July 2025

Pup Date…

Over the past few months we were able to find wonderful loving homes for Dottie, Noel, Amber and Ashley! As much as we come to love them, we are always so happy when we can send them to their very own homes!

We recently brought in several new babies –

• Baby Bear, a 14 y/o blind, Yorkie mix

• Riley, a 14 y/o Teacup Yorkie

• Bella, a 16 y/o Silky Terrier

• Blanche and Dorothy, a bonded pair of puppy mill escapees – ages unknown

• Marley 8+y/o Golden Retriever

• Julie

• Willow

• Betty Boop

If you are interested in more information on our current residents, click here. Once on our website, you can click on each dog’s image to learn more.

🌈 In Loving Memory of Our Girl, Maggie

On Tuesday June 24th the decision had to be made to end the suffering and terribly debilitating confusion of our dear friend Maggie. A decision no pet owner never wants to makes but sometimes must out of compassion and love. Her condition had been declining in front of everyone’s eyes and the time was sadly at hand.

There is one word that time and time again I hear universally used to describe her and that was the word “sweet”. “Sweet Maggie” or “Mags” as I heard a few fellow volunteers shorten it to lovingly resided at White Whiskers for over seven months and to many volunteers was a fixture of the facility. She was an extremely docile and quiet dog. Some even called her “stealthy” as she could sneak up behind you as if walking on air. Seldom if ever using her bark but rather showing emotion through flashes of life with her fanciful trot around the backyard or sanctuary at dinner or after a bath. It was truly a prance that would bring a smile to anyone’s face.

For the longest time she was accidentally aged beyond her years. Medical records revealed her to be a bit younger than we thought in reality. Sorry Maggie but as Rod Steward sang “You wear it well.” Those who knew her also knew how expressive her face and eyes could be even through her dementia. When she locked in on to your face, scent or voice it felt like it “clicked” for her and provided comfort in a confusing world. We will miss being your guardians and guiding hands.

We can only hope you are free from running into items and getting stuck in corners and all the things that made a life for such a sweet dog so difficult. It was comforting and appropriate that your final treat was a decadent pup cup that I am certain was only half as sweet as our Maggie. She passed peacefully in Polla’s arms. Rest easy girl we all will miss you deeply.

We are so grateful to Greg, one of our wonderful volunteers, capturing Maggie’s spirit so beautifully in the words above. 🐾

White Whiskers 2026 Calendar

Right now, we are happily designing our first 2026 official White Whiskers Senior Dogs’ Calendar! It’s entitled Paw to Paw; Romance for Rover. And it’s all about dogs finding love online. (Yes! You read that right!) 

We hosted a photo contest and here are the winning doggies:

Ari, Bailey, Brennan, Dale, Dex, Ebby, Frida, Honey, Kody Bear, Myra, Olive, Princess,

Queen Hera, Rex, Ruley, Shadow, Syd, and Vickie.

Now, let the photo shoots begin! We’re pretty sure everyone is going to love our full color, glossy, wall calendar. They will be $10 each and each purchase will give you an opportunity to win a handful of giftcards! They will be for sale later this year.

We still need one more one-month’s sponsor as well – want to be a sponsor? Please email…  whitewhiskerssds@gmail.com

We can honestly say there has never been a calendar quite like this one! Every page

will bring a smile. Stay Tuned!!

We are so very fortunate that the The Matthew Foster Foundation who invites us to partner with them every year, has done so again!

The winner receives two Buffalo Bills 2024 Club Seat Season Tickets.

The seats are under cover, in the heated area. Section 238, Bills’ side. You also receive premium parking and access to all clubs!

The winner will be drawn on August 5 at the East Aurora Country Club after a golf tournament.

Tickets are 1 for $10; 3 for $20; 8 for $50 and 20 for $100. Please email us at  whitewhiskerssds@gmail.com with your name, contact info and quantity that you would like to purchase.

🐾Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Sue & Tom! 🐾

Just over a year ago, Sue Gibson and her father, Tom Hayes, began creating something truly special at White Whiskers — a memory garden designed to honor beloved dogs who have passed on. The garden provides a peaceful space for dog owners to reflect and remember, while also serving as a tribute to the senior dogs who spent their final days at the Sanctuary.

“I’ve been involved with Furrever Friends Dog Rescue for over 15 years,” shares Sue. “I met Polla at an event, and when she told me about her vision for a memory garden, I immediately offered to build it for White Whiskers — with my dad, and at no cost.”

The garden was unveiled at the sanctuary’s open house last summer and quickly became a beloved feature. This spring, the father-daughter landscaping team is back at it — expanding the space with new edging, vibrant perennials that will bloom all season, and even a beautiful magnolia tree. “It’s Ryan’s favorite,” Sue adds, referring to White Whiskers’ contractor. “And will bring both shade and color to the garden.”

Sue says being around the dogs and volunteers at White Whiskers — especially Polla — is a joy. “Polla is so easy to work with. She entrusted us with the garden, and her passion for senior dogs is both infectious and inspiring.”

While Tom admits he’s “not really an animal person,” his love for gardening is clear — from his home in Orchard Park to the condo community gardens he helps maintain. “I’m just happy to support my daughter’s dedication to rescue work and to help create a little country garden for White Whiskers.”

Sue’s commitment to rescue runs deep. Through Furrever Friends, she’s fostered several dogs and adopted two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels rescued from puppy mills: Rosebud (6) and Katie (13½). “When we adopted Rosebud, she had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, and we didn’t think she’d make it. But after a second opinion and the right care, she pulled through — and now she even serves as a therapy dog.”

From all of us at White Whiskers, thank you, Sue and Tom, for your green thumbs and generous hearts. It’s volunteers like you who keep tails wagging and spirits high! 

Want to join our incredible team of volunteers?

Please visit the volunteer page on our website https://whitewhiskerswny.org/volunteer/ or email our Volunteer Coordinator Bailey at whitewhiskerssocial@gmail.com

Looking for ways to help?

A Message From Our Founder

Tonight I took my dogs for their last constitutional before bedtime.  It was a beautiful evening – rain free – with a light breeze blowing and the sky that gorgeous Maxfield Parrish blue. I was suddenly filled with gratitude!

I LOVE Akron and how they have welcomed us! I LOVE how beautiful our building has become (thank you, Ryan, Valerie, our gardeners – Sue and Tom and Bill and Rick – and the Erie County Sheriff’s Forestry Program that maintains our grounds and brought us stunning, perfect flowers.) I LOVE our wonderful volunteers and volunteer board members who fuss over and adore the pups and work so hard on our fundraisers. And to Bailey our Volunteer Coordinator who deals with all the scheduling which is a mighty task, Thank you! 

Despite our sorrow when we have to say goodbye, despite the constant cleaning and the worry over making sure everyone is well or can at least get to the vet, there is something so incredible about having had a wish one never thought could materialize yet did. 

I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate everything you have made possible. All of you bought into this project and helped to nurture it along and continued to believe, even when we had our setbacks. All of you have created something real out of an improbable dream – something real and now, dare I say, important? Because that is what we have become. 

I see what Whiskers means to every one of us. And I see us, the caretakers, drawn to be here because we too need care. Who would ever have thought, nearly 6 years ago, we could be what we are now? And there’s still so much room for growth and so many more dogs and people whose lives can be affected in a positive way. 

Thank you for being a part of this force for good we created out of thin air. And if you haven’t gotten involved yet, do yourself a favor and check us out. We can almost guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

Polla Milligan

Director & Founder

White Whiskers Senior Dog Sanctuary