In The News

The couple came to begin the micro dog sanctuary on an even smaller scale, beginning simply by responding to notices on their respective work bulletin boards decades ago, where announcements of pets in need or pets in danger were posted.

“There would be this poor dog that needed rescuing in Akron,” Ms. Walsh, who worked in corporate America as a chief information officer then eventually began her own business, recalled. “I would take them to Paul and ask if we can help this dog.”

They began with just two.

“We kept them, and we really didn’t think about it, not like we are going to have a business model,” she said.

The dogs always had their run of the house. First there was Hogan, a dog that they could not even take on a leash out the street, was so panic stricken. Others were so rough in fear that it took more than a year to reach a calm place.

They eventually added a third dog, always “right by the dogs,” Ms. Walsh said.

“We adopted the no matter the ages,” she said, working with no same veterinarian for more than 40 years. They have provided a loving home and quality care to a total of 25 shelter dogs past and present.

“We just have to show them love,” she said of she and her husband, 75 and a retired industrial engineer. “Boundaries and care for them and build trust.”

Their big mantra is “take it at their pace, and meet them where they are,” and no high expectations.

“We take it one step at a time,” Ms. Walsh said.

As they continued to build their group of dogs, not at first wanting to bite off more than they could chew, they eventually came to 12 being their “sweet spot.”

On their village property to accommodate their crew, they installed a 1,300 square foot dog artificial turf area for easy and immediate cleanups, plus no muddy paws to contend with.

“We are a team,” Ms. Walsh said, and both must be on the same page at all times. “We have always been supportive of rescue dogs.”

They found their dogs through the years in various ways, including shelter notices on television or on notifications outside of office buildings. As a result of their path, the couple do not take vacations, and only entertain friends during the warmer months, where they can all be outside.

“We adopted locally for the most part,” she said, although some came from out of state, including 13-year-old Malibu who was on a euthanasia list from six months in Oklahoma.

They mostly adopt from the Stark County Sheriff’s Office Dog Warden Division, classified as a no-kill shelter, Ms. Walsh said. Despite that, so many people are overbreeding in their back yards, and “dumping dogs left and right.”

Recalling one of the most poignant moments the couple has had on this journey, Ms. Walsh said they adopted two sibling West Virginia dogs who were dumped.

“Sitting in the floor with these two little puppies that were dumped, I looked at Paul and said, ‘would you rather be in Paris, France, or right here.’” They both said, “here.”

“This is our calling,” Ms. Walsh said. “There was no real plan in place, she added. “It just happened.”

“We are both pretty good at being able to build trust with these dogs.”

At home, which measures just under 5,000 square feet, the dogs are typically on the first floor, all of which is ceramic tile. They have segregated areas for the senior dogs and the younger puppies, with space for the dog that won’t get along with the others.

“We had dogs that were returned because they had Lyme disease, heart disease and younger dogs with hearing and visual impairment,” Ms. Walsh said. “We get dogs that have been beaten, kept in barns and didn’t see the day.”

Once, they adopted dogs kept outdoors in Ohio on a chain for seven years, completely malnourished and with arthritis in his back legs and malformed feet because he was always on cement pad.

They have also had to say goodbye to those who crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

“We have literally cried rivers,” Ms. Walsh said. “They are absolutely family.” In their backyard is a Dog Memorial, which commemorated with a carved stone.

A typical day for Ms. Walsh and Mr. Takach includes being up between midnight and 1 a.m. each morning because there is always a dog in the group that is unsettling, maybe with crying and nights mixed up.

They feed and take out the dogs at time and are back up at 5:45 a.m.

“We orchestrate their play times with what we have to do in the day,” Ms. Walsh said. The couple describe themselves as “ultimate homebodies.”

“The goal for them is to have fun and to have a warm, quiet home and grow old together with us,” Ms. Walsh said. “They are pretty quiet dogs.”

Every night, at least two are nestled in the couch with them, with the rest in their crates properly rested.

Realizing they themselves are seniors in need of extra hands, they have help on an as-needed basis from what they term an operations manager, which is a contracted position.

“It’s not appropriate to care for 12 dogs and not have a game plan,” Ms. Walsh said, adding that the dogs are in their will and a pet trust is in place.

“We really do put the dogs first,” Ms. Walsh said. “We care for each other, but it’s really about them what we can do to make their lives better.”

They have housed all sorts of breeds, and typically re-name them from the shelter.

“Once I had a 125-pound dog pull me through the air, and we have had a fair amount of life-altering experiences,” she said.

But all are family members, she said matter-of-factly.

“We have been up in the middle of the night at the emergency room with them,” Ms. Walsh said. “There is nothing we won’t do for them.”

They don’t go to “extraordinary means” in saving a dog’s life, though with dogs that may have cancer, for example, given the quality of life, not cancer treatment.

The future of PupKeepers is bright, Ms. Walsh said as a succession business trend in place is in the process of selling his business and beginning a dog sanctuary on a larger piece of property, which may be an extension of PupKeepers, which is phenomenal.

They continue to encourage support of shelter animals in any way.

“The shelters are overflowing,” Ms. Walsh said. “If you can’t adopt, please foster or donate.”

And please, no “backyard breeding,” she said. “It’s a pervasive problem.”

“If you adopt,” Ms. Walsh added, “have the resources to take care of them.”

The couple sees complete fulfillment in the path they have chosen, growing old alongside the “unwanted.”

“We have 12 based on the space we have, but I know my husband and I will have that next conversation… 13th on the way.”

“We see beyond their challenges,” Ms. Walsh said. “They are just these loving souls.”