Pet Hospice Article

Jan 20, 2010 | 0 comments

There’s a very nice article in today’s USA Today about pet hospice. It focuses on a no-kill shelter in Denver called MaxFund which sends old, sick dogs and cats to foster homes, where people love and care for these animals in their last days. From the article:

Only a tiny fraction of the nation’s shelters have such programs. The meds and care such animals need to stay content and pain-free cost plenty. And there are millions of healthy animals requiring shelters’ attention. Moreover, hospice fostering isn’t the kind of work every volunteer feels able to take on. It’s tough enough to foster a litter of puppies, becoming attached, knowing they’ll be gone soon. But hospice fosters know there will be no happy-ending adoption to mark the end of their time with an animal.

And there’s the truth that helps such people through the sad moments: That old dog or cat was not scared or alone. Whatever else had happened in its life up until then, including abandonment by an owner without the compassion or soul or guts to be there until the end, is erased or at least overwritten by period of love and a peaceful parting.

To read the whole article, click here.

A Good Goodbye