Deborah Workman
Deborah Workman is the founder and director of The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs, a nonprofit organization in Cleveland, Ohio, dedicated to the rescue, adoption, and lifelong care of abandoned senior dogs. Deborah's passion has been senior dogs ever since her first dog, Zelda, lived to the ripe old age of 16. The wisdom and love that she saw in her old dog's eyes made her aware of the plight of old dogs everywhere who were not as fortunate as Zelda.
In July of 1999, Deborah visited Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and there she met Samantha, an 11-year-old golden retriever mix who had been recently blinded in a fire. Samantha came home with Deborah to join her two other rescued senior dogs. They were quickly joined by Ralph, an old, abused German shepherd, and Rose, an ancient husky mix. As one senior dog after another continued to arrive, Deborah and her band of old timers organized into The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs.
Deborah currently shares her home with several cats, two young dogs, and several senior dogs, including the sanctuary's resident therapy dog, Gretchen. Together they visit area assisted-living facilities, hospitals, and schools, sharing the joy a dog brings and educating people about the intrinsic worth of senior dogs. Deborah is also an English professor at Myers University in Cleveland.
