A Woman Who Could Not Come To Terms With The Idea That Old Dogs Die Alone Turns Her House Into A Pet Shelter - And Now Takes Care Of 80 Mongrels At Once
Valerie Reed, 44, founded the Whispering Willows, a nonprofit shelter for elderly dogs in Hermitage, Missouri, in 2017, after she struggled to find a home for her father’s aging Doberman. Report Dailymail.
She recalled: “My husband and I were at the limit of the possibilities for pets in our city and could not take her with us. We were looking everywhere for some kind of rescue that could help, but because of her age, no one wanted to take her in.
Now Valerie accepts dogs that have been in a shelter for a long time, whose owners have died or moved to an institution for a retirement facility.
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Valerie, the president of the charity, said: “Dogs live with us openly and walk between two buildings. wherever we go, they go, and they are treated like family members.
“The best thing is the transformation they go through when they know they are safe and loved.”
About five dogs with the same number of deaths are taken away every week.
‘Our vision is to help people prepare for the end of life, none of us are guaranteed tomorrow,’ said Valerie. ‘We get to send our seniors off in comfort and love. Yes, it hurts but it is an honor to love and care for them.’
Valerie remodeled kitchens and owned an interior design store for about 12 years before setting up the sanctuary in 2017.
She was inspired to set up the home after she struggled to find a place to home her father’s Doberman when he passed away before finally a foster home heard about the dilemma and wanted to help.
“Our vision is to help people prepare for the end of life, none of us is guaranteed tomorrow,” Valerie said. “We can spend our elderly in comfort and love. Yes, it hurts, but it’s a great honor for me to love them and take care of them.
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Valerie remodeled kitchens and owned an interior design store for about 12 years before founding the sanctuary in 2017.
She was inspired to create a shelter after struggling to find a place to shelter her father’s Doberman when he passed away before finally the foster family heard about this dilemma and wanted to help.
The foster family already had several elderly dogs that roamed freely around the farm.
“My father’s Doberman lived happily for another year and a half on her farm,” Valerie said. “It made me think about what happens to older dogs that were once beloved pets.
“I wanted to help those who found themselves in a situation like my dad, and really couldn’t take care of their beloved older dogs anymore, but then my eyes were opened to how many dogs there needed help. This is a forgotten segment of the salvation world.’
Valerie, along with her 42-year-old husband Josh, moved from Kansas City to Missouri to their current property in the Hermitage.
The 3,000-square-foot house has a 1,700-square-foot extension to house the dogs, and Valerie contacted a local veterinarian to help with medical expenses.
Whispering Willows officially opened its doors on July 19, 2017, and now up to 80 dogs can be in them at the same time.
Valerie, a mother of one, said: “The sanctuary developed and became bigger and bigger than I even thought. I love that we have so many little hearts that love us back.’
Kind-hearted Valerie now employs about 17 full-time employees who offer round-the-clock care and on-site hospitalization. Dogs come from other shelters, or whose owners have gone to nursing homes or died, and they have nowhere to go.
Elderly people can wander around the five chakras of the fenced land as they please, or they can just relax on one of the many dog beds scattered around the hotel. They are all spoiled with toys and treats.
Since the opening, Valerie and her team have made more than 790 dogs feel comfortable when the time comes to hand them over and made a clay paw print and watercolor painting of each of them.
She said: “Our goal is for them to leave this land knowing that they were being protected. We hug each other and usually cry together. They are family members and we all love them.
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Valeria hopes that she will be able to encourage others to think about what will happen to their pets if something happens to them.
She said: “We all need to plan for the future, which includes not only spouses and children but also beloved pets. Death is not scary, getting old is a privilege, and we all have to face death someday.
“We help as many elderly dogs as possible, but we are overwhelmed by the number and then the medical costs. We hope to raise awareness by demonstrating the huge need for elderly care, as well as awareness of our sanctuary.’