We know he was loved once. We also know that what happened to him left a mark.

Bernie has trust issues. He chooses his people. He isn’t going to run up and immediately love everyone he meets. You have to give him time. You have to earn it.

But once Bernie chooses you?

He loves you with everything he has.

He snuggles into you. He wants to be near you. He makes you part of his little world.

And yes, that world also includes a deep and ongoing feud with birds, lawn mowers and Amazon drivers.

Bernie isn’t perfect. He isn't the right dog for every home. He needs people who understand him and respect what he has been through.

In many shelters, a fearful dog like Be

rnie doesn't get enough time for anyone to discover who he really is. Bernie was trembling in a shelter and was at risk of being euthanized because of his fear.

But we have the word sanctuary in our name for a reason.

Our job isn't simply to keep Bernie alive.

It's to give him a life worth living.

So Bernie goes on pontoon rides. He hops in the car. He even went rollerblading. He gets couches and friends and adventures. He gets people who know his quirks and love him anyway.

Most importantly, he gets time.

That is part of our dream.

To build a different kind of shelter. One where we look beyond labels. Where peace matters as much as survival. Where an animal isn't expected to be perfect to be worthy of love.

Because sometimes the ones who need us most aren't the easiest.

Sometimes they need us to stay long enough to discover who they are underneath the fear.

Bernie wasn't supposed to be tonight's story.

But maybe that's exactly why he needed to be

Two big dogs simply wasn’t something she could manage at the time.

Then Charlie fell and broke his hip. At the vet, they discovered a brittle bone disease that would make recovery incredibly difficult and painful. The kindest choice was to let him go.

And Zoey was suddenly without her person. Her companion. Her friend.

So Sarah brought her home.

At first, Zoey wandered the backyard from side to side, almost as if she were searching for a way back to the life—and the friend—she knew.

Eventually, she settled.

And then her personality came out.

Zoey was a talker. She made sure everyone knew when it was time for dinner, when snacks were overdue and, apparently, when the household needed to get itself together. She welcomed other dogs into the home and became part of the revolving door of rescue souls who found a safe place there.

Sarah had a little over a year with her before losing her unexpectedly.

But the story didn't quite end there.

A couple of years later, Sassy arrived at the barn—and she looked so much like Charlie that Sarah couldn't shake the connection.

She kept telling herself someone else would adopt Sassy. Until finally, before leaving town for work, she made her a promise:

If you're still here when I get back, I'm taking you home.

Sassy was still there.

So Sarah kept her promise.

Sassy became another talker, another wonderful ambassador to foster dogs, and another deeply loved soul who became part of Sarah's family.

Maybe that is one of the strangest and most beautiful things about rescue.

One dog leads you to another. One loss creates room to help another soul. The ones who leave us somehow remain woven into the lives of the ones who come next.

Sarah said something during her live that feels like the perfect reason we're telling these 100 stories:

“If somebody’s remembering them and talking about them, they kind of live forever.”

So today, we remember Charlie.

We remember Zoey.

We remember Sassy.

And we remember all the souls who helped build this rescue into what it is today—and who continue to shape the dream of what it can become tomorrow.

We dream of rescue where animals aren't simply housed in rows of kennels waiting for what comes next. We dream of home-like spaces, Lighthouses, lifesaving veterinary care and a place where peace matters just as much as survival.

That is the dream we're building at Homestead East.

And just like rescue itself, we won't build it alone.

Become a Dream Builder with a gift of $250, give whatever amount is possible for you, or simply share these stories and help someone else understand why this dream matters.

We try. We dream. And sometimes, we dream really big.

Rows of kennels. Dogs barking. Dogs stressed and overwhelmed. So many faces waiting for someone to stop and see them.

Her daughter ultimately chose one of those dogs and named him Santos — meaning “saint.”

And Santos lived up to his name.

That year, Dawn lost both of her parents. It was an incredibly sad season of her life, and Santos became a source of comfort she hadn't known she would need. He would find her to offer comfort as she cried.

He was technically her daughter’s dog — her “grandpup” — but Dawn dog-sat often and fell completely in love with him.

Santos didn't just introduce Dawn to rescue. He showed her what one rescued dog could bring into a family's life.

Later, after Dawn lost her own older dogs (Lucy who was "smile walking around" and her "silly Boy" Bentley Bear) and was ready to open her heart again, she knew what she wanted: a senior dog.

That search led her to Always & Furever.

And she’s been part of this family ever since.

