiny will bite you if he doesn't know you.

Tiny's size is probably his biggest problem. The other dogs are so much larger than he is that they can really hurt him if he gets stepped on, so he makes all of them keep their distance. As far as people go, we don't know much about his past, but obviously he wasn't treated very well by humans. We have learned one interesting thing about Tiny as we've been working with him; he loves to play to play tug-of-war with rags, as long as there are no other dogs around.

Tiny has a bad rear leg and has a hard time going potty because of it. He also holds his leg up while he runs. It doesn't stop him from going on "The Walk" or running around the Sanctuary, but we want to see if his leg can be fixed. There's no reson for his discomfort if something can be done about it.

Tiny has many years left in him and we want him to relax and enjoy life more. Donate today and help us make Tiny's life better!

Heidi has grown so much since she has been with us. She stayed at our house for a while; then we moved her to the Sanctuary so we could bring Duchess to our house.
(Duchess kept escaping and we had to do something.)

Since Heidi and Duchess don't get along at all, we decided to see how Heidi would like it at the Sanctuary. At first it was very difficult for her. We put her in Duchess' kennel by herself, so she could get used to her new surroundings. Her first "Walk" with the other dogs was terrifying. She had no idea how to act around everyone else, and kept starting fights.

It's been a few months now, and Heidi has fit in so well that she took over Duchess' position as the number two dog. In fact, we put Heidi in with Happy because Heidi is the only dog at the Sanctuary that can keep him in line. If it wasn't for the fact that he outweighs her by about 50 lbs. or more, she would probably be the boss.

Heidi loves to play fetch and won't stay out of the pond. Not bad for a dog that was afraid of the water just a few short months ago. She had also gotten used to the new people in her life; and as far as we can tell, her submissive wetting has stopped.

Heidi does have one peculiar problem. Sometimes while she is running around, she will just
freeze, and turn her head up in a funny position. It looks like she is having a seizure
or something. It only lasts for a few seconds, but it is worrisome. We are not sure what is
going on with her, but we wonder if she might have a little brain damage, or maybe something neurological is going on. Working with Heidi has shown us that she is not quite all there.
Maybe she's had too many whacks to the head.

Heidi is about 6 years old and will be with us until we find her a permanent home. Donate today and help us make Heidi's life with us the best it can be!

devotedtodogs@gmail.com

Devoted to Dogs
c/o Pat & Cherie Burrows
27517 Mountain Hwy E.
Spanaway, WA 98387

Meet the Dogs