Below: Missoula Animal Control shelter attendant Elaine Sehnert drops off two additions to the Senior Dog House while Donna Allen greets the dachshunds.

Donna Allen is a dog's best friend, especially a small, elderly dog who can't find a home.

Allen runs the Senior Dog House and Rescue, a non-profit organization out of her home designed to save older or special needs dogs of small stature from living or dying in a shelter. Her love of dogs began at a young age.

"My mom said I started rescuing [dogs] when I was about two," she said. "I went and dragged the neighbor dog home and asked to keep it."

Now, she brings dogs home and asks other people to adopt them. Her life has been dedicated to the rescuing and adoption of hard-to-place dogs. She has rescued animals from Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Oregon, Washington, West Virginia and Ohio.

Allen moved to Montana seven years ago and figures she's saved between 500 and 600 dogs. A deep love of dogs motivates and inspires her.

"I don't know, I think I am a dog magnet," she said.

Her cozy home in Ferndale currently caters to Allen's own two dogs and two cats, a tiny Chihuahua/dachshund mix who is living there as a sanctuary dog because of age, a pug, two dachshunds, a mixed breed, a Tibetan spaniel and a sheltie. Allen said all the dogs would have been euthanized without her service. Many of her rescued dogs are turned in by owners unwilling to continue caring for the pets.

"People buy them at a pet store or shelter and don't realize they are a 15 to 20 year commitment," she explained. "They take training just like children do."

Just as the animals that come to her are in danger of meeting their end, so is the future of Senior Dog House. Disabled from a car accident, Allen says that the basic cost of caring for the dogs is crippling her financially.

"No rescue can fund itself," she said. "I survive from donations and payback from adoptions."

Last year, Allen estimated the expense for taking care of the dogs' basic needs was more than $13,000. Her home has already been redesigned to better accommodate her canine guests. A laundry room now also serves as a dog-grooming center. Groomer Gee Weaver of Morning Mist Kennels arrives every six weeks, shampoo and drier in tow, to bathe and snip all of Allen's dogs for one-third the normal price.

"I like what she's doing," Weaver said. "I couldn't do it, so I'm glad I can help in some way."

Allen also foots the bill for veterinary visits to Countryside Animal Clinic in Kallispell.

Allen hopes donations will allow her to complete a foster dog room off her house. The basic structure is there, but insulation, windows, heat, fencing and water all need to be added before the room can be put to use and more animals can be saved, she said.

Although her operation is small, Allen has a good reputation will all the local shelters, which seek her out often.

"She rescues dogs that are old, frail, or have health problems that make them extremely hard to adopt from a county-run shelter," said Missoula Animal Control shelter attendant Elaine Sehnert in a recommendation letter to other shelters in need. "We know that there are potential homes for these dogs, but we often simply can't keep [them] long enough for the right adopter to visit the shelter. Having them go to Donna gives them a second chance, and it also opens up space in our kennel for other dogs."

Until then, Allen's days are spent on the phone and the Internet, networking with other rescuers. This chain locates dogs, moves them to areas where they can be cared for until a home can be found, and converses about current cases and successful placements. Allen says that although there are larger organizations out there, they are typically only dedicated to one breed of dog.

"There are all different ways of doing it, but I just do it on my own, and there's millions like me who are singles, not affiliated with any group or organization, and just doing what we can," she explained.

For more information, or to make a donation contact Allen at http://www.arescuemom.org or call 406-837-5318.