Dawn has fostered, loved and helped dogs who needed someone in their corner. But it all traces back to one trip to a shelter and one dog named Santos.

Sometimes rescue begins that simply.

You meet one dog.

You see something you can't unsee.

And suddenly, you understand why there has to be a better way.

That is part of our dream.

A future where dogs aren't spending their days stressed in rows of kennels. Where rescue can feel like home. Where peace and dignity matter alongside survival.

Because you never know which dog might become someone's Santos.

And you never know how one rescued dog might change the entire direction of a life.

Josie came into Jen’s life after she lost her beloved Libby—an angel who seemed to arrive exactly when Jen’s heart needed her most. It’s a story about loss, love, healing, and sometimes getting exactly what you need when you least expect it.

But, as often happens in rescue, the night didn’t quite go as planned.

During Jen’s live, someone arrived at the Little Red Barn with a stray dog they had found. They needed help scanning for a microchip and figuring out what to do next.

So Jen stopped.

Because that’s rescue.

Sometimes the thing right in front of you needs more attention than the thing you had planned. Sometimes someone shows up at the barn needing help, and you figure it out together.

The stories can wait. The souls who need us sometimes can’t.

Jen will be back tonight to finish telling Josie’s story—the story she intended to share with you yesterday.

Stay tuned. We’ll send Josie’s full story straight to your inbox Thursday morning.

Because even the interruptions are part of these 100 days and 100 stories. They’re part of what rescue really looks like.

Day 15: Bluebell & Paula — Love Doesn’t Always Look the Way We Expect

Jen shares an honest, emotional story about Bluebell and Paula, two bonded senior dogs who had spent approximately 14 years living outdoors. After they struggled in the barn and an earlier foster placement didn’t work out, Jen welcomed them into her home and eventually adopted them together.

The dogs were quiet and independent, accepting affection on their own terms. Unlike her other dogs, they didn’t seek constant closeness, leaving Jen struggling with guilt and feeling she wasn’t giving them enough. Jen recalls advocating for Paula when a specialist recommended euthanasia because of her enlarged heart. She brought Paula home, where she lived approximately five more months before her condition declined.

After Paula died, Bluebell struggled with grief and nighttime pacing, leaving Jen exhausted and overwhelmed. Looking back, Jen wishes she had asked for help instead of suffering silently out of fear of judgment. Both dogs remained with her until their deaths, and each offered a moment of closeness at goodbye that she still treasures.

The message for fosters and adopters:

• It is okay to acknowledge that a placement isn’t the right fit. Asking for help or returning an animal should be met with compassion.

• Not every animal expresses love the same way. Quiet companionship can still hold meaning.

• Caregivers need support, too. Honest conversations help people and animals find the care they need.

• Rescue must offer more than survival. Peace, comfort, dignity, and meaningful daily experiences are central to A&F’s No Kill, No Kennel vision.

Jen connects these lessons to the dream of making shelters feel like homes and expanding veterinary care for A&F, other rescues, and the community.

Campaign ask:

Find 5,600 people giving $250, totaling $1.4 million.

The challenge announced in the video is 25 donors giving $250 that week.

Every donation—and every share—helps move the dream forward.

She describes several meaningful animals:

• Emmylou inspired her passion for senior-animal rescue.
• Stormy was her first A&F foster cat.
• Chunky became her first cat foster failure and now participates in community visits at a rehabilitation and memory-care facility.
• Pam is another foster failure.
• Gary, her current foster, is being adopted after living with her since Thanksgiving.
• Larry is a shy black cat who struggled at PetSmart but is thriving in a tiny home at the Osawatomie location.

A major theme is advocacy for FIV-positive cats. All of Shelby’s personal cats are FIV-positive, and she explains that FIV is not a death sentence. These cats can live long, healthy lives with ordinary responsible care.

Shelby also discusses how A&F has grown from a senior-dog sanctuary into an organization serving cats, kittens, dogs of all ages, ponies, and people needing veterinary assistance. She is especially excited about:

• Cat-friendly tiny homes planned for Homestead East
• Safe spaces for FIV-positive cats, pregnant mothers, sick cats, and kittens
• Wichita’s lifesaving work with neonatal kittens
• A future brick-and-mortar veterinary center in Kansas City
• Expanding community veterinary assistance into Missouri
• The “100 Days, 100 Stories” fundraising campaign

She closes by encouraging supporters to donate or share the campaign and announces plans for recurring Sunday broadcasts—possibly called “Sup Sundays”—featuring animal stories, organizational updates, and guest speakers.

