Oldies But Goodies Cocker Rescue
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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 and 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.
  • 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!
  • 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.
  • 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.

  • 2026 - OBG is celebrating 30 years of saving pups!