๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐ช๐ฅ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ะฐ๐ฎะฐ๐ปั๐ฏ๐จ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐บ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ข ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐จ๐ด ๐ฅ๐บ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ะฐ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ, ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ข ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฑ๐ช๐ค๐ฆ!
Valerie Reid is the owner of Whispering Willows Senior Dog Sanctuary, a pet rescue organization in Missouri thatโs altering the lives of senior dogs that have been abandoned or lost their owners.
Whispering Willows is a lifetime hospice sanctuary, which means they take in dogs that are reaching the end of their life and care for them until they pass.
Unlike other pet sanctuaries, the dogs who come at Whispering Willows arenโt going to be fostered or adopted, and they are never kenneled or imprisoned, they move in with Reid and her family and stay there until their final breath.
โThey just get to be here and get to be home,โ Reid tells Daily Paws.
The senior dogs that come to Whispering Willows arrive at the home for a multitude of reasonsโsome have been abandoned, some have had their pet parents pass away, other dogโs owners have gone into nursing homes, and some dogs have been removed from their owners by court order.
But that doesnโt seem to dull their zest for life. โWhat I love about senior dogs is that theyโre so forgiving,โ Reid says. โNo matter what has occurred in their lifeโwhether it be trauma, abuse, neglect, or that theyโve lost their owner and feel hopelessโthey continue to forgive and they continue to love.โ
Reid says her goal of operating a sanctuary originated when her own father went away from cancer. He left behind his best friend, a 9 Doberman pinscher whoโd been by his side throughout his battle with the disease. Reid, who had been caring for her father, was unable to take in her fatherโs beloved pet.
Thankfully, she later found a foster family who was able to provide a loving home to the dog for an additional year and a halfโwhich inspired Reid to help provide the same experience for other pets and families.
โImagine going to work and 68 pups come wagging their tails at you,โ Reid says. โAnd thereโs nothing in the world theyโre happier about than seeing you.โ
Not all of the senior puppies in the sanctuary are there for years. Some of them are only residents during their final months and even weeks. Yet despite their limited time with Reid, and the pain that comes with losing a pet, she says itโs still worth it to provide them comfort during their dying days.
โI think we are better together here at the sanctuary because they have taught me simply to keep going no matter what life throws at you,โ says Reid. โThere is trauma, there is death, and there is sadnessโbut thereโs a lot of love and happiness.โ