But then something beautiful happened.

Within just 24 hours, we started seeing Pooches come back. A little more curiosity, a little more confidence, and that wonderful old man spunk began shining through.

He realized he was safe. He realized there were people here who loved him.

Look what love can do.

Sometimes an animal doesn't need us to fix them. Sometimes they just need somewhere safe enough to remember who they were.

Within just 24 hours

we started seeing Pooches come back.

Please share Pooches and help us find him a foster or forever home.

And somewhere out there is an owner whose life changed and who had to say goodbye to a dog they loved for 13 years. We may never know who that person is, but I would love for Pooches' story to somehow find its way back to them, so they can know their old friend is safe, loved, and getting another chance.

Sometimes life separates us from those we love through no choice of our own.

Pooches deserves someone who will love him through the rest of his story.

She was 14 years old when someone decided they didn’t want her anymore. She came into my life for what was supposed to be a little while, and somehow, in just three months, she became part of me.

I remember thinking I was giving her a safe place to land. But Layla gave me something too. She helped my Libby heal. She brought this quiet kind of love into our home, and she taught me that sometimes the animals we think we are saving are saving pieces of us right back.

She was only mine for three months, but it never felt like three months. It felt like I had loved her forever. And I still do.

That is why this matters so much to me. Every single life has a ripple effect. Every animal touches someone else. Every soul matters.

Our dream is that shelters can be different. That animals can be loved, seen, and cared for as individuals. That peace matters just as much as survival.

We are trying to raise $1.4 million through 5,600 people giving $250 to help build the next chapter of Rescue Reimagined, including a donor-funded veterinary center.

You don’t have to give $250 to matter. Give $5. Give $25. Share Layla’s story. It all adds up

And I’m going to piggyback off Jen’s post that animals never replace the ones we’ve lost. They don’t try to. They just find another little space in your heart and fill it in a completely different way. They don’t care who you were yesterday, what mistakes you’ve made, what you look like or what you have. They just meet you exactly where you are and love you from there.

And maybe that’s what all of these souls have been teaching us for the last 9,000 lives.

That rescue can be different

That a shelter doesn’t have to feel like a shelter. It can feel like a home. A place filled with couches and friends and sunshine and second chances. A place where the scared ones get time, the old ones matter, and nobody becomes disposable because they are difficult, expensive or simply ran out of time.

That is Rescue Reimagined. That is our dream.

And now we’re asking you to dream with us.

Phase one is $1.4 million. That sounds impossible until you break it down. 5,600 people giving $250 builds it. And if $250 isn’t possible, $25 matters. $10 matters. $5 matters. Sharing this story matters.

Because this has never been about one person doing something enormous. It’s about thousands of people deciding to do one little thing together.

So for 100 days, we’re going to keep telling you who we are. We’re going to keep introducing you to the souls who made us who we are. And maybe somewhere along the way, you’ll decide this dream belongs to you too.

One person. One share. One donation. One soul at a time.

We Have a Dream. Come build it with us.

Charlotte was our first save from the Wichita Animal Shelter.

She was a scruffy little cat. Her eyes were bleeding. She looked horrific.

And when Jen saw her, the thought was simple:

"If she needs me, I need her."

There were plenty of reasons to hesitate. Jen didn’t know if her dogs would accept a cat. She didn’t know if she was ready for one. She had had a traumatic loss of Bad Cat not long before.

But somehow, in a million ways, Charlotte needed her.

And in a billion more, Jen said she needed Charlotte.

Charlotte went to Jen's home with flea dermatitis and a list of medical needs that would only grow. Over the next two years, there would be test after test, hospital stay after hospital stay, and more than one moment when Jen thought she was going to lose her.

And somewhere along the way, they also learned something unexpected: Charlotte was a boy.

The name stayed. Because Charlotte was Charlotte.

Jen's time with Charlotte would be painfully short — just two years. About a year and a half in, the medical battles became harder. There were days when it looked like Charlotte might not make it.

But even in the hardest moments, Jen could feel how pure Charlotte’s love was.

No expectations. No conditions.

Just love.

Charlotte also brought people into Jen’s life, including one of her best friends, Beth. That is one of the things animals do. Their impact stretches far beyond the space they occupy in our homes. They connect us to people, places and pieces of ourselves we might never have found without them.

When Charlotte passed in July 2022, the loss came during an already heartbreaking year.

But having Charlotte for only two years never made those two years less important.

