But one woman has made it her life’s mission to give a loving final home for these aging shelter dogs — turning her own home into a sanctuary that now houses 80 senior pets. 

Valerie Reid, a 44-year-old from Hermitage, Missouri, was inspired to look after senior dogs after a personal experience opened her eyes to the problems pets face late in life.

  According to SWNS, she struggled to find a home for her dad’s aging Doberman as her dad was dying of cancer. She couldn’t take the dog because she was already at the city’s pet limit, and found that no other rescue would take her. 

“We looked everywhere for any rescue that would help and due to her age none would home her,” Valerie recalled. Finally, she was able to secure a foster home for the Doberman: a farm that specifically cared for senior dogs. It was a happy ending for the dog, who lived peacefully for another year and a half in their care — and the experience proved to be an eye-opening inspiration for Valerie. 

“It started me thinking what happens to senior dogs, who were once beloved pets,” she told SWNS. “My eyes were opened to just how many dogs out there needed help… It truly is a forgotten segment of the rescue world.”

So in 2017, Valerie and her husband Josh opened their very own non-profit sanctuary for senior dogs: the Whispering Willows Senior Dog Sanctuary. 

They bought a 3,000 square feet home in Hermitage, enough room for dozens of dogs to spend their final days in comfort and peace. 

“We take in dogs 12 years and older. Sometimes special needs, sometimes hospice,” she told Ozarks First. “Sometimes they just come to us for needing a place to lie their head and pass away.”

She explained that many of the dogs come from backgrounds of abuse and neglect: one dog, Peanut, was found chained up in 100-degree heat. 

“When they come in, they’re very broken-hearted, emotionally or broken physically,” she told KY3.

  But Valerie says that her goal is to give them a feeling of normalcy and trust, giving them a safe forever home to spend their final days in. 

“Once they come, they stay. They don’t have to leave. This is their forever home, so they don’t go through another trauma, another loss.” “When they come, they know that they’re safe.”

The rescue has grown and grown over the years: according to SWNS, the hospice has 17 full-time staff members who look after the dogs, and they now house 80 dogs at a time. 

“The sanctuary truly evolved and became bigger and bigger than I had even thought. I love having so many little hearts that love us back.” Valerie says they have cared for 790 dogs over the years. 

Due to the age of the dogs, deaths are common: about five pass away each week, and just as many are taken in.

  We’re so glad that there are people like Valerie...
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Her confusion turned to clarity as she realized the family’s cat had communicated with them through the bite, and the family quickly evacuated. “It’s pretty interesting to see that it was the cat that did alert them that there was an issue,” said County of Grande Prairie fire Chief Trevor Grant. 

“[The family] was pretty happy with their cat. The cat woke them up with enough time… If they hadn’t been notified, it could have definitely been a different result.” Luckily, everyone escaped unscathed thanks to the super-cat. 

More info: County of Grande Prairie Regional Fire Service (h/t) Source

A special bond based on respect, trust and care. And whenever a helpless animal is in times of need, people know they need to help it. It’s also the case of this baby giraffe, saved from drowning in Kenya. For some unknown reasons, a baby giraffe got stuck in the middle of Uaso Nyiro river, Kenya. And as it wasn’t hard enough already for the helpless creature due to the strong currents, this rushing river is full of crocodiles, too. 

Therefore, the little one’s fate seemed to be sealed. Nevertheless, the help came from where it expected the less. A group of wildlife rangers and locals heard the scared giraffe and rushed to help her. After a couple of hours, the animal was saved due to the heroism of these brave, kind guys. 

Thankfully, some photos of the rescue were shared online by one of these nice people, so people to show the appreciation. “Marvelous rescue mission, congrats great friend of samburu wildlife Mr Baba Sue and team,” a user wrote. While another added: “Wow! What a show of courage and passion for wildlife – our precious heritage.” 

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), some giraffe species have recently declared endangered. Among them, the Masai giraffe. 

They are a subspecies what roams the lands of Kenya and Tanzania and their numbers dropped at only 35,000 left in the wild, over the last three decades.

 
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Thankfully, Biu Biu is a patient and gentle dog. Dora says the tiny boar piglet had been found by her gardener, who brought the orphaned animal to her. 

With no wildlife rescues in Sri Lanka, Dora called a vet for advice and began to take care of Yezhu. She soon learned that Biu Biu would be a bigger help with Yezhu than she ever could have imagined.

  As Yezhu grew up, Biu Biu would show Yezhu how to be a dog and one of the pack. The two take turns using each other as a pillow when they take naps together. Having grown from 2 pounds to 62 pounds, Yezhu now has her own boar condo outside. And Biu Biu and Yezhu are still inseparable.
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