Newington Rescue Group is Top Dog in State

A cocker spaniel rescue organization based in Newington has a lot of loyal two-legged supporters. Fans of Oldies But Goodies voted it Virginia’s top animal rescue organization in a challenge sponsored by The Animal Rescue Site.

It’s the third year in a row that OBG has won a prize in the Shelter Challenge.  And twice, OBG has won an extra $1,000 for getting the most votes in a week.

As a state winner, OBG will receive $1,000 to be used for the medical care and rehabilitation of rescued cocker spaniels and cocker mixes. There were more than 13,000 entries but only 68 winners in this round.

“We are incredibly grateful for our supporters who, with their dedicated votes, propelled us into the number one spot in Virginia and the top ten in the nation,” said Beth Bauer, president of OBG. “The $1,000 grant will be invaluable in helping Oldies But Goodies provide exceptional care for our foster dogs.”

Oldies But Goodies was founded in 1996 by a cocker spaniel lover to help older dogs and dogs with special needs but now helps all dogs of that breed, Bauer said. It’s not a shelter but has a good working relationship with shelters throughout the Washington metropolitan area and in other states, Bauer said, noting that OBG recently worked with a shelter in Georgia to find a home in Virginia for a 10-year-old dog that was blind and deaf.  

Amy Marlow recently adopted a cocker spaniel from OBG and was so impressed with the organization that the communications specialist volunteered to help with media relations. Marlow said she liked that her caseworker steered her away from the first dog she was interested in because she believed it would be too much of a challenge for first-time dog owners.

OBG has no paid staff, only volunteers, and Bauer said that’s where its strength lies.

“We have such a great volunteer force but we run it like a business and make it very efficient,” she said.

Another of those volunteers is Cheryl Haralson, who serves on the board of directors and is fundraising chairman. Haralson said she sent daily email reminders to vote in the challenge for 10 weeks and was up at 3 a.m. tracking OBG’s position so she knew where it stood at all times.

Haralson said the money is so important because dogs are arriving in worse shape these days and the veterinarian bills are “out of this world.”  The organization helps more than 300 dogs a year.  

People respond well to OBG’s mission because it fills an important niche, Bauer said. “We take it seriously because they (the dogs) have been let down in some way already.”