Charlotte reminded Jen how unbelievably lucky and blessed she was to have known the love of a cat.

And Charlotte opened her eyes to something else.

How many cats were sitting in shelters waiting for someone to see them?

There still is an unbelievable disparity between the value we put on the life of a dog versus the life of a cat.

Charlotte helped turn Jen into what she will proudly tell you she is today: "100% a dog person and 100% a cat person."

She taught Jen about cats, about unconditional love, about loss and about an entire population of shelter animals desperately needing someone to notice them.

Because sometimes the animal you think you are saving becomes the one who changes everything.

Today, cats are a huge part of the dream we are building, too. Because of an amazing cat team and foster system we often have more than 100 cats in our care.

100 days. 100 stories. One dream.

We have a dream that shelters can be places of hope — places where every soul is seen, loved and given a chance, and where people can leave feeling better than when they arrived.

We are building that dream together. A rescue rooted in joy.

1.4 million. 5,600 Dream Builders. $250 at a time.

We're sharing 100 rescue stories over 100 days to raise $1.4M, to build our dream that is Homestead East in KC. A place that will show people what's possible when rescue is rooted in joy. A dream that won't be built on one big check. 5,600 gifts of $250 will make it real.

BECOME A DREAM BUILDER: https://buff.ly/xYQ66OV

TELL US ABOUT THE RESCUE THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE OR THE MOMENT THAT LED YOU TO RESCUE: https://buff.ly/nEnWd9w

His name was Sheldon. He was an old guy, and we were a brand-new senior sanctuary with a little room to help.

But when we got there, Sheldon wasn’t the only dog who needed someone.

There were six dogs on that day’s euthanasia list.

We were a new rescue. We had a minivan. And that minivan had space.
So all six got in.

Two would eventually head to another rescue partner, while Sheldon, Max, Loki and Luna came home with us. They became the 8th, 9th, 11th and 12th dogs to call our Little Red Barn home.

And only Sheldon was old.

The others? Young pit bull mixes.

So much for being a senior sanctuary.

But that day helped shape something that has been part of Always & Furever ever since:

How do you say no to a soul who simply needs someone to see them and say yes?

Sheldon went on to become the first official adoption from the Little Red Barn in 2018.

Luna became one of our longest-term residents. She was adopted and returned more than once, always coming back to the people who loved those soulful eyes and that enormous heart. She became a staff and volunteer favorite—and this year, after all that waiting, Luna finally found her furever home. She is living her best life with people to call her very own.

And Max? Well, Max definitely wasn't an old guy. He was young, energetic and very good at keeping everyone at our supposed “senior sanctuary” on their toes.

One trip.
One minivan.
Six lives that needed someone to say yes.

And four dogs who became part of the earliest chapters of this Little Red Barn.

We didn't know then exactly what Always & Furever would become. We didn't know how many thousands of animals would eventually come through our doors.

We just knew there were lives in front of us that mattered.

And we said yes.

That is still our dream today.

To build places where there is room to say yes. Where animals who have nowhere else to go can land safely, heal, be loved and have the chance to find what comes next.

For 100 days, we're sharing 100 of the stories that built this dream.

Because before there was a campaign, a Homestead East, Lighthouses or plans for what comes next, there were dogs like Sheldon, Max, Loki and Luna.

And a minivan with a little extra room.

We Have a Dream.

And we're building it together.

$1.4 million · 5,600 Dream Builders · $250 at a time

Become a Dream Builder and help us make room for the next soul who needs someone to say yes.

We're sharing 100 rescue stories over 100 days to raise $1.4M, to build our dream that is Homestead East in KC. A place that will show people what's possible when rescue is rooted in joy. A dream that won't be built on one big check. 5,600 gifts of $250 will make it real.

BECOME A DREAM BUILDER: https://buff.ly/xYQ66OV

TELL US ABOUT THE A&F RESCUE THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE: https://buff.ly/nEnWd9w

