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Spirit's Homestretch, Inc.

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Owensboro, KY
Spirit's Homestretch, Inc.

We are a 501c3 organization which exists primarily to help senior dogs in Owensboro, KY.

Board of directors:
Stacey Utley
Shirley Overfield Sandifer
Wayne Sandifer

08/07/2026

Shirley posting

Goodbye, Magnolia.

On January 5th of this year, It Takes a Village asked us to take Magnolia, a senior miniature fox terrier with multiple health problems. A full exam confirmed that she had heart problems, dental disease, kidney and liver problems. We brought her home thinking it would be for just a few weeks, just to give her as much love and care as we could for her remaining days.

She surprised us by living another 5 1/2 months, mostly quiet and non-demanding, but occasionally insisting very dramatically when she thought it was mealtime. She loved all the dog beds, ate well, went outside willingly and often.

When all her problems ganged up on her, she quit eating, and had a really bad seizure, we knew it was time to let her go. She went peacefully, surrounded by love.

I hope you're running and playing with all the energy you had as a youngster, Magnolia. We miss you.

08/05/2026

Welcome, Autumn! (Stacey posting.) Autumn is a 12-year-old German shepherd whose owner could no longer give Autumn the care she needed. Autumn had been used as a breeder, but was ultimately booted outside to live in a kennel without the human interaction she craves. Her coat was a matted mess which had to be completely shaved off. Many thanks to the rescuer who picked up Autumn and fostered her for a few days. She did an outstanding grooming job on her. Now that Autumn is at my house, she is enjoying - once more - all the comforts of living inside and having clean, healthy skin and coat.

Autumn's physical exam revealed a mammary tumor which is not a big surprise. She will have it removed when she is spayed in a couple of weeks. While she did have a wicked UTI for which she has already been treated, her other lab results were good.

Autumn is getting along well with the other dogs and is an absolute velcro dog with me. She had to have been miserable living outside all alone. She is always where I am and loves being touched. She has some anxiety but is slowly improving as she learns she is in a good, safe place now.

07/29/2026

Several people have guessed at the heritage of our new family member, Sandy. Her story is in a previous post. Here is what Wisdom Panel had to say about her:

32% Labrador Retriever
19% Chow
14% Beagle
11% Treeing Walker Coonhound
10% Siberian Husky

3% or less of the following:
GSD, Bluetick Coonhound, Collie, Border Collie, Lhasa Apso, Australian Cattle Dog, Boxer

Sandy was believed to be an Australian Shepherd mix, and like several of you I thought she also resembled a St. Bernard with her coloring. Nope, nope, nope! Mostly lab, chow, and beagle. Totally unexpected results. 😄

07/27/2026

Welcome, Sandy! (Stacey posting.) This beautiful 12-year-old was surrendered to a shelter in a nearby county. She did not adjust well to shelter life, so a volunteer there reached out to see if we had room. Thankfully, the answer was yes.

Sandy is positive for heartworm, ehrlichia, and Lyme. That's a lot. The treatment for ehrlichia and Lyme is a course of doxycycline, but that drug is known to cause stomach upset and Sandy definitely feels that effect. We can only hope that it will be effective despite her not being able to receive the entire recommended treatment. She will also be undergoing heartworm treatment soon, so that will be yet another battle she'll have to fight. Due to lab work, X-rays, and meds so far, Sandy has racked up an impressive vet bill.

Between Sandy and another new family member who will be introduced soon, we have spent about $1,000 in the past few weeks. If you are able to help, you can click the donate button under our banner picture, or you can give via PayPal at This is the direct link to paypal.
PayPal.me/spiritshomestretch

Thanks so much for helping us care for these seniors!

Anyone want to guess Sandy's breeds? I got her DNA done and will post results soon.

06/26/2026

Welcome and Godspeed, Hodge. (Stacey posting.) Hodge was a stray who found himself at our local shelter. He stayed there a month but no one came looking for him. Shelter staff reached out and asked if we could take him. Thankfully we were able to, and he came to live at my house. He was terribly thin and mostly uninterested in eating more than a few bites at a time, and seldom wanted the same thing twice. It is so frustrating and sad to watch a dog waste away. After extensive lab work, X-rays, and ultrasound, the diagnosis was end-stage liver failure. Even with that diagnosis, Hodge was happy to be in a home again and immediately claimed his spot on my bed. He slept with me every night during the short time he was here. The decision to let him go was a tough one, but nothing could fix his liver and he continued to refuse most food. I decided to let him go before he felt miserable. I am very happy to say that I did find something he was eager to eat during his last couple of days so he enjoyed many small meals before he passed. Ironically, he refused even this food the morning of his appointment. He passed peacefully and quietly with my arms around him. I wish he'd been with me longer but I'm grateful he was part of my life for even a couple of weeks. Run free, sweet boy.

