Woman Turns Her Home into Hospice for Old Shelter Dogs so they Don’t Die Alone

Generally, people avoid going to the animal shelter because it’s a heartbreaking scene, and most people just want to rescue every animal and give them a home. Valerie Reid, and her husband from Hermitage, Missouri, found a way to do just that when they started a hospice for dogs called Whispering Willows Senior Dog Sanctuary.

Sad Truth for Pets

Parents and grandparents passing away or moving into assisted living can be a very emotional time, particularly when they have to leave a pet behind. In most cases, their pets are elderly and have been with them for years. Sadly, many family members don’t have the capacity to care for them. As it turns out, neither do animal shelters.

After, Valerie struggled with a situation like this, in which her father was dying from cancer, she decided to take action. Valerie shared, “My husband and I were at our city’s pet limit, and we were unable to take her.” Nonetheless, Valerie was still tasked with finding arrangements for her father’s elderly Doberman. Upon heading to the shelter, she came to the realization of just how advantageous a hospice for dogs would be. “We looked everywhere for any rescue that would help and due to her age, none would home her. It started me thinking what happens to senior dogs, who were once beloved pets.” She explained, concluding, “My eyes were opened to just how many dogs out there needed help… It truly is a forgotten segment of the rescue world.”

Fortunately, she was able to find the Doberman a home. The sweet girl was sent to a farm intended to be a place of hospice for senior dogs. There, she was lovingly cared for, for the last year and a half of her life. Meanwhile, Valerie was haunted by the notion that countless poor sweet elderly dogs are dying alone.

Motives for Hospice for Dogs

As a result, she and her husband, Josh, opened a hospice for dogs in 2017. The “place to call home” non-profit, according to founder Valerie, provides unconditional love for “a lifetime.” Additionally, the senior dogs receive healthcare. Regular checkups by a veterinarian team that visits the sanctuary a few times a year. Although some dogs have been so well cared for they recover and live past their expected timeframe, others are humanely put to rest when their quality of life diminishes. The hospice for dogs has cared for 600 senior dogs since it opened. Moreover, according to the foundation’s page, “over 550 of those seniors have passed over the Rainbow Bridge, with love being whispered until their last breath.”

Another notable service offered by Whispering Willows is called Whispering Hearts. In which they pair senior citizens with senior dogs. Ensuring both parties receive love and companionship in their final days of life.

Read: 6 Year Old Child’s Explanation On Why Dogs Live Less Than Humans

Involvement with Hospice for Dogs

People often treat their household pets as an extension of their families, if not prefer them to their families. As a result, nearly everyone feels an inexplicable range of emotions, from gratitude to compassion, in regard to these precious creatures. Therefore, adoption is always the preferred method for ensuring a loved one’s fur baby goes to a loving home. In contrast, some circumstances prevent adoption from being possible. Luckily, there are ways, other than creating your own hospice for dogs, that you can help.

1. Foster a Dog

Although it’s a big commitment also, fostering a dog might be an option. For example, if you travel for work, that may prevent you from keeping a dog long-term. However, if you are home for a few weeks, you can volunteer to foster during that time.

2. Donate

Providing basic necessities, let alone toys and treats, can become costly, so non-profits are always willing to donate to help them cover the cost of supplies. In many cases, they’ll also accept a donation of supplies. For example, Whispering Willows has created a “Wishlist” where you can find their needed supplies on sites like Chewy. Many centers that provide senior hospice for dogs will also happily accept donations of gently used towels or blankets, unopened bags of treats or food, and new or gently loved dog toys.

Additionally, some places of senior hospice for dogs, such as Vintage Paws, sell merchandise, with proceeds going toward care for the senior dogs.

3. Volunteer at Hospices for Dogs

Working hard and feeling burnt out may prevent someone from feeling capable of fostering, let alone owning, a pet. After all, depending on how much responsibility is taken on at work, someone may prefer zero responsibility when they’re home. In contrast, companionship and connection are beneficial for both dogs and people. As such, spending a few hours volunteering at a senior hospice for dogs might be a great way to make a difference without overcommitting or taking on too much added responsibility. Most will allow nearly anyone of any age, perhaps with adult supervision, to come to play with the animals and help feed, bathe, or clean up after them.

While donating can be done from anywhere in the country, physical contributions like volunteering have to be done locally. In that case, there are animal shelters and humane societies all over the nation that would happily have the help of a few more hands. Alternatively, a list of nationwide organizations is available if you’re looking to find senior-specific pet sanctuaries, as well as search engines like Google that can help you locate your most local facilities providing senior hospice for dogs.

4. Consider Providing Hospice for Dogs

To note, if providing senior hospice for dogs is possible for you, then adoption is always an option. Non-profits like Senior Dog Rescue in Oregon provide hospice for dogs as well as the chance to send those sweet senior dogs to a loving home. Furthermore, some senior sanctuaries also extend their care to other household pets like cats.

Keep Reading: Man Made His Wife Choose Between Her Rescue Dogs And Him – She Picked The Dogs