I had an oh so exciting lunch at Nedra's Cafe, it was actually really good although I'm not 100% comfortable with the whole eating alone in a sit-down restaurant thing yet. I checked back in at Dog Headquarters and saw they didn't have much help at Old Friends so I headed over there. I love the sign...."A Gated Community". :)

The gates are gorgeous, I haven't gotten to take a picture of them closed so this is the best I can do. They were designed by a local artist.Old Friends is made up of two octagons that house (as you might have guessed) seniors and other special needs dogs. The floors have radiant heat to help with older joints and problems.I took a photo of this plaque in one of the octagons...In case you can't read it...
"Dogtown Heights, a Gated Community, was built thanks to the generousity of Homer and Dolores Harris who gave a matching grant of $500,000 to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. Thousands of Best Friends members responded to this gift by donating the matching funds to build these state-of-the-art homes for the dogs who live at Best Friends."
Two of the octagons are named Dolores and Homer in their honor.

A few pics of the inside of one of the Old Friends buildings...

The kitchen area where the food is prepared for both buildings:Each of the runs have pictures of the residents and a chart showing any special issues.All of the dogs at BF are wearing one of four colors of martingale collars. There are signs posted to remind you of what each color means:

Each of the runs have a large outdoor yard, the dogs have 24/7 indoor/outdoor access through doggy doors.

After spending the afternoon here it is AMAZING how much work goes into it. Old Friends is immaculate, the caregivers are knowledgeable and kind and you can just tell the dogs are happy. I helped with feeding time and it put my rituals at home to shame. Both octagons get fed in not much more time than it takes me to feed the Brats. Everything is very regimented to avoid problems.

If there are say three dogs in a run the following is done:
-One dog is blocked inside, the door covers for the doggie doors are installed
-One dog is tethered to the fencing to the right of the outside yard, the other to the left
-When you pick up the bowls in the kitchen they are stacked...the top one is the indoor dog, the second is the dog to the right side of the yard and the bottom is the left dog
-Depart the run and start the process for the next run of dogs
-As soon as the first run is finished eating you go in, collect all bowls and remove them completely from the run area
-Go back in, unleash the outside dogs and secure the leads on the fencing for next feeding and then remove the door covers for the doggie doors

Times a million runs. Or at least it feels like it. ;) There was a chore list on the wall:

OK, now this post has gotten too long so I'll continue on the next....socializing with some of the Old Friends and picking up Bessie. :)