Halloween will go to the dogs this month at Marty’s Place Senior Dog Sanctuary, where the annual Howl-O-Ween Family Fest will bring families and their four-legged companions together in support of a mission that began with one old chocolate Lab named Marty.
Marty’s Place will hold the festival Saturday, Oct. 17, from noon to 5 p.m. at its 118 Route 526 property in Upper Freehold Township, near Allentown.
The sanctuary’s largest annual fundraiser brings together families, volunteers, supporters and plenty of dogs for an afternoon of food, vendors, games and Halloween activities while raising money to support the care of senior dogs.
Dogs are not just welcome at Howl-O-Ween, they are part of the attraction. The afternoon will include a K9 costume contest, pie-eating contests for dogs and humans, mini swim sessions for dogs, raffles, food trucks, vendors and a beer and wine garden for adults.
Some of the sanctuary’s current residents will also be outside with staff and volunteers, giving visitors a chance to meet the dogs at the center of the organization’s mission.
That mission traces back to a dog who arrived years before Marty’s Place had a building, staff or sprawling property.
In December 2009, Doreen Jakubcak came across an email about Marty, an aging chocolate Lab whose complete history was unknown. What was known was enough to tug at her.
Marty had spent six months in a shelter and was scheduled to be euthanized before a rescue organization stepped in the day before he was to be put down. During roughly the next 18 months, he moved among foster homes and dog day care facilities while his health continued to decline.
Jakubcak and her husband had recently lost both of their own dogs and were not planning to bring another pet into their home. But Marty’s story stayed with her, and the couple decided their home would be his last stop.
He arrived during a December snowstorm already having significant difficulty walking. Marty was developing degenerative neuropathy and later battled bacterial pneumonia. By the following spring, he had lost the ability to walk completely, but his physical decline did not mean he had lost his interest in life.
Marty still enjoyed sitting near a lake, greeting people, barking at passing bicycles and meeting other dogs. With the help of a cart, he could continue getting outside and moving around. Jakubcak later said that although Marty was with them for only about 10 months, he left a permanent mark on her heart.
His experience gave her an idea.
Jakubcak wanted to create a place where older dogs like Marty could live out their remaining years in comfort and safety, without bouncing between homes or facing euthanasia simply because age, illness or changing circumstances had made them difficult to place.
She found property near Allentown and began developing what would become Marty’s Place Senior Dog Sanctuary. The sanctuary opened in 2015 with a mission not only to provide a permanent home for senior dogs, generally age 7 and older, but also to change the way people think about older animals.
The facility was designed less like a traditional kennel and more like a home.
The roughly 8,000-square-foot sanctuary sits on more than 25 acres and was designed to accommodate as many as 40 dogs. Residents have individual living spaces, but much of their time is spent in common areas with other dogs, staff members and volunteers.
There are couches and lounges for resting, fenced outdoor areas, wooded walking trails, grooming and bathing facilities, a treatment room and an indoor saltwater pool used for aquatic exercise.
The dogs who come to Marty’s Place arrive for many different reasons. Some have been neglected or abandoned. Others come from owners who deeply love them but can no longer provide their care because of illness, financial hardship, relocation or a move into long-term care.
For some dogs, Marty’s Place becomes their permanent home. Others eventually move into adoptive homes or lifelong foster placements.
The sanctuary’s website (martysplace.org) documents dozens of successful adoptions over the years, giving senior dogs another chance to live in a traditional home while ensuring they still have the support of Marty’s Place behind them.
The philosophy is not simply to give aging dogs somewhere to stay. “The dogs give back as much love as they receive,” Jakubcak told Woman’s World in a 2024 interview.
She also described the sanctuary’s mission in terms that go beyond food, shelter and medical care. “Being at Marty’s Place isn’t about existing, it’s about a dog thriving in their golden years and having a loving home for life!”
That philosophy can be seen in the personalities of the dogs now living at the sanctuary.
Some want little more than a lap and a nap. Others remain energetic and eager to walk, socialize and explore. Ziggy and Fritz are a bonded pair who have spent years together and continue doing nearly everything side by side. Martin is happiest curled up in someone’s lap. Hogan, a beagle mix, remains energetic and especially interested in anything involving food. Pepper has earned a reputation as the queen of the kitchen.
Other dogs arrive unsure of their surroundings and need time before their personalities emerge.
Jakubcak has recalled the transformation of Sasha, a miniature husky who had reportedly been left alone for as many as 20 to 22 hours a day before coming to Marty’s Place. She arrived extremely timid but, after settling in, began dancing around the sanctuary and socializing with the other dogs.
Watching dogs regain confidence has become one of the rewards for the staff members and volunteers who care for them, but the mission has continued to expand beyond the animals living at the sanctuary.
As Marty’s Place grew, the organization began looking for ways to keep some senior dogs from needing sanctuary placement at all.
Its Senior Pet Assistance Program was launched in 2022 after the organization began hearing from older residents who loved their dogs but were struggling to afford their care. The program helps qualifying senior citizens living on limited incomes with expenses that can include veterinary wellness visits, medications, food, dental care and grooming.
The idea is straightforward: If financial assistance can help a senior citizen continue caring for a senior dog, the animal can remain in the home it already knows with the person who already loves it.
The program serves senior citizens in parts of central and coastal New Jersey, including Mercer, Middlesex and Monmouth counties and northern Ocean County.
Marty’s Place has also developed outreach aimed at bringing senior dogs and senior people together. Through its Seniors for Seniors program, residents of long-term care facilities have opportunities to spend time with the dogs.
Jakubcak has recalled one visit after which the daughter of a resident contacted the organization to say her mother, who had become withdrawn, opened up after spending time with the dogs and could not stop talking about them.
“If you touch just one person like that, you know you’ve made a difference,” Jakubcak said in the Woman’s World story.
The interaction reflected something she has seen repeatedly since Marty’s Place opened. The dogs may be the ones receiving shelter, medical care and attention, but the relationship works both ways.
Maintaining that work takes money, volunteers and support from the community throughout the year, and Howl-O-Ween has become one of the sanctuary’s biggest opportunities to bring all three together.
This year’s festival will feature dozens of vendors offering pet-related items, crafts, gifts and other products. Food will be available from Relish the Dog, Nomad Pizza, The Sandwich Shop Mobile and Swal Family Creamery.
The K9 costume contest will accept registrations during the festival, with registration closing at 2:15 p.m. Dog and human pie-eating contests will also be held, with canine competitors divided into size categories and participation limited.
Dogs looking for another activity can take part in mini swim sessions hosted by 4Paws Adrift. Proof of a current rabies vaccination is required for dogs participating in the swims.
The festival will also include a 50-50 drawing and a Super Basket raffle featuring donated merchandise, gift certificates and other prizes. A beer and wine garden will be open to guests 21 and older.
Visitors will not be able to tour the sanctuary itself during Howl-O-Ween, but resident dogs will be outside with staff and volunteers during portions of the day. Former residents that have been fostered or adopted may also return for the event.
Well-socialized dogs are welcome but must remain on nonretractable leashes no longer than 6 feet. Children are also welcome and should be supervised around unfamiliar dogs.
Admission is $10. Cash is preferred for admission, while other forms of payment will be accepted at various locations throughout the festival.
There is no rain date. If weather forces the event to be canceled, Marty’s Place will post updates through its website, social media channels and the Howl-O-Ween event page.
For one afternoon, Howl-O-Ween may look like dogs in costumes, pie-eating contests, food trucks and families enjoying a fall festival.
But behind it is the continuing work of caring for senior dogs, helping others remain with the people who love them and finding homes for dogs that still have plenty of companionship to give.
It all traces back to Marty, the old chocolate Lab who needed one final home and, in the process, inspired a place designed to make sure other senior dogs would have one, too.
For more information, visit martysplace.org.
