Keno's Animal Sanctuary

This is blues last chance to live. 

Blue was just 9 months old when I found myself outside an apartment complex where a crying woman told me her boyfriend wouldn’t let her back inside the house with her dog. She was desperate to get rid of him and it was obvious that Blue and her did not have an easy life.


Elizabeth and I brought him to saving sage and that’s when our four year mentally and physically draining journey began.


Blue was adopted and returned for aggression. Blue has tried medication, gotten physicals done, gone to multiple foster homes, lived with Gina the President of the rescue for two years and worked with a plethora of trainers. Everything has hit a dead end that lands him back at the shelter. Slowly, the number of people able to handle him as safely as possible has decreased to just two of us.




Recently, we sent blue to who we believe is one of the best trainers in South Florida. He worked with blue and loved him unconditionally. After months, he explained that blue had genetical issues mixed with living the shelter life that caused his random bouts of aggression, and he did not feel that it would be safe for anyone to put him in a home environment.

Considering all of our options and our moral obligation to keep people safe, we realized humanely euthanizing him would be our only option. As life in a kennel is no life for any dog, but considering that only two volunteers could handle him, he would be inside the kennel the majority of the day without a plan for a better life or anything to look forward to.



Trust me when I tell you that no one loves this dog more than us. Regardless of his issues he’s so incredible. He looks at you like you’re the best thing in the entire world, he’s silly and will play all day long if you let him, he loves to cuddle and is constantly asking for love and affection. With that being said, and with the appointment made to put him to sleep, I got a call from Melissa and Courtney asking me to check out Kenos sanctuary. I did my research and found it to be an incredible place. They take in unadoptable and aggressive dogs and let them live out their life in a beautiful facility. Each dog gets a full tiny home/cottage built in with AC and heating, and their own yard. The dogs are absolutely spoiled for the rest of their lives in a safe and happy environment. The total cost for a dog to go to Kenos is $20,000.


I understand many will say things like “do you know how many animals you can save with 20 thousand dollars?” We love this dog and have stood beside him for four years and can’t give up now. I’m not asking for a grand total from one individual. I’m asking anyone who cares about blue and thinks he deserves to live to donate a small amount. Small donations have saved many lives. I’ve done my research on the facility. I know it’s legitimate and I know it’s the right and only place for him. This is an incredibly emotionally charged situation and I please ask that everyone understands that and treats us with compassion. This is blues last chance. Will you be a part of blues army?

As animal advocates, we are constantly saying that every animal’s life matters because, well, they do. The feral cats on the street, the raccoons that ravage your trash at night, maybe even the spider that made its way into your bathroom… life is life. And if we are going to dedicate ourselves to helping the animal lives that need it most, we can’t turn our backs on the more difficult cases. 

In April of this past year, a barking, growling, panicked dog was forced into a kennel by the only family he had ever known. They told us his name was Benji and that he was very aggressive towards strangers, then they left him behind without looking back. Yet months later, Benji still sits inside his little concrete prison, constantly looking for them. It is no wonder that Benji refuses to trust anyone, refuses to even step outside without putting up a fight; because the last time he did, he lost everything. 

Both the staff and volunteers at AHS Newark have tried to get through to Benji, but we have had limited success. He still does not let us walk him or even pet him, and as many of you know it is incredibly difficult to work with a dog like this. Hours spent talking to him through a gate while he barks and growls, constantly giving him treats (he loves peanut butter), trying to show him that we will not hurt him… has resulted in only one staff member being able to reach inside his kennel and pet him. This progress, while it might not seem like much, shows us that Benji will eventually be able to trust again. However, the amount of time and structure that needs to go into such a feat is simply not conducive to a large, inner-city animal shelter. And every day Benji sits in his kennel, he deteriorates mentally. How long do we have before Benji finally snaps, and hurts someone or even himself? We don’t want to find out. 

We need to rescue Benji from himself, but he cannot be placed in a home in this condition. The only place willing to take Benji, a safe haven for dogs with rough pasts, is Keno’s Animal Sanctuary. There, Benji can just be a dog and free himself from everyone’s expectations. He can learn to trust on his own terms, with a large area to run around and play. A lifetime of care is costly, but this is his only chance at freedom. 

Benji doesn’t deserve to be overlooked any longer. We see him and we love him, even with all his flaws. He has been let down by people all his life, but we can change that. Even just $5 goes a long way towards his eventual happiness. 


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Keno's Animal Sanctuary is a Brooklyn based 501(c)(3) non-profit no-kill organization that provides animal shelter and adoption services as well as the long-term housing and care for special needs animals who could not otherwise be placed in a forever home.