The Underdogs

Georgia Dodson’s house in a Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C., is a way station for an ever-changing collection of elderly dogs with nowhere else to go, their backstories ranging from tales of abuse and abandonment to beloved pets whose anguished owners are no longer able to provide them care. As the director of foster and adoption programs for Gray Face Acres, an all-volunteer nonprofit that rescues and rehomes senior dogs, the 28-year-old Dodson plucks blind and ailing pooches from local shelters and crisscrosses neighboring states to meet up with those determined to find their aged Maltese, Chihuahuas, and other seniors a loving, forever home.

For five months, beginning in January 2021, I shadowed Georgia as she went about her business of engineering compassionate care for a parade of displaced elderly dogs. This project was undertaken as part of the yearlong Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism Program at the International Center of Photography, in New York City.

Lambchop is Georgia’s ever-present sidekick, even when the logistics of a rescue are being hashed out—in this case, a rendezvous with a woman surrendering her dog. The toothless, 4.5-pound “Lamby” was confiscated from a hoarding situation, where she was severely neglected. “She exudes confidence, but needs me,” says Georgia, who added Lamby to her own pack of adopted, special-needs seniors. “She assumes she's always going where I’m going, and she usually does."

Eleven-year-old Kya has been with her family since she was three months old. But when this woman's son developed allergies to the dog, one medical treatment after another proved to be ineffective. As a result, she turned to Georgia for help finding Kya a permanent, loving new home.

Kya is surrendered along with her bed, her food, and her toys in hopes of making this unfathomable transition easier on the dog.

Dogs are constantly coming and going through Georgia’s house, some on their way to fosters and others bound for new homes. Kya, at the far end of a retractable leash, keeps a distance from Georgia; her blind pup, Teddy; and Bitty, who is vying for some attention.

With her skittishness finally in retreat, Kya settles down with Georgia and members of her permanent crew, including Bitty, Teddy, and Lamby. But the displaced senior will soon be on the move again—this time, one of the rescue’s many volunteers will transport her to a foster family. Before long, that same family will adopt Kya.

Thirteen-year-old Milo has been a protective and beloved companion for seven years, but his nipping at a home health aide forced a gut-wrenching quandary: If Milo stays, the caregiver goes. As a result, Ms. Meyer must reluctantly say goodbye to her cherished Cairn Terrier.

Milo has behavioral problems that need addressing before he can be adopted, so Georgia prepares him for transport to a foster who, for months, will work to help redress his issues.

Like Kya, Milo will move on with many of the familiar comforts he’s grown used to over the years. By contrast, some pets are surrendered without their cherished possessions.

Dogs surrendered to Gray Face Acres typically receive veterinary attention, which may range from a routine checkup to complicated surgery. Their continuing care while in foster homes includes supplies and medication of all sorts. Georgia has help doling it all out from her partner, Marcus, who’s unflinchingly supportive of her efforts.

Blackie was surrendered to a West Virginia shelter by her terminally ill owner, who wanted to make sure his 11-year-old dog wasn’t left homeless. When Georgia learned of the ailing Lab-mix, she immediately arranged to get her desperately needed veterinary care. Unfortunately, the prognosis for recovery was hopeless. Georgia stayed with Blackie in her final moments.

“We considered all the options, but it was all too much for her," Georgia says. "This reiterates the need for what we do, so I just keep doing it.”

Georgia’s passion for this volunteer work was inspired by Carol, an elderly and ailing Beagle she adopted from the local animal shelter. Carol’s gums were so infected, her teeth so rotted she couldn’t even open her mouth. Georgia vowed that no other senior dog would endure such suffering, and Carol’s likeness is a permanent and prominent reminder of that commitment.

Matilda languished in the county animal shelter, with seemingly no prospects for adoption. So the shelter staff called Georgia in hopes that she could find the aging Beagle a good home.

Most of the dogs who pass through Georgia’s house are bathed and pampered before being handed off to foster care.

