Meet Valerie Reid, the remarkable woman who transformed her home into a hospice to ensure that no elderly pet dies alone.
Valerie Reid runs Whispering Willows Senior Dog Sanctuary, a pet rescue organization in Missouri dedicated to improving the lives of senior dogs who have been abandoned or lost their owners. This lifetime hospice sanctuary provides a forever home for dogs nearing the end of their lives. Unlike other pet sanctuaries, the dogs at Whispering Willows are never fostered, adopted out, or kept in kennels. Instead, they live with Reid and her family until they pass away.
Reid tells Daily Paws, “They just get to be here and get to be home.”
The senior dogs come to Whispering Willows for various reasons: being abandoned, losing their pet parents, their owners moving into nursing homes, or being taken away from their owners by court order. Despite their past traumas and challenges, these dogs retain their zest for life. Reid explains, “What I love about elderly dogs is that they’re so forgiving. They continue to forgive and love no matter what has happened in their life, whether it be trauma, abuse, neglect, or the fact that they have lost their owner and feel hopeless.”
Reid’s inspiration to open the sanctuary came after her own father passed away from cancer, leaving behind his 9-year-old Doberman pinscher, who had been his steadfast companion. Although she was her father’s caregiver, Reid couldn’t take in his beloved pet. Fortunately, she found a foster family that provided the dog with a loving home for another year and a half. This experience motivated Reid to help other pets and families have similar positive outcomes.
“Imagine arriving at work to find 68 puppies wagging their tails at you,” says Reid. “And seeing you makes them happier than anything else in the world.”
Not all the senior dogs at the sanctuary stay for long. Some only spend a few days or weeks in their final months. Despite the brief time and the pain of losing them, Reid finds meaning in providing them with comfort during their last days.
“Because they have taught me to simply keep going no matter what life throws at you, I believe we are better off united here at the sanctuary,” says Reid. “Tragic events, death, and sadness are present, but there is also a lot of love and joy.”
