Dogtree Pines Gives SENIORS A SOFT PLACE TO LAND

by Blake Herzog

Cindy Lamont and her partner Bill Nicholas eased into the dog-rescue life over time, capping the number they would keep on their 6 wooded acres just outside Prescott at around six. Then, two years ago, Lamont was diagnosed with breast cancer.

She tried to go back to her real estate job after her recovery but says, “Nope, this is not what I want to die doing.” She turned her focus to her true passion — rescuing older dogs, after she and Nicholas put their all into making their two beloved labs’ final years as joyful and comfortable as possible.

“I just decided to kind of take a leap of faith and start this, really do this and do it right and see how it goes,” she says.

Founded as a 501(c)3 in February 2022, Dogtree Pines Senior Dog Sanctuary has 17 dogs onsite and another five in foster homes, a growing army of donors and volunteers, and a heart as big as Arizona, taking in dogs of about 10 years or older with medical conditions from around the state and beyond. At the end of April followers of the sanctuary’s Facebook page watched the saga of Cactus and Finley, 14- and 12-year-olds pulled from the euthanasia list at a shelter in Prattville, Alabama, and transported in a 21-leg crosscountry relay with the final stretch between Gallup, New Mexico and Prescott in a private jet.

“Initially I would watch for dogs in need, and I more or less went to them. But it’s the complete opposite now that we have recognition and people are figuring out who we are and what we do,” Lamont says. “They’re starting to come to us constantly. I just got a voicemail from a lady that has two dogs to give up. And yesterday there were two or three messages. It’s multiple a day.”

Dogtree Pines canines live in a world without kennels, cages or concrete floors where they can go out for a slow walk whenever they feel like it, eat homemade meals including ground beef, chicken, veggies and supplements determined by their needs, sleep in whatever bed they choose, and get spoiled by every human they encounter.

They receive the medical and hospice care they need to stay comfortable and happy as long as they can play and enjoy life, and, when it’s time, given a peaceful sendoff and laid to rest beneath the pines.

“Old dogs are the best kind of dogs,” Lamont says. “They’re so easy and they’re so wise. And they know what to ask for. If you listen, they know what to ask for. Puppies are cute and wonderful, but they don’t know any better. They haven’t learned. Old dogs, they get it.”

How to help:

To learn more about donating, volunteering, buying from the group’s Amazon wish list and other ways to support Dogtree Pines visit www.dogtreepines.com; go to www.facebook.com/dogtreepines; call 667.364.8733; or email OldDogs@DogtreePines.com. Checks can be mailed to 1525 S. Dogtree Ln., Prescott, AZ, 86303.