Donte's Den Foundation

06/13/2026

Put Me in Coach!

Thanks to everyone who came out to Bark in the Park, last night at LECOM Park to catch the Bradenton Marauders play the Tampa Tarpons. We loved meeting all of your dogs! Thanks to The New Barker for your support.

06/10/2026

We're Stepping Up To The Plate For Dogs

We have a pair of tickets to give away to this Friday's Bark in the Park at LECOM Park. It's our own Bradenton Marauders vs the Tampa Tarpons.

Donte's Den Foundation will be recognized during the game as the Friendly City Friday Non-Profit. We are honored. We will have goody bags given to the first 50 guests who visit our table. We will also have a raffle item (can you say, Dog-Friendly Fun?), and a cool photo op for you and your dog that's social-media-ready. 📸 Run the bases with your dogs after the game.

Let's play an easy trivia game. The first person to answer all three questions will receive the pair of tickets We will have them at will call. Play Ball!

1) What is the name of the Bradenton Marauders beloved mascot?

2) LECOM Park is tied for the third-oldest stadium in active use by a Major League team for Spring Training. What are the other two active MLB ballparks?

3) In what year did the Bradenton Marauders play their first season in Bradenton after relocating from Sarasota?

06/09/2026

A Community of Joyful Dogs: Compassion Without Compromise

This past Friday's Animal Outtakes featured a wonderful segment on Donte's Den Foundation. Narrated by our founder and director, Marsha Panuce, who also produces the show, you'll meet some of our staff along with guest Anna Cooke, editor of THE NEW BARKER.

Find out what makes Donte's Den Animal Sanctuary stand out. 🤩Hint: we have a wonderful, caring staff. 🤩

"Taking care of the dogs is one thing. Caring for them is another," said Diane, one of our devoted staff.

Animal Outtakes airs every Saturday morning on ABC7 Sarasota - WWSB Be sure to follow along on their YouTube channel to catch up on previous episodes.

Watch the episode, and let us know your thoughts.

This episode gives you an in-depth tour of Donte's Den Foundation i...

06/06/2026

Today is the 82nd anniversary of the invasion of Normandy. Omaha Beach. WWII. D-Day.

Never forget.

06/04/2026

Compassion Without Compromise

Mark your Saturday morning calendar to watch a special episode of Animal Outtakes on ABC7 Sarasota - WWSB at 10:30am. We speak with staff about why they love working at the Donte's Den Foundation Sanctuary. We also interview Anna Cooke, editor of THE NEW BARKER dog magazine and hear her thoughts on what makes Donte's Den standout. And, of course, our founder and director, Marsha Panuce, tells us about her lifelong dream to create something as special as Donte's Den. This week's Animal Outtakes, it's all about the dogs. 🐕🥰🤩

06/02/2026

Step Up to the Plate for Donte's Den

We are beyond thrilled to have been invited to participate with the Bradenton Marauders during their June 12 Bark in the Park event. Donte's Den Foundation will be recognized as their Friendly City Friday non profit. We will have a table with giveaways to the first 50 people who stop by and say hi.

Stay tuned, as we'll also be giving away a pair of tickets to the game. Please make sure you're following us on Facebook and/or Instagram, and share this post so more dog lovers will get to know the work we're doing at the Sanctuary. For dogs like Kipo, Rosie, Jennie, and Bud. 🥰 Giving them a second chance is our top priority.

It's Woof! Woof! Woof! for our hometeam, the Bradenton Marauders!

05/29/2026

Today is National Heat Awareness Day

Our Donte's Den dogs have been enjoying the bone-shaped hydrotherapy pool. We're also careful about when to go outside with the dogs, and keeping them hydrated. Lucky dogs, they all stay in air-conditioned dens, here at the Sanctuary.

Today is as good a time as any to remind everyone of the hazards of leaving dogs in the car while running errands. Just don't do it – not even for a minute – please.

First of all, in Florida it is against the law, in any season, to leave a pet in an unattended parked car. It is considered animal cruelty and can lead to criminal charges, some with automatic $500 fines.

Florida's Good Samaritan Law allows bystanders and first responders to forcibly enter the unattended vehicle to retrieve the pet. Bystanders must first call 911 to report the distressed animal, and check the vehicle doors to see if they are unlocked before breaking a window.

Even on a day when it's 70 degrees outside, the temperature inside a car can hit 90 degrees in about 10 minutes. On a hot day, it can shoot up to 116 degrees in a matter of minutes. Cracking windows does not eliminate the risk of heatstroke or even death. And "just running in for a minute" in reality turns out to be much longer.

05/25/2026

Today, this Memorial Day, as we bow our heads to honor fallen soldiers, we also remember that not all of them wore boots. Some padded on four paws, alongside their handlers, sniffing out bombs or standing guard through endless, hostile nights. Military Working Dogs (MWD) – the loyal, the brave, and often the unsung heros who paid the ultimate price for our country.

MWD Streaker was one such dog. Killed In Action, Afghanistan, November 15, 2011. The yellow Labrador Retriever was trained to serve as an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Detector Dog with his handler, Cpl Thomas Sardo. They deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan with the U.S. Army's 95th Combat Engineer Company. On November 15, Sardo and Streaker were supporting a logistical resupply mission to outposts near Camp Leatherneck when their "Husky" Ground Penetrating Radar vehicle hit a recently laid 70-pound IED. Streaker was killed in the explosion. Remembering and honoring all who gave their lives while serving the United States of America.

Source: Keegan Albright

05/23/2026

It's been a heck of a week at Donte's Den. This story from THE NEW BARKER has all the feels we need to remind us why we do what we do, here at the Sanctuary. We thank the folks at Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center for your hard work and Rescue Me Tampa - Shelter Dogs for your dedication. We also want to thank Jennifer with Lucky Puppy Nail Specialists LLC for wanting to go the extra mile for Kipo.

Read Kipo's save story below. 🥹😍

05/20/2026

It's National Rescue Dog Day. For all of us at Donte's Den Foundation, it's no different than any other day, since we consider every day rescue dog day. We are committed to the lifetime care of every dog who comes into our Sanctuary.

Sometimes, we are able to find just the right forever home for a dog in our care through the Joyful Dog Adoption program. If something should change after the adoption, we will take the dog back as part of our lifetime commitment. Other times, a dog will enter into our Lifetime Care program and live out the rest of their life in the comfort of our safe haven.

Take these two, Toby (left) and Rosie (right) as prime examples.
Toby was found as a stray. Earlier this year, we featured him on Pet of the Week with our founder/director Marsha Panuce and Summer Smith on ABC7 Sarasota - WWSB. He waited patiently for the right person, and we loved showering him with attention. He was recently adopted, and we just couldn't be happier for him.

Rosie came to us earlier this year by way of Humane Society of Highlands County. Her previous name was Maine. She was found in a ditch with multiple pelvic fractures and a broken femur. Her condition was dire, and yet, her tail never stopped wagging. We committed to the full care and recovery of Rosie thanks to our entire team, including Dr. Byron Young, a boarded surgeon with Gulf Shore Veterinary Specialty Surgery, and Rosie's dedicated foster. They were all recognized during our 12th Annual Top Dog fundraising event in March at The Toasted Yolk Cafe in Sarasota.

All of this comes at a cost, which we are able to cover as a result of supporters and dog lovers like you. Care to donate just a bit in honor of a dog who rescued you, today, in honor of National Rescue Dog Day? Please know that every little bit is a very big deal to each of our dogs.
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/donate-to-dontes-den-animal-sanctuary