DAY 9 OF 100 — WE HAVE A DREAM.
What if rescue could be more than a place animals go when they have nowhere else to go?
What if our Kansas City campus could become something almost like a YMCA for people AND animals — a place where you don’t have to be adopting a dog to belong. A place to gather, volunteer, learn, laugh, meet people, help animals, find purpose and maybe feel a little less alone. A place where the unhoused are welcomed, families come together, kids grow up learning compassion, seniors find community, and animals who once had nobody suddenly have an entire village.
That is Rescue Reimagined. And that is our dream.
Mama and Gump reminded us why. They taught us that life is ridiculously short and that we aren’t supposed to spend it waiting for someday. We are supposed to LIVE it. Fill it with joy. Love deeply. Work together. And they reminded us that rescue gets stronger when rescues stop acting like islands and start believing we can accomplish more together than any of us ever could alone.
So tonight, I want to know YOUR dream.
Not just for animal rescue. What do you dream could be different in your community, your life, or this world if enough people decided to believe it was possible?
Our dream takes $1.4 million.
That sounds enormous until you realize it is 5,600 people giving $250.
And then suddenly it isn't one impossible mountain. It's 5,600 people each carrying one little piece.
Some can give $250. Some can give $25. Some can give $5. Some can share this post, tell our story, volunteer, pray, introduce us to someone who can help, or simply believe with us.
We believe in a God capable of things far beyond anything we could accomplish alone. And maybe that's the whole point of a dream this big — none of us is supposed to be able to do it alone.
5,600 people. $250. $1.4 million.
We can do this.
Share your dream. Share our dream. Share your story. And then let's find a way together.

🐾 100 Days of Rescue 🐾 DAY 1: Wallace

Tonight, we begin our 100 days with Wallace.

He wasn't the story we planned to share first. We were going to begin with Daisy, our very first rescue. But then Wallace needed us - and that is what happens in rescue.

We pivot. Plans change. Needs become urgent. A soul standing right in front of us becomes the story that must be told.

Wallace came to the Little Red Barn just today.

It is clear life has not been kind to him. He is much too thin and he had a harness that was way too small embedded in his neck. He has been to the ER to get the first of his medical needs taken care of.

Tonight, he is safe in our care. Learning what that love and peace looks and feels like.

Could we have pulled a young easy to adopt dog? We could have. But Wallace is alive today because you all believe, like we do, that those that others throw out and pass over, are worth saving.

That's what this campaign is about. We're sharing 100 rescue stories over 100 days to raise $1.4M to build our dream that is Homestead East in Kansas City. A place that will give a chance and a home to a dog like Wallace who needs someone to believe his life is worth saving.

Tonight we begin 100 days of believing that a dream really can become reality.

The dream is simple: 5,600 people × $250 = $1.4 million to help build Homestead East and reimagine what rescue can be. And for our first 200 $250 donations, every dollar will be matched dollar for dollar.

Already, 40 people have stepped forward. We can do this. One person at a time. One story at a time. One dream at a time.

Help us dream big for all of the animals out there who still need their happily ever after.

DONATE NOW

Website: alwaysandfurever.org/donate

Venmo: https://www.venmo.com/u/AlwaysandFurever

Howard sat at the Wichita Animal Shelter at the top of the euthanasia list. An old pit bull on death row, feeling hopeless. On his very last day, the barn pulled him. In one whirlwind weekend, the sanctuary went from three dogs to six.

Howard was the barn's first Wichita Animal Shelter pull: "Welcome home Howard. We've been waiting for you."

The defeated dog from death row turned out to be the happiest soul in the barn. Just a glance his way would send his tail wagging. And then there were the bubbles. No dog or human could match his love for them. He tasted his first-ever ice cream cone, ran through sprinklers, and caught "a JILLION tennis balls,". Even Hank's (Day 5) constant fun-policing couldn't deter him from having a good time, all of the time.

But month after month, Howard watched other dogs leave for forever homes while he stayed. His hips and knees were bad, and his pride was hurt if anyone tried to carry him up stairs.

"Howard has been in the barn the longest of all our pups and we are completely baffled why," the barn pleaded. "He needs his person."

Then, after eight months, the post everyone had been waiting for: "IT'S FINALLY FB OFFICIAL. HOWARD HAS A FOREVER FAMILY!"

As the barn put it, "We may have saved his life, but his forever mama saved his spirit."

Howard got more than a year of the family life he'd waited so long for. In April 2020, the barn said goodbye to its sixth baby: "May bubbles run freely everywhere and over everything."

Howard's story started hours from being put down. Instead he spent the next two years smiling. He was given the chance to feel hope, happiness, and what a furever home feels like.

DONATE NOW

Website: alwaysandfurever.org/donate

Venmo: https://www.venmo.com/u/AlwaysandFurever

🐾 100 Days of Rescue 🐾

DAY 2: DAISY

Before there was a barn, before there was a lighthouse, before there was any of it, there was Daisy.

