Hempfield-based rescue group foots medical bills to promote senior dog adoptions

Bones takes arthritis medication twice a day to relieve pain in his legs, while Bruce relies on pills to help control his seizures.

Those ongoing medical problems didn’t prevent respective owners Makayla Losteter and Jessica Sullenberger from welcoming the older dogs into their homes, but a program recently introduced by the local Cross Your Paws Rescue organization made their commitments to the aging pets less of a financial challenge.

“A lot of people love older dogs, but they just can’t afford the bills that come with them,” said Lisa Duffy of Hempfield, founder of the nonprofit rescue group.

She said the organization’s Forever Foster program is meant to encourage potential adopters to open their homes to permanently foster senior dogs that are living in shelters or have been rescued from poor living conditions. In return, Cross Your Paws commits to supporting the dogs’ medical needs for the remainder of their lives.

“It’s a lot for people to take on medically,” Duffy said. “That’s why we made this program for elderly dogs.”

There are eight dogs in the program, including Bones, now at home with Losteter in Forward Township, and Bruce, a new member of the Sullenberger household in Sewickley Township.

“I’m all about saving animals,” said Sullenberger, who works in a veterinary office and is training to become a veterinary technician.

Bruce, a beagle mix who is believed to be between 6 and 8, is not the first Forever Foster adoptee Sullenberger and her husband, Michael, have added to their family, which includes four cats and another dog.

In April, they adopted Joe, a 12-year-old coonhound who had been rescued from Kentucky. “He was nothing but skin and bones, and he had a limp,” Jessica Sullenberger said.

One of his legs had been broken and had not mended well, and he’d been shot with BBs that were deeply embedded in his body, she said. “He definitely came from a rough beginning.”

While taking eight medications for several other conditions, Joe became a treasured member of his new family.

“He was trusting of everybody and happy-go-lucky,” Sullenberger said. “He was good with other animals and just a good dog all-around.”

But, after six months, his body failed him.

“He had stomach problems, his liver was going and his body temperature was dropping,” Sullenberger said. “I wish we’d had a longer time with him, but it was the best six months of his life.”

The Sullenbergers’ mourning for Joe was alleviated when they recently adopted a local rescue, Bruce, as a new companion for themselves and their mixed-breed dog, Ivy.

For Bruce, “It was love at first sight when he saw Ivy,” Jessica Sullenberger said. “They cuddle, and they play. Ivy taught him what toys are.”

“If he has a seizure or needs a medical appointment, (Cross Your Paws) will help pay for his treatment,” Sullenberger said. “We’ve had him for a few weeks, and he’s had one seizure. It’s nothing that is ever going to go away.

“It is something that is really scary. He lies on his side, gets stiff and takes a deep breath.”

But, soon after the seizure passed, she said, Bruce was eager to play again.

Bones was found emaciated in Fayette County.

A hound mix with an estimated age of 14, Bones weighed 43 pounds when Losteter decided in October to bring him home to join her two young sons, two cats and a Lab mix named Tank.

“He’s a bigger breed, so he should weigh around 65 or 70 pounds,” Losteter said of Bones. He also is blind in one eye, deaf and has arthritis in his hind legs.

His initial condition was poor enough to require a trip to a veterinary hospital.

“You could see he wanted to live. He wanted so hard to get up and come to me,” Losteter said. “He’s definitely a fighter.”

Bones since has gained weight and has settled into his new home. He plays tug-of-war and is liberal with licks as he shows his affection for the Losteter boys.

His arthritis prevents him from taking outings in the local park. But, Losteter said, “He loves to go for car rides.”

Cross Your Paws helps with the cost of Bones’ medicine. Bones and the other Forever Foster adoptees are among more than 1,000 dogs the group has rescued this year, according to Duffy.

The organization has shifted its fundraising efforts away from in-person activities during the pandemic and, so far, has found success with Prize-A-Palooza online drawings.

“We raised around $15,000,” Duffy said. “That helps us a lot. We started that trying to find a way to stay afloat. We used to do spaghetti dinners.”

Donations also help the nonprofit continue its mission. Visit crossyourpaws.com to learn more or to make a contribution.

“If you have it in your heart to take in a dog with a medical problem, it’s sad at the end, but to see all the love they have and how grateful they are, it’s something you want to experience,” Sullenberger said.