Finding a Forever Home

story by Kari Williams

photos by Sarah Reeves

Leah, a beautiful white husky with no eyes waited patiently for her forever home at a ranch on West 47th Street in Shawnee, and one day a family came to visit her. The following week, she was adopted.

“The pictures I took that day of taking Leah and getting her in the car—it was just like this bond and this connection they made immediately,” says Shelee Brim, a board member at Imagine Furever Ranch. “And I always said that Leah didn’t have eyes to see with, but she was able to see through her heart. And it was just amazing to see them come together.”

Leah is among more than 80 dogs who have been adopted out of the senior dog rescue since it opened August 27, 2021.

Brim, also an intake coordinator for the ranch, has been with the organization from “the ground floor.”

“My entire life I have had dogs, and most of them have been mutts,” she says. “With seniors, it’s just extra special because a lot of people think they want that puppy, but the seniors are just so unique and special.”

The focus on senior dogs, according to Brim, is as important for the dogs as it is for the volunteers.

“People [who] actually come and volunteer get as much out of it if not more than the dogs truly do,” Brim says.

A lot of dogs surrendered to the ranch come from circumstances where their owners have died or are transitioning to an assisted living facility and can’t take them along.

“It’s a hard decision to make …,” Brim says. “They see the place and see the community there [at the ranch] and they’re going, ‘This is the right place.’”

In some cases, dogs in those situations come to the sanctuary as bonded pairs, like Tumbles and Missy. Pairs, Brim says, are difficult to adopt out because people typically are looking for one dog.

“They were puggles and just the most adorable little pair you could imagine, and they were actually adopted together,” she says.

Foster Bruce Nalley says the ranch provides a great service.

“So many people out there have family members who passed away [and they] can no longer keep the dog and have to give them up … There were several dogs that we’ve had that were going to be euthanized,” he says. “They are now in good homes, and [it’s a] much happier situation for everybody ….”

Everyone from families to retirees—even a few Scouts working on their Eagle service projects — spend time at the ranch.

“There are retired people [who] come and are spending their senior years with senior dogs,” Brim says. A dog’s love, she says, is unconditional.

“No matter what’s going on, they love you. And you can just tell,” Brim says. “They have that special connection and seems like they truly appreciate— you know how they appreciate that love and the new families that come in and adopt.”

More than 400 people have completed Imagine Furever’s volunteer orientation. The ranch currently has about six fosters, including Bella, who came from Clinton Animal Control and had a leg amputated before going to her foster home with Bruce and Donna Nalley.

“It had been pretty obvious to my wife and me that Belle had not had a pretty good life,” Nalley says.

It had only been two and a half weeks since the amputation when she arrived at the Nalleys’ home.

“Just to see the recovery, now she’s a very happy dog and out running on three legs—it’s just been real rewarding,” Nalley says.

He says he and his wife decided to foster after losing two of their own dogs.

“Obviously you can tell from the dogs they were well taken care of,” he says. “And the other factor was [that] the Christian organization was important to Donna.” Their first foster was a boxer mix named Louie. “He had a lot of energy for an older dog. He kept the squirrels out of the bird feeder,” Nalley says with a laugh. “He was a lot of fun. He was just a good dog.”

Louie was only with Nalleys about three weeks. Since then, they have fostered five dogs, including Belle.

“Foster dogs are kind of like, to quote Forest Gump, sort of like a box of chocolates,” Nalley says. “Each one of them brings their own personality and challenges, as well as stories that would break other people’s hearts. It just has been real rewarding to us to have these dogs and see them wag their tail. Some have not been in the best of situations, so it’s nice to see dogs are happy and enjoying life.”

Margaret Jaworski adopted from the ranch, learning about it through Brim’s social media accounts. When she first saw it in person, she said she thought it was “absolutely gorgeous.”

“It’s comfortable and cute, and I love it because I think it’s more inviting for volunteers because it’s just like sitting in a living room,” Jaworski says. “There’s couches; it’s comfortable and positive.”

While she initially signed on to foster, she was at the sanctuary the day Romeo arrived.

“Initially he was a foster, but I knew immediately he’d probably be adopted,” she says of the senior dog with poor eyesight.

She doesn’t know anything about his past other than he came to Shawnee as a stray from Oklahoma.

“He’s a senior, and he doesn’t see very well, but I’m telling you he’s the sweetest,” she says. “Even if he only lives six months, it’ll be so worth it. … He’s just an adorable little curmudgeon. He looks like a little gremlin.” As the ranch continues through its inaugural year, Brim says the goal is simply to be part of the community.

“We’re not all about numbers of dogs that we turn over and everything,” Brim says. “We’re just about making a difference in the dogs’ lives and [the lives of ] the people in our community.” And for rescues like Leah and Romeo, that’s exactly what happens.

“[The founders, Kathryn Lask and Todd Mitchell] had this mission and found the property and [were] able to make this dream come true,” Brim says. “And all the volunteers, we’re just tag-alongs on the dream.”

For more information, visit ImagineFureverRanch.org.

Imagine Furever Ranch is a faith-based sanctuary for senior dogs. The religious foundation is something the founders wanted from the beginning, according to intake coordinator Shelee Brim.

“God has a place for everyone, and our senior dogs have come there for a reason,” Brim says.

Those interested in becoming a foster must go through a volunteer orientation process, which can be found on the Imagine Furever website, and will then be matched with the appropriate dog(s).

Potential adopters should make an appointment for a meet and greet as soon as they see a dog they’re interested in, according to intake coordinator Shelee Brim.

And volunteer Margaret Jaworski suggests filling out an adoption form even before finding the right dog so families are fully vetted by the time they see a dog they want to bring home.