The weather was turning cold in October 2017 when we learned about an old girl who'd spent nearly her whole life outside on a chain in isolation. Her owner was going into assisted living, and from the moment we saw Daisy's big, sad eyes peering out from under that fence, she had stolen all our hearts. We had to help rewrite the second part of her story.

That's why on October 24, 2017, Daisy became Always & Furever's very first rescue.

The good folks at Kerry's Kennel in Spring Hill kept her that first night. She was shy, sweet, and eager to make friends. The next day, Spring Hill Veterinary Clinic found a mammary gland mass that needed to come out. A quickly organized GoFundMe covered the surgery and her mass was benign. Since the sanctuary was still under construction, Scott, a friend of Jen's, agreed to foster Daisy.

Well, Scott never stood a chance. The two bonded instantly. After their trip home from the vet, he knew they were inseparable. Scott called Jen and asked to make it official and adopt Daisy permanently.

Four days after being unchained, she had a new furever home.

Nearly eight years and hundreds of seniors saved later, we still open every anniversary by telling her story. She's the first dog to exemplify our belief that every senior dog deserves a happily ever after. That age shouldn't be an expiration date for love.

Daisy is the reason there's a "we" to tell our story at all.

That's what this campaign is about.

We're sharing 100 rescue stories over 100 days to raise $1.4M to build our dream that is Homestead East in Kansas City.

A place that will show people what's possible when rescue is rooted in joy. A haven that will show animals like Daisy what is possible after making it to the other side of that fence.

Help us dream big for all of the animals out there who still need their happily ever after

DONATE NOW

Website: alwaysandfurever.org/donate

Venmo: https://www.venmo.com/u/AlwaysandFurever

🐾 100 Days of Rescue 🐾

DAY 6: BERNADETTE

In early June 2018, a volunteer drove home from St. Louis with two dogs, and one of them called shotgun.

Bernadette arrived at the barn blind, her body full of tumors and ticks, her prognosis grim. The welcome post pulled no punches:

"Bernie may not be with us long... but whatever we can do for you sweet girl I promise we will. No matter how long you have, at least you'll know love."

Nobody told Bernie she was fragile. Though she couldn't see, she taught herself the dog door and ran the place from day one. She earned a full royal roster of nicknames: Queen B, Big B, "Ms Big Brindle Butt". She also earned a reputation as the barn's beloved resident cranky pants: grumbling constantly, guarding the food bowls, and demanding breakfast be brought to her. And everyone adored her for it. She had her soft side though with a routine of sunbathing on hot Kansas days, sunset cuddles, and car rides with the windows down for pup cups and Sonic tater tots.

In August 2018, the barn feared they'd lose her.

But Queen B wasn't done.

She rallied for months, posed majestically in the snow for another winter season, and was crowned prom queen at the Golden Gala.

On February 4, 2019, came the diagnosis: her heart was failing. For eight more days, the posts kept coming. Good mornings, goodnights, one last kitchen begging session. On February 12, 2019, Bernie crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

Bernie was never adopted. The barn was her happily ever after. A blind dog given days to live instead got eight months of sunshine naps and a family of caregivers  who let her be exactly who she was: bossy, grumbling, resilient, and deeply loved.

Every dog deserves that kind of love, however long they have.

🐾

Penny

The Unexpected Addition Who Stole Every Heart

June 2018 — December 26, 2018 • Always & Furever Midwest Animal Sanctuary

"We Couldn't Leave Penny Behind" (June 2018)

Penny was never part of the plan. In early June 2018, volunteers drove to St. Louis to pick up Bernadette — and came home with two dogs. "When we went to grab Bernadette we couldn't leave Penny behind." While Bernie called shotgun, Penny slept the whole ride to Kansas. She arrived at the Little Red Barn a "little lumpy lady" with hip and leg issues, "a shaky scared mess" — a tiny senior rat terrier from a kill shelter, slowly learning she was safe while gentle giant Hank appointed himself her protector.

Princess of the Barn (Summer–Fall 2018)

Penny blossomed into pure barn royalty — and pure barn mischief. She was outed early as the "resident indoor pooper and piddler" who tried to blame Hank and hide under him when questioned. She was the second food thief "at large," wandering bowl to bowl. She stole Hank's bed so often he ended up on the floor, helped "clean the spoons" at meal prep (#pennyprepper), loved to howl, and raced Miles in legendary senior-vs-senior sprints with "a little spring in her step."

