Rhode Islanders adore their rescue pets, but one organization has become the poster child for senior pups looking to retire in style. Vintage Pet Rescue is also an Instagram sensation, with pictures of mature pups boasting fashionable dog coats, Terriers peering up at the camera with milky eyes, Shih Tzus snoozing with pink tongues lolling, and Chihuahuas prancing on creaky limbs.
It’s hard not to fall in love with gray-muzzled companions.
Kristen Peralta, who co-founded Vintage Pet Rescue with husband Marc in 2017, makes a point of keeping their social media positive and upbeat. “We want to make senior pet adoption fun and desirable, not sad and depressing!”
And it’s working – over 16K followers tune in for daily updates on the ever-changing crew. “We’ve already taken in 54 dogs in 2022, compared to 109 for the whole of 2021, so we’re always welcoming new dogs and finding forever homes for others.”
Kristen and Marc met in Los Angeles through their work in animal welfare and decided to return to Rhode Island, where she’s from, to create a retirement and hospice home for dogs reflecting their love of all things vintage.
The branding may be spot on, but the move has not been without its challenges. Being mindful of pet limits enforced in most Rhode Island towns and cities, they chose to buy a home in North Kingstown, an area they love. Just one year later, the town council implemented a limit of five pets per household. “We spoke to Town Hall, the RI Department of Environmental Management, and Animal Control, but we were not able to get approval for a kennel license, so we moved to Foster – which does make people laugh as the name is so apt!”
Kristen describes their home life as “absolutely insane! We’re always cleaning, feeding, cleaning, dealing with medical issues, or cleaning – there’s a lot of cleaning,” she says. “It’s hard work but rewarding, especially when the dogs form bonds, like Chihuahua Nougat joining The Pug Club! Right now I’d say we have a mix of pillows (dogs who sleep 23 hours a day), a few semi-mellow cuddlers, and some maniacs.”
Of course, the hardest part is falling in love only to have to say goodbye, sometimes after a few short weeks. “The good thing is that dogs live in the moment, so we focus on making their last moments really special.”
You can support this loving mission by visiting VintagePetRescue.org, purchasing merch, and by following along on Facebook and IG at @vintage_pet_rescue.
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