Meet the Citizen Canine Rescue Family!

We are based in the Chicagoland area but extend
our rescue efforts to the surrounding states, including Indiana,
​Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Now, meet the Citizen Canine Rescue Family!

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Karina Reyes
Founder, President, CEO

Karina Reyes is founder, President, CEO, and Executive Director of Citizen Canine Senior Dog Rescue. Previously, Karina was a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she spent nearly 30 years. While Citizen Canine Rescue was the project born of the 2020 COVID lockdown, retirement allowed Karina the time to work with her co-founder and best friend, Miriam, to develop Citizen Canine Rescue into one of only a handful of Illinois rescues devoted specifically to senior dogs. A lifelong animal lover and rescuer, Karina is happy to make rescuing senior dogs the focus of her life.

Miriam Gardner-Ryan 
Co-Founder,
​Vice President

Miriam Gardner-Ryan lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she helps with rescue efforts in that part of the midwest. She has a B.A. in Theater from Indiana University. Miriam owns and operates a small entertainment business with a special focus on birthday and holiday parties and corporate events. She shares a home with her husband, James, and their three senior dogs, Milo, Patsy, and Mia. They also have four adult children and four grandchildren. Miriam is finally able to realize her bucket-list dream to have a dog rescue.

Julian Gomez
Board Member

​Julian graduated from Millikin University with a B.A. in Management Information Systems. With his technical, analytical, and communication skills, Julian serves a key function in helping to build technology solutions for Citizen Canine Rescue. He is a resident of Calumet City, Illinois, where he lives with his wife, Maria, their three children, and Oso, a large senior Rotty-Pitt of eight years. Julian is a lover of dogs and sees Citizen Canine Rescue as way to be even more involved in caring for this unique group.

What Citizen Canine Rescue Does

Our mission is to enhance the quality of life for senior 
dogs and enrich the life of the people who embrace them. 

R E S C U E

From where do we rescue our senior dogs? 

It all begins with the rescue. Citizen Canine Senior Dog Rescue dogs come to us through a variety of channels. Some dogs come to us through other rescue organizations with which we partner. In shelter placements, older dogs are less likely than younger dogs to be adopted. Sometimes, the shelter may become a long-term situation or, depending on the shelter, the dogs' length of stay might ‘expire’ and they may ultimately be euthanized. In other cases, senior dogs are surrendered by their owners who can no longer care for them, for example, because they’re moving. A dog may also be found as a stray. These are only a few of the many ways that senior dogs come to our attention. 

P L A C E M E N T

Where do the dogs go once we rescue them? 

We are not a shelter in the sense that there is a central location that houses dogs. Instead, our dogs come home with us. ‘Us’ is foster parent/families or Citizen Canine Rescue staff. Foster parents/families are vetted by Citizen Canine Rescue. They are animal lovers with huge hearts and an uncommon devotion to protecting and caring for animals. Our dogs stay with their foster parent/family or staff while we find them them a happily-ever-after home. An adoptive parent/family is vetted vigorously to ensure that all senior Citizen Canines that pass through our doors are cherished and safe. 

P R O T E C T I O N

Why do we only
​rescue senior dogs?

​In the dog rescue world, the odds are stacked against older dogs.  Research shows that age is the single most important factor that determines whether a dog gets adopted. Usually, puppies win and seniors lose. Yes, puppies are cute and cuddly. But they also nip, potty on your rug, chew your shoes… Senior dogs have ‘been there and done that.’ Now, they just want to love and lounge. Everyday, Citizen Canine Rescue staff experience the joy and reward in caring for our senior dogs. Our senior Citizen Canines are nurtured as much as we are nurtured by them. 

available dogs

The Inspiration Behind Citizen Canine Senior Dog Rescue

For Miriam, it was Obie who fostered a love of "old dogs." He was ​a beautiful black Lab that her sneaky husband found loping around an industrial park and then tried to pass off as a carefully chosen birthday present for her. His good looks and charm helped offset his tendency for mischief. He was as exasperating as he was smart, even learning how to "pick the lock" of the backyard gate. Over time, the high-spirited puppy's ceaseless energy gave way to couch napping and slower walks with no leash pulling. He was a friend, companion, and a consistent, loving presence in the life of Miriam's family until cancer brought his life to a close at 12 years of age. Obie left a big hole in Miriam's heart, where Citizen Canine Senior Dog Rescue is now taking up some room.

A pair of special dogs served as the inspiration for Citizen Canine Rescue. Ellie came to Karina by way of the south, where she was found dodging traffic on an Alabama highway. Her rescue brought the southern belle to the midwest. Eventually, she showed up at a dog adoption event at a local pet store. She sat statue-like, scared, and sad as one person after another walked right by her toward the younger dogs. How anyone could pass her up, I did not understand. So I brought her home--4 years ago. She is 10 now and so mellow she happily submits to her 5 lb.15-year-old Chihuahua brother. She doesn’t chase squirrels anymore as much as eye them wistfully, perhaps remembering younger days. She snatched Karina's heart and never looked back. Ellie has moved Karina immensely over the years. Hence, the idea for Citizen Canine Rescue.

Adoption

Research shows that age is the single best predictor of a dog being adopted. Younger dogs fare better in this equation. Citizen Canine Rescue exists to give senior dogs a better chance of finding a permanent, happily-ever-after home. Rescuing senior dogs is lifesaving. The more senior dogs adopted, the more lives saved!​

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Foster

As a foster-based rescue organization, Citizen Canine Rescue depends on foster families to rescue senior dogs. Fosters are essential in helping us find happily-ever-after homes for our senior Citizen Canines! That is, because they will be spending a lot of time with their foster dog, fosters have a front row seat to who that dog is, their likes and dislikes, their mastery of the potty, their activity level, etc. This information is vital to our efforts in finding the fit that best serves the needs of a potential adopter and our senior dog. It’s because of foster families that we can keep rescuing senior dogs. The more foster families that welcome senior dogs, the more senior dogs we are able to rescue!

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Your donation saves lives!

Your donation makes it possible to rescue wonderful senior
dogs and find them happily-ever-after homes. Because of you, many
more dogs and humans will have healthier and happier lives. Thank you!

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 Volunteer

Volunteers are essential to the day-to-day functioning of Citizen Canine Rescue. On any given day, they might walk a dog or even dog sit for a busy foster family. They might help with paper work or mailings or the organization of supplies. Or they might even sit down with us to help develop Citizen Canine Rescue programs, such as a Seniors Heart Seniors or Cuddles with Kids. Whatever they do, they contribute significantly in helping us keep Citizen Canine Rescue up and running.

volunteer

Inspiration for our
​Name & Logo

Our logo was designed and illustrated by Ryan Garcia. For our name, we invoked the classic film, “Citizen Kane” to capture two important ideals of our rescue.
​
“Citizen” serves as a reminder that senior dogs are as much citizens of the universe as their puppy siblings. As ‘older’ dogs, they are distinguished and wise and deserve dignity and respect.

As for the ‘Kane’ origin of ‘Canine,’ in the movie, Citizen Kane wanted love from the world. So do our dogs. But unlike Kane, who never had much love to give, senior dogs have it in spades.