Her calendar was full: a Sunday Funday "Penny's Day Out" with car cruising and treats, sprinkler parties with Howard, Sonic pup cups and tots with Bernie, sunbathing sessions, dog park adventures, a Girls' Night Out at a paint-your-own-pottery studio, church visits with Miles, and one failed blind date with Bad Cat ("No sparks. Ehhh. We tried."). She had a nurturing side too — she and Mama took care of newcomer Gump.

"This sweet senior truly enjoys her life on the farm and her Jen that saved her."

She was forever underfoot or in Jen's arms — "Princess Penny," the little pup with the big heart, even serving as A&F's honorary "head accountant," Penny Pincher.

• • •

The Fight of Her Life (December 2018)

On December 19, 2018, everything changed: "Penny would appreciate everyone's prayers please. She's at BluePearl now and the outlook isn't good." After six months at the barn, Penny was suddenly fighting for her life, badly wounded. The community rallied instantly. The barn launched a "1000 Pennies" campaign — "See a PENNY pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck!" — and donations poured past $3,000 within a day against vet bills climbing over $4,000.

And Penny fought. She made it through the first night. On December 22 the barn posted in her voice:

"I've decided to stay and keep fighting... my time isn't up yet. I have so much love left to give."

Gump insisted on stopping by to give her love. When her wounds abscessed, surgeons placed a drain on December 23 and she came through surgery. On Christmas Eve, the miracle everyone prayed for: "Penny is home and resting... Our princess is home." She spent the evening in her own bed beside the Christmas tree, a piece of Jen's ham placed at the edge of her bed in case she wanted it later.

Goodbye, Princess (December 26, 2018)

The day after Christmas brought a final scare, a return to BluePearl, and then the hardest post: Penny "crossed the rainbow bridge... while resting in the loving arms of her momma, Jen." Jen's tribute remains one of the most beautiful things the barn ever wrote:

"You were our first unexpected addition and our most special... You were practically perfect in every way and one of my littlest best friends... Whatever is more than love, that's what you are."

Legacy

Penny's paw prints are everywhere at the sanctuary. "Penny's Place" was built in her honor, where other pups now nap. The barn's entrance road is Penny Lane — "Pull in. Left at Penny Lane. Entrance to heaven on earth." Dogs were pulled off euthanasia lists partly "because you look like our Penny." And in the barn's own words about its original six: four found the perfect home on earth, and Bernie and Penny "found the perfect home in heaven."

Penny's success story isn't an adoption — it's that a shaking, discarded senior from a kill shelter spent her last six months as a princess, utterly and completely loved.

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Website: alwaysandfurever.org/donate

Venmo: https://www.venmo.com/u/AlwaysandFurever

100 Days of Rescue

Day 4: MILES 🐾

One day left to live. That's where Miles' story almost ended. A stray found wandering on a freezing February night in 2018, he was scheduled to be euthanized the next day at a shelter in Garnett, KS.

But fate had different plans. Jen stepped in. Kate agreed to foster Miles for three months, while an old horse barn was converted into a sanctuary. He was fostered so long, everyone jokingly started calling it "Miles' Barn."

Before the sanctuary opened, came the post that started it all: "Our first resident Miles checking out his furever home." That May, he officially moved in.

Miles was never the dog at the front of the pack demanding attention. His barn bio said it best: he was content to wait at the back of the group for whatever leftover love came his way. While everyone else napped, that's when he'd quietly walk up with sweet, hopeful eyes asking, do you have a little bit of time for me?

Earned nicknames included Smiley Miles, the resident potato dog, and the barn's fluffy night watchman. Though he mastered the dog door going out, he never quite figured out how to come back in. He was the best little ambassador we could ask for. He greeted fans at festivals, visited kids at church, and dipped fries in ice cream on Saturday drives. Anyone who met him experienced the quiet magic that came from loving him.

Five months after the barn opened, the humble dog at the back of the pack finally got his own family. He spent ten months as the heart of their home before his body slowed down.

From a stray with one day left, to the first resident of a little red barn, to a beloved family dog: Miles is the blueprint for everything we believe. We're still telling the story of the gentle old man whose sweet eyes only ever asked one question.

Someone finally answered.

We're sharing 100 rescue stories over 100 days to raise $1.4M, to build our dream that is Homestead East in KC. A place that will show people what's possible when rescue is rooted in joy. A dream that won't be built on one big check.

5,600 gifts of $250 will make it real.

Help us dream big for all of the animals out there who still need their happily ever after.

