About Us

Our Mission:

Lily’s Legacy Senior Dog Sanctuary is a 501(c)(3), volunteer-run, non-profit organization established in 2009 to provide a safe and loving home for senior large breed dogs (50+ pounds, 7 years and older) who have been displaced from their homes and/or abandoned for any reason. Each dog coming into our sanctuary receives a thorough medical evaluation and treatment as necessary, as well as temperament assessment. If the dog is adoptable, a home that will meet his or her emotional, medical and daily needs is sought. Dogs that are not adoptable, for whatever reason, remain at the sanctuary or in permanent foster home for the remainder of their natural lives. We provide hospice care as needed. Our dogs come from both shelters and owner surrenders. Our mission is to ensure that each of our dogs will live out the rest of his/her life as a well-loved family companion; in a forever adoptive home, in a foster home or here at the sanctuary. Lily’s Legacy Senior Dog Sanctuary is one of the few rescues in California focusing on senior, large breed dogs, those most at risk in the shelters.

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Our History:

Lily's Legacy was founded by executive director Alice Mayn in memory of Lily, a 14-year-old golden retriever she had fostered. Lily was found wandering the streets of Santa Rosa and brought to the Sonoma County Animal Shelter in November 2007. She had a host of health problems, including a very bad nasal infection and a tumor on her eyelid. Over the next four months, Lily and Alice together battled and survived the tumor removal, the infection, canine bloat, and even a seizure. When she passed away after developing a blood disorder in February 2008, Alice saw the sanctuary as a mission from Lily; a place where many of the senior dogs who are lost, abandoned, or otherwise find themselves homeless, will have a safe haven in which to live out their days, or stay until a loving adoptive home is found, and where they will receive the love and care they so richly deserve.

READ LILY'S FULL STORY HERE.

Our People:

Lily's Legacy is a volunteer-run non-profit. Our hardworking, dedicated team of volunteers, known as Lily's Angels, are a vital component of the daily operations here at the sanctuary. Find out more about how you can volunteer.

Get to know our board of directors.

Our Location:

We are tremendously excited and thankful for our forever home in Petaluma, CA. Here we have room to grow; to be able to reach our goal of rescuing a minimum of 150 dogs per year. In time, we expect to be able to house 15 to 20 dogs at a time. As dogs are adopted out into permanent homes, new dogs will come into our sanctuary where they will live in a home-like environment and our volunteers, Lily's Angels, will give them lots of TLC.

They'll enjoy living in actual rooms, each with direct outside access into their own individual fenced areas. Rooms are furnished with comfortable, donated furniture, rugs, dog beds, and blankets. In addition to runs for each room, there's a large fenced in dog park, a smaller fenced-in area and a walking loop to keep the dogs exercised and happy.

We’re so thankful for the generosity of our benefactors who made the purchase of this beautiful property possible and to the generosity of all our supporters who contribute in so many ways. You enable us to care for our pups and give them a comfortable home and constant companionship while they wait for their new families to discover them.