05/26/2026

Welcome, Penny! (Stacey posting.) This chunky charmer came from the McLean County Shelter. Penny had been adopted from there about a year ago, but her adopter developed some health issues. Penny also developed health issues in that year - heartworms, 20 extra pounds, and an enlarged heart. Her adopter felt she couldn't give Penny the care she needed and took her back to the shelter. When the shelter director reached out, I couldn't resist that face. Penny has done very well with all the other dogs in the house and loves having a fenced back yard as opposed to living in an apartment with no yard as in her previous home. Sometimes she needs to be encouraged to come back in the house. She loves sleeping with me at night, and always waits for me to put her on the bed. I have steps by the bed but she isn't fond of them.

Penny got a good checkup, considering her 2 serious conditions. She will start heartworm treatment soon. She's already been started on a diet. Even with her weight, she is agile and actually runs a bit. She will be unstoppable once she's at a healthy weight.

Penny is sweet and smart and sometimes sassy. I'm so glad she's here!

03/24/2026

Godspeed, Riley. (Stacey posting.) Riley was 12 years old when her human mom passed away, and the family entrusted her to our care. Riley grieved and took a while to settle in, but she did adjust and enjoyed life with her new family. I could always count on her being nearby, and she even enjoyed sharing space with some of her canine siblings. Sadly, she was with me only a short time. After just 11 months, Riley joined her mom. There was no doubt a joyous reunion, and I know Riley is truly happy again. Run free, sweet girl.

02/14/2026

Happy Valentine's Day! Adorable graphics courtesy of Mallory Leucht.

02/01/2026

Shirley posting.

Goodbye, Popeye.

Popeye presented a lot of challenges and many rewards in our 8 months together. We rescued him from It Takes A Village in May of last year, and had to let him go early in January. He was a growly, uncooperative dog at first (bit me 3 times in the first couple of weeks), and barked and growled almost constantly at the other dogs.

He had really bad arthritis, bad teeth, and – we soon found – Cushing’s Disease. As we helped with his issues by way of tests, medications, and a dental, he gradually improved. He eventually became very loving with me and Wayne, and more or less accepting of other people. He came to us often for a good petting, and followed us around to stay close.

He loved the outdoors. He constantly ran, patrolled the perimeter, basked in the sunshine. It was so exhilarating to watch him in the yard. Those are my favorite memories of him.

After several months of good times with him, he began to worsen. There was something terribly wrong with his back. After 6 weeks of antibiotics, increased pain medication, and mood stabilizing medication, there was no improvement. In fact, he was even worse and showing signs of dementia. Cancer seemed almost certain. It was time to let him go. I consoled myself that he left this world knowing he had finally, fiercely been loved.

I still miss seeing you in the yard, Popeye. There’s an even bigger and better one for you now, and no pain and negative feelings. Enjoy the garden and your many playmates. I’m so grateful for the time we had together.

01/18/2026

Shirley Posting

Welcome, Magnolia.

A week and a half ago, It Takes A Village contacted Spirit’s Homestretch to see if we could take in a senior dog with health issues to live out her remaining time. She had heart problems and bad dental disease. We immediately said we would take her, and I brought her home with me. We did a total checkup with our vet, and she also has kidney and liver problems. We are having an ultrasound done by a mobile veterinarian specialist this Wednesday to see if there are any controllable conditions, or if we just continue palliative care.

Magnolia is very quiet and passive, and very loving. She has tried and approved all of the many dog beds in the house, but her favorite is in front of the fireplace. She eats well, and goes outside willingly. There has been no problem with the other dogs.

You always tell yourself to hold back and not get too involved with an apparently short-term dog, but of course that advice is always ignored. We are hopelessly in love with her, and doing everything we can to make her comfortable.

Thank you so much, ITV, for trusting us with this wonderful little girl.

Address

524 E 27th Street
Owensboro, KY
42303

Website

facebook.com

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