Some TLC in and out of the tub is followed by snack time, giving the newcomer a chance to socialize in Georgia’s bedroom with Teddy, her blind dog.

A Virginia woman bought Chihuahua puppies from a breeder several years apart, and later became worried the dogs may harm her 1-year-old granddaughter. Since the dogs did not get along, she asked Georgia to find them separate homes. Her husband ferries the pair to Georgia's car, setting in motion efforts to find the castoffs appropriate living situations.

Georgia teaches 11-year-old Winston the ins and outs of using a dog door at a facility Gray Face Acres uses for those needing training or rehabilitation before being put up for adoption.

Although Winston (near his dog door) arrived from a rural shelter with critical needs, he eventually became well enough to be adopted. In fact, the adopters report that he is “loved to infinity and beyond.” He will, they add, be part of their “forever family.”

Ten-year-old Cooper came to a Virginia couple via Craigslist, and before long the friendly Maltese was treated to a bed on every level of the three-story townhouse he’d call home. But six months later, Cooper is handed off to Georgia after he is said to have once acted aggressively toward their toddler.

Georgia prepares Cooper for transport to the next phase of his life, which proves to be entirely unexpected for dog and humans alike: on that very February evening, Cooper lands in foster care alongside Juliet, a deaf, blind, diabetic Maltese my husband and I had rescued nine months earlier. Just days later, Cooper will become a permanent member of our family.

Somehow, some way, Georgia manages to be everywhere at once for dogs in need, while simultaneously holding down a full-time job. Working from her home-office space during the pandemic, she plays host to a steady stream of visitors craving some attention.

A woman arrives at Georgia’s house to surrender 15-year-old Papa, who is blind, deaf, and so in need of grooming that his nails have curled under into his feet. What’s more, the disabled Shih Tzu hasn’t seen a veterinarian in well over a decade, so Georgia anticipates that Papa will need considerable medical attention, including the handiwork of an ophthalmologist.

The woman’s daughter is devastated to have to give up Papa, but the family has a dilemma: they lost jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving them burdened with debt; now that they are all working again, they don’t want Papa to be alone all day.

Papa stands by the door, as if waiting for his family to return. Instead, he will be on his way to foster care, where the low-key senior will quickly settle into a routine.

After more than 10 years together, Marcus is not only on board with Georgia’s zeal for rescuing senior dogs, but he knows when a particularly tough day warrants extra encouragement.

It’s a table for nine tonight (two dogs are not pictured), as Georgia readies food bowls and a hodgepodge of pre-and post-meal meds. Her pack is joined by two dachshunds—10-year-old Lucy and her 8-year-old son, Junior, who arrived at a local shelter in rough physical shape. After receiving no adoption applications, and with medical needs too severe for the shelter to address, the staff reached out to Georgia. Both dogs required extensive dental work (Lucy lost her remaining teeth), but they were soon adopted by their foster family.

As the public face of Gray Face Acres, Georgia also is called on for the likes of outreach and fund-raising events. Here she’s preparing to call it quits after four hours of tabling, along with other rescues, at a weekend Drag Queen Bingo outing in Hagerstown, Maryland, 70 miles from her home.

Georgia and Lamby (aka Glammy, thanks to her collection of stylish accessories) arrive at an overnight gathering of Gray Face Acres fosters and adopters in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Many of them—and the dogs they’ve adopted—have become good friends.

Georgia is occasionally called to testify in court. In this Virginia case, the owners of Miracle (aka Miri) bred her repeatedly for profit over more than a decade, so neglecting their tiny dog that she developed an abdominal hernia and could not stand without assistance. Georgia took custody of Miri on behalf of Gray Face Acres, but the emaciated Yorkshire Terrier was too sick to recover.

On June 8, 2021, Miri’s owners pleaded guilty to a charge of animal-cruelty and were each sentenced to serve 90 days in jail.