Community rallies around Stamford dog sanctuary devastated by July flash flooding
On July 21, flash flooding from two rounds of storms destroyed the Special Needs Senior Dog Sanctuary in Stamford. Mitigation work and repairs are expected to cost about $40,000.
More Stories
A fundraising effort is underway to help a senior dog sanctuary in Stamford devastated by flash flooding last month.
Special Needs Senior Dog Sanctuary was founded by Todd and Anna Giorgi out of their home in 2018, but the path to getting there began years earlier when Todd Giorgi met Chester, a 12-year-old Pitbull with cancer who’d spent the last eight years living in a shelter.
“I realized that nobody was going to adopt him,” Todd Giorgi explained. “So, I adopted him, took him home. He lived 21 months with us. Greatest 21 months of my life, and it changed my life as well as many others.”
Chester ended up being just the first senior dog to go home with the Giorgis, and in 2018, they turned the downstairs of their house into a dog sanctuary
“So, we take them in. We adopt them, and we give them love and food and warm beds and cozy blankets and treats until it's their final time,” Todd Giorgi said.
The Giorgis have adopted 44 special needs senior dogs and currently have 13 at the sanctuary. Many have been abandoned or neglected. Some are blind or deaf. A few have cancer and are in hospice.
“It fills our souls,” Anna Giorgi told News 12. “What these dogs do for us in their end of life, their final phase, what it teaches our children—just compassion and empathy.”
But on July 21, flash flooding from two rounds of storms destroyed the sanctuary. Flooring, walls, doors and baseboards all had to be ripped out. The Giorgis also lost dog supplies and equipment, furniture and the laundry area.
“We were completely underwater downstairs. One of our small, deaf dogs was floating around on a dog bed. Some of the bigger dogs had jumped up on the couches. We took on about 18 inches of water twice. Thank God everyone was okay,” Todd Giorgi recounted.
“To come home and see our beautiful sanctuary that we created for the dogs—just devastating, like your soul is just crushed. It's heartbreaking,” Anna Giorgi said.
But the family has refused to let the flood take away their lifetime commitment. They started an online fundraising effort, which the public has rallied around. Two weeks into the campaign, it’s raised over $27,000.
“We are completely blown away by the community and love and support from friends and family. It's just been above and beyond,” Todd Giorgi said.
Mitigation work and repairs are expected to cost close to $40,000, per the Giorgis, who said, though they have homeowners’ insurance, it doesn’t cover floodwaters.
“Our dream is to grow bigger, be in a bigger space, take in more dogs. This definitely set us back tremendously. But we are so beyond grateful for everyone who supports us and supports our work for the dogs,” Anna Giorgi said.
A GoFundMe has been set up for those who wish to donate.
