KQED Celebrates Muttville’s Senior Dogs, by Sam Shaw

If you’ve ever had a senior dog, you know how incredibly sweet and appreciative they can be. Many have gone through hard times and it’s not something they easily forget.

Staff at the Northern California headquarters of public media station KQED consider themselves fortunate to be just blocks away from Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, the first cage-free shelter for senior dogs in California. Muttville takes in homeless dogs over 7 years of age, and it offers a rescue clinic with surgical suite, a dental care area, grooming services, therapy and recovery care, and a very successful adoption center dedicated to second chances and new beginnings.

Good Neighbors

Muttville regularly opens its doors to visitors, and their senior dogs are all up for adoption.

“It’s such a treasure to have these dogs in the neighborhood,” says Aileen Tat, a member of KQED’s development team who visited Muttville for an organized lunchtime visit earlier this year. “It’s also inspiring to see how well cared-for they are by the staff, the visitors, and the building itself.”

Debbie Jue, KQED Community Manager, has been organizing staff field trips since Muttville opened its new facility in August 2024. “Bringing staff members to Muttville is about more than just cute dogs—it’s about community, compassion, and taking care of our own well-being. It’s one of the happiest parts of our week.”

Senior Dogs Given a Special Day

This fall, Debbie and her colleagues decided to invite Muttville pups over for a visit. During an afternoon takeover of KQED’s Dolby Conference Room, staff in rotating shifts were able to have a joyful workday “shot in the arm” with visiting pups Emu, Frannie, Playbook, Bookworm, and Hybrid.

And how do the dogs get such interesting names? According to Muttville Community Engagement Manager Angela Di Martino, Muttville often has "theme" weeks to name the incoming dogs. They look for creative and fun names that are memorable, since there are a lot of dogs up for adoption and they want to do whatever they can to make each one stand out. For instance, recently they named dogs after rap songs or singers, so now you can visit Beastie Boy, Lyric, Mr. Morale, Sugar Hill, and California Love when you visit the shelter.

Hybrid aka Goldie Girl Gets Her Forever Home

Nina Novasic, a financial analyst on KQED’s Membership team, came to KQED’s Muttville visit with something additional in mind. “Walking into our conference room at KQED greeted with the cutest crew of wagging tails already made the day infinitely better,” Nina says. “And as I made my way through the room, I noticed a smaller white Maltese that instantly reminded me of a best friend’s dog I had spent a lot of time with in my twenties.

She approached me with the sweetest demeanor and was ready for pets and kisses immediately. I always knew a dog was meant to join my family, but when or how wasn’t entirely certain. Shortly after meeting this cutie, I inquired about the adoption process and told myself to give it some thought overnight. Less than 2 hours later, I had submitted my application to Muttville, and the very next day I brought our new best friend Goldie home.”

A Win-Win for Everyone Involved 

Debbie and her colleagues anticipate another Muttville visit sometime next year. In the meantime, field trips to Muttville’s headquarters will continue to be a regular offering for KQED employees who need a shot of “puppy love” from these senior dogs. Here's Cecilia Phillips (“Check Please! Bay Area” producer and host of “Cecilia Tries It” and “Chew on This!”) snuggling with a shy and lovable Muttville pup at a recent event.

And as for Nina and her family—they couldn't be happier. Goldie has settled into her new home like a pro and everyone is getting along just fine. Clearly this was meant to be.