Oldies But Goodies Cocker Rescue
Home » About » OBG Timeline

OBG Timeline

  • 1996 - Oldies But Goodies Cocker Spaniel Rescue (OBG) was established by Debbie Reitz.  The group started as a one-woman rescue, operating out of the back of her mini-van in the parking lot of a local pet clinic.  Debbie’s mission was to rescue the dogs that no one else wanted, so in the beginning, she only accepted senior dogs or handicapped dogs.  She worked tirelessly fostering these dogs and looking for their forever homes. 
  • 1998 - OBG had a website and a regular paper newsletter, the Cocker Connection, which is still in print today.  Adoption shows were held twice-a-month in Virginia. 
  • 1999 - The first Board of Directors was formed.
  • 1999 - In October, OBG was approved as a 501c3 nonprofit corporation
  • 2000 - OBG hit a milestone: we adopted out 100 dogs!   For the first time, OBG participated in the National Capital Area Combined Federal Campaign (“CFC”).  The money raised through CFC campaign continues to be one of the largest sources of revenue for OBG each year.
  • 2001 - OBG doubled the amount of dogs adopted - 200 this year! We expanded to six adoption shows a month and developed a network of supporting veterinarians, fosters and shelters circling the Beltway.  OBG focused on fundraising and started its “Cockers Are the Sweetest Things” calendar, which is still published yearly.
  • 2002 - OBG started its long standing relationship with Channel 9 news by first appearing on Petline 9.  OBG still makes appearance with adoptable dogs! 
  • 2004 - OBG reported that 263 cockers had been saved and we were nearing our goal of saving 300 dogs in one year.  The monthly newsletter was also launched and the first annual Bow Wow Bowl-A-Thon was held
  • 2005 - OBG hit our goal of saving 300 dogs in one year!  Unfortunately, this was the year of Hurricane Katrina.  OBG worked with a local all breed rescue and saved five heartworm positive “honorary cockers” and four cocker spaniels.
  • 2006 - OBG celebrated our tenth anniversary with Paws in the Park in Shirlington, VA which included a Memory Lane listing the names of over 2,000 dogs saved by OBG since inception!
  • 2008 - OBG expanded our community service efforts with a fundraiser that not only benefited the rescue, but supported our armed services with the first “Save a Spaniel/Sponsor a Soldier” golf tournament.
  • 2009 - The first “matching funds drive” was held with $100,000 raised to save dogs’ lives!
  • 2010 - The Inaugural Cockers Uncorked Wine Tasting & Silent Auction event was held, and became the biggest fundraiser in OBG’s history to date.  OBG first won $1,000 in the Animal Rescue Site Shelter Challenge (a challenge we have won numerous times since then) for being the number one vote getter in Virginia and also won $1,000 for being the number one vote getter in the nation one week.  OBG was awarded $10,000 in Petfinder’s World’s Best Parent Contest thanks to Carol Bryant’s designation of OBG to win the prize if she won.
  • 2011 - OBG celebrated our fifteenth anniversary with a party at Nottoway Park in Vienna, VA.  We held our first Howl-o-Ween Hayride, which is now a signature fall event.  We were approved to participate in the Chesapeake Bay Area and Virginia Peninsula  CFC Campaigns.  By 2011, we also had an active foster network in Virginia, Maryland, DC and Pennsylvania and on occasion in West Virginia and Georgia.
  • 2012 - OBG was named a 2012 Top-Rated Non-Profit by Great Non-Profits, won $3,000 in the Bark Your Piece essay contest, won several more $1,000 grants from the Shelter Challenge and released Wigglebutt Wines.
  • 2014 - Our largest rescue mission to-date - the Freedom 46 - occured when OBG learned of 46+ dogs who needed rescue in rural VA.  In the Fall, we went all out with Wigglebutts Go Hollywoof, a dog-friendly formal event to raise money for the dogs.
  • 2016 - OBG reached a huge milestone, our 20th Anniversary, and celebrated in grand style with a paw-ty at Nottoway Park in Vienna, VA.