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Website: alwaysandfurever.org/donate

Venmo: https://www.venmo.com/u/AlwaysandFurever

🐾 100 Days of Rescue 🐾

Day 3: ANNIE 🐾

Before anyone knew her name, Annie spent most of her life confined by a chain. You’d never have guessed it from her happy-go-lucky personality.

A good Samaritan convinced her owner to relinquish her, and that one act of kindness changed everything.

When Always & Furever first opened our doors in May 2018, Annie was the first dog to walk through them, on opening day itself.

Her defining trait showed up immediately: an unstoppable love of food. She was dubbed the “senior pup vacuum”. She earned her own spot in the “chamber of food thieves” at breakfast, so others could eat in peace. She even once made off with a volunteer’s sandwich. And as you can see in her photos, she had a talent for inhaling ice cream cones.

In June 2018, hard news came: a cancerous tumor on her neck, dangerously close to her jugular, on the very spot where a chain had tethered her for years. The community rallied to fund her surgery. She came home the next day, nose in the car vent the whole ride, then promptly stuck her whole face in a bag of treats.

Classic Annie.

That September, she found her family. She jumped straight into her mom’s arms and kissed her way into their hearts. She chose them. What followed was a year and a half of Sonic tater tots, couch cuddles, destroyed Christmas toys, and burger runs back to the barn with her volunteer best friend, who called her “Annie Banany, my ride or die.”

Annie’s cancer returned in early 2020, and she crossed the Rainbow Bridge that February. Not before her family gave her, in their words, the best year and a half of her life. From a lifetime on a chain to making friends at the barn, to cancer, to a family who chose her back.

It’s never too late for happily ever after. Annie’s journey through life proved it.

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Website: alwaysandfurever.org/donate

Venmo: https://www.venmo.com/u/AlwaysandFurever

🐾 100 Days of Rescue 🐾

DAY 5: HANK

And then there were three.

Just days after Annie and Miles moved into the Little Red Barn, an 8-year-old, 175-pound Great Dane arrived as our third resident. Hank had been surrendered through no fault of his own. His family could no longer care for him, and too many stairs had become too much for his old legs.

Every visitor got the same welcome: Hank's ginormous head popping out of the doggie door, his deep Great Dane bark impatiently ordering them inside to love on him. The big bark was all talk of course, because it turns out he was a big marshmallow. He collected nicknames the way he collected dog beds: The Boss, Hank the Tank, King of the Crew, and, most famously, the "Fun Police," forever on patrol to keep his buddy Howard from having too much fun. He was so big the vet had to make barn calls because he couldn't fit in a car. He napped across two beds at once, murdered pillows, and thought he was a horse offering rides. But his gentlest job was his most important: protector of tiny, fragile Penny (who we will introduce in Day 7). She hid under him when she was in trouble, then stole his bed so often he slept on the floor.

Lorraine, a friend of Founder Jen's from Pittsburgh, freely admitted she was not a dog person. Jen bet her a paycheck she'd leave the barn with a dog. Lorraine spent the whole weekend following Hank around, wishing she could smuggle all 145 pounds of him home in her suitcase. Back in Pittsburgh, she couldn't stop thinking about him. First, her aunt offered to dog-sit, then her sister, then a neighbor, then four girls from the gym.

"I couldn't deny it anymore. It was time to bring my boy home," she decided.

On October 7, 2018, Hank moved to Pittsburgh. His adoption, along with his buddy Stuart's, opened the door for two more seniors to be saved.

Hank quickly settled into the good life: a big cozy bed, an entire first floor to himself, and a whole neighborhood turned into his fan club. His Facebook page, Hank's Haven, grew to over 9,500 followers with one video topping 9 million views.

"I still wouldn't consider myself a 'dog person,'" Lorraine said, "but I'm definitely a 'Hank person.'"

By summer 2019, Hank's huge, loving heart could no longer keep up with his body. An advanced heart condition was slowing him down. The barn community rallied one last time, raising funds for his care in under 25 minutes. On July 22, 2019, Hank crossed over, surrounded by love, having found his happily ever after on earth with Lorraine.

A dog surrendered for being too big and too old turned out to be exactly the right size for a woman who never wanted a dog at all. Years later, we're still telling his story: the gentle giant with his head out the doggie door, 24/7 fun police monitor, Penny's protector, and an adored neighborhood mascot.

Every gentle giant like Hank deserves to finds his person.

Help us continue saving gentle giants like Hank.

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Website: alwaysandfurever.org/donate

Venmo: https://www.venmo.com/u/AlwaysandFurever