House with a Heart Senior Pet Sanctuary

House with a Heart Senior Pet Sanctuary We provide a loving home for unwanted senior pets and give medical grants to assist in pulling/adopting seniors out of shelters ❤️
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In 2006, Sher Polvinale and her late husband, Joe, created a senior pet sanctuary in their home in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Sanctuary residents are senior and special needs dogs and cats who have lost their families and homes through no fault of their own. Because of their advanced age and various medical conditions, they have little chance of being adopted. The Sanctuary’s mission is to provide a

helping hand for senior pets, so they can live their best lives. In addition to top-notch “room and board,” all our residents receive abundant, unconditional love and affection. Those who arrive at the Sanctuary with health problems immediately get the care they need, such as diagnostic screenings, dental work, medication, and surgery. The Sanctuary offers residents* a life well worth living. They have a safe, roomy, comfortable, bright, and spotless home environment. On our two-acre property, they play in secure outdoor yards and spend supervised time in fenced, grassy fields. We provide ongoing health care and wellness screening, consulting veterinary specialists as needed. Residents are fed high-quality foods/treats and receive special diets as required.

*Our current residents are all members of the “pup pack.” But over the years, we have welcomed countless dogs AND cats, and we continue a variety of efforts to support all pets who need a helping hand. For example:

Our K-9 & Kitty Medical Miracles Grants program supports our Rescue Partners who pull senior and special needs dogs and cats either from a shelter or owner give up. We provide a grant to help pay for medical care they need to make them adoptable and help them find their new forever home. Feed Fido & Fluffy is our HWAH Pet Pantry. With donations from our supporters, we purchase food and supplies for pets in need. HWAH relies on volunteers, donations, grants, and wish-list gifts to accomplish our primary mission of providing a helping hand for senior dogs and cats in need. We are always looking for ways to “pay it forward” on their behalf. We reserve the right to delete comments, posts or photographs that are:

- Profane, vulgar or offensive
- Misinformation or disinformation
- Bullying or attacks against HWAH, its staff or other supporters of this page
- Spam or commercial sales
- Off-topic or irrelevant
- In support of illegal activities, violence, animal cruelty or abuse
- In violation of Facebook’s Community Standards

While we encourage open discussion, including differences of opinion, we will remove and/or block you from this page if you repeatedly violate this policy. Further, HWAH does not endorse or approve the comments, posts or photographs by others that are on this page. HWAH does not warrant and shall not be held liable the accuracy, truthfulness or reliability of the information or opinions posted on this site.

Happy Saturday everyone!!! Here is a picture of Maria with the kiddos 🥰. (Thanks for the picture, Kat!)
06/20/2026

Happy Saturday everyone!!!

Here is a picture of Maria with the kiddos 🥰.

(Thanks for the picture, Kat!)

As World Cup fever sweeps Mexico City, one of the tournament's biggest fan favorites isn't a player, coach or official m...
06/20/2026

As World Cup fever sweeps Mexico City, one of the tournament's biggest fan favorites isn't a player, coach or official mascot. Joining Merlin the duck in the pantheon of heart-stealers is Osito, an 8-year-old rescue poodle mix who's become an unlikely sensation after arriving at Mexico's opening match perched on the back of a cargo bicycle, dressed in a Mexico jersey, sunglasses and a cap.

Joining Merlin the duck in the pantheon of heart-stealers is Osito, an 8-year-old rescue poodle mix who's become an unlikely sensation after arriving at Mexico’s opening match perched on the back of a...

🌟This is a courtesy post for our friends at Senior Hearts Rescue & Renewal in Bradfordwoods, PA.🌟💛 Meet Murphy! 💛At 11 y...
06/19/2026

🌟This is a courtesy post for our friends at Senior Hearts Rescue & Renewal in Bradfordwoods, PA.🌟

💛 Meet Murphy! 💛

At 11 years young and just 8 pounds, Murphy is proof that big personalities come in tiny packages. This specially-abled sweetheart may have wonky knees, but nobody told him to slow down—he still enjoys the occasional mini zoomie! 🐾

Murphy loves making new friends, greeting you at the door, supervising kitchen activities, and soaking up all the love he can get. He's looking for a calm, adult-only home with a fenced yard and a family ready for a loyal little shadow.

Ready for a tiny sidekick with a giant heart? Murphy is waiting to meet you! 💛

Murphy can be adopted into a home within a two-hour radius of Pittsburgh, PA. If you are interested in adoption, complete the adoption application at
www.seniorhearts.org/how-to-adopt



💖House with a Heart is now on Patreon!!💖We wanted to become more accessible to folks who do not have Instagram or Facebo...
06/19/2026

💖House with a Heart is now on Patreon!!💖

We wanted to become more accessible to folks who do not have Instagram or Facebook, so we are now on a social media platform called Patreon! Just scan the QR code or click the link to check out our new account.

You can download the app, become a member, and have access to exclusive content and important announcements. On this platform we will be mainly posting unfiltered behind-the-scenes videos of HWAH, Sanctuary Happenings, and HWAH Resident Medical Care Updates! These posts will NOT be on our other social media pages. If you’d like to see more up close and personal content involving the residents, then join our Patreon!! (You can also easily become a monthly donor through Patreon and directly support our senior residents.)

https://patreon.com/HousewithaHeartSeniorPetSanctuary?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

06/19/2026

❤️House with a Heart’s Legacy of Love: Getting to Know our HWAH Team ❤️

This is a part two in our 'Getting to Know our HWAH Team' Series! We truly had so much fun conducting these interviews with our beloved volunteers and hope that our supporters will enjoy them too. Our volunteers are truly wonderful people and we just had to share how wonderful they are with the world! In this specific video, we are asking our team: How did you start volunteering at HWAH?

"Some of you may have wondered, how has House with a Heart continued to run for 20 years?! How is it possible that this Sanctuary has taken care of 100+ dogs and cats until their last moments? How do we manage social media, all sorts of paper work, regular maintenance around the house, yard work, vet transport and so much more!! The answer is simple. It’s thanks to our absolutely amazing volunteers and their dedication/passion for senior dogs!!!!

We will be including some volunteer interview videos (that are cut into parts) over the next few Fridays so that you can get to know a little bit more about who is at the Sanctuary on a daily basis caring for the pups and helping keep things going :)."

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We are celebrating our Sanctuary's 20th Anniversary this year!!! Every Friday we will be sharing stories, videos, volunteer experiences, and more to commemorate our 20th year of loving and caring for senior and special needs pets. Please make sure to tune in and consider donating to House with a Heart to help keep our mission going!
https://housewithaheart.com/support-hwah-2/

🌟This is a courtesy post for our friends at Miri's Haven Senior Dog Rescue🌟✨ Small but mighty, meet Violet! ✨At 15 years...
06/18/2026

🌟This is a courtesy post for our friends at Miri's Haven Senior Dog Rescue🌟

✨ Small but mighty, meet Violet! ✨

At 15 years young and 21 pounds of pure charm, Violet is a reminder that age is just a number. Though she's both blind and deaf, this incredible girl doesn't let anything slow her down. Once she gets the lay of the land, she confidently explores her world with determination and grace. 💜

Violet is currently thriving in foster care through Miri’s Haven Senior Dog Rescue and is hoping her next stop is a forever home. 🏡

She dreams of a peaceful home with someone patient and kind who will give her the love and care she deserves. In return, Violet will fill your days with quiet companionship and the kind of gratitude only a rescued senior can give.

Ready to make this sweet girl's golden years truly golden? Violet is waiting. 🐾💕
Apply to adopt at MirisHaven.org



06/18/2026

We had some very lovely weather yesterday and all the pups were thoroughly enjoying it ☺️☀️

This is a thank you post for our absolutely amazing volunteers, Bill and Marie! This wonderful couple has been helping o...
06/18/2026

This is a thank you post for our absolutely amazing volunteers, Bill and Marie!

This wonderful couple has been helping out at the Sanctuary for YEARS and we are so grateful. They come once a week all the way from Virginia to help with any outside maintenance work that needs to be done. They are incredibly kind people and we love them so much! Give it up for Bill and Marie 😁❤️!!

"Last week we installed nearly 45 feet of vinyl guards on the gutters that run along the memorial gardens off the patio. The gutters collect leaves and get nasty with the rain; fortunately they haven’t spilled over during a storm. It will be nice to not have to check/clean them weekly, freeing up time for other activities."

Address

6409 Stream Valley Way
Gaithersburg